L'Or Artiste Vigoroso Intensity 8: Instant Coffee Guide

L'Or Artiste Vigoroso Intensity 8: What the Number Means

The 8 on the front is L'Or's own measure of roast and body, and the commonest mistake is reading it as a caffeine rating. What the number actually buys is a darker, heavier, drier mug, with toast, cocoa and a trace of smoke.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

L'Or Artiste Vigoroso Intensity 8: What the Number Means, in summary: The dark, full-bodied instant in L'Or's range: instant coffee with a little finely ground roast coffee mixed in. Intensity 8 describes roast depth and body, not caffeine, so use more granules for strength and rest the kettle first.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

The 8 on the front is L'Or's own measure of roast and body, and the commonest mistake is reading it as a caffeine rating. What the number actually buys is a darker, heavier, drier mug, with toast, cocoa and a trace of smoke.

Intensity is a ladder, not a jolt

Intensity numbers are house scales. Each brand calibrates its own against the rest of its range, so the figure is useful for moving around within L'Or, whose capsules are graded on a scale that runs up to 13, and meaningless for comparing L'Or with anyone else. An eight here describes how far the beans were roasted and the weight and bitterness that result. It says nothing about caffeine: the dose you spoon out is what sets strength.

People buy a high number expecting a sharper lift and get a deeper, drier cup instead. Those are different things. Roasting further breaks down the bright acids and builds heavier, bittersweet compounds, so the flavour moves towards toasted grain, dark chocolate and smoke. If you want more of a kick, put more coffee in the mug; if you want more depth at the same dose, that is what the higher number is for.

What is actually in the jar

The published ingredient list is short: instant coffee, plus roast and ground coffee making up 5%. That small share of finely ground roast coffee is what sets this jar apart from a plain soluble, and L'Or builds its Intense instant, which we also carry, the same way. The list names none of the 14 major allergens, though the current pack is always the final word on that.

Within L'Or's soluble range, Vigoroso is the dark, full-bodied end, so anyone after a gentler jar should look to the others, Classique among them. Vigoroso is dense and bitter-forward, made for black-coffee drinkers who like it strong, or for mugs with so much milk that a mild blend would vanish. The 95g jar suits a cup you've chosen rather than four absent-minded refills a day.

Making it deep rather than harsh

Harshness in a dark instant nearly always comes from the kettle. Boiling water scorches a dark roast, turning its bitterness sharp and its finish metallic. Let the kettle settle for half a minute before pouring, and the same spoonful reads as depth instead. Start at a rounded 2g in a 200ml cup, which gives roughly 47 mugs from the jar, or nearer 32 if you take it strong; both are our own sums rather than figures on the pack.

For more strength, add granules; shrinking the water only gives you less of the same drink. Keep the lid closed and the spoon dry, because damp is the first thing to strip the aroma from a jar. And read the cocoa note correctly: on a coffee like this it means the dry, dark end of chocolate rather than sweetness, so anyone hoping for something close to a mocha will find it severe.

The packs we stock

L'Or Artiste Vigoroso Intensity 8 Instant Coffee, 95g (barcode 8711000702062)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for L'Or Artiste Vigoroso Intensity 8 Instant Coffee, 95g names none of the 14 major allergens. Read the current Vigoroso jar first; L'Or may change this intensity 8 recipe and its allergen advice.

Ingredients, as published: Instant Coffee, Roast and Ground Coffee (5%).

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. Your own Vigoroso jar is the final word.

What to eat with it

McVitie's Digestives Dark Chocolate Biscuits, 433g: Dark chocolate beside a dark roast, cocoa meeting cocoa, on a digestive sturdy enough for a quick dip.
Border Butterscotch Crunch Organic Biscuits, 135g: Butterscotch sweetness is exactly what this dry, bitter-forward jar leaves out.
McVitie's Milk Chocolate Digestives Biscuits, 266g: For a milky mug of Vigoroso, a milk chocolate digestive softens the edges further.

Elsewhere in the L'Or range

The full range is on the L'Or brand page.

FAQ

Does intensity 8 mean more caffeine? No. Intensity describes roast depth and body on L'Or's own scale; the amount of coffee you use is what changes strength.

What are the ingredients of L'Or Artiste Vigoroso? Instant coffee, and roast and ground coffee at 5%, according to the published label.

How many mugs does the 95g jar make? About 47 at a rounded 2g per 200ml cup, or nearer 32 if you take it strong. That is our own arithmetic, not a pack claim.

Why does my cup taste burnt? Most likely the water was too hot. Let the kettle rest for about half a minute after it boils, then pour.

Does the chocolate note mean it tastes sweet? No. On a dark roast like this, cocoa means the dry, bitter end of chocolate, so expect depth rather than sweetness.

Curator's note: One cup, made properly, with the kettle left to settle. This is a jar for the mug that has work to do, not for idle refills. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: L'Or Artiste Vigoroso Intensity 8: What the Number Means

Field	Detail
Brand	L'Or
Packs we stock	95g
Category	Instant Coffee
Allergens (as published)	Of the 14 major allergens, the published Vigoroso ingredients from L'Or contain none.
Caffeine	caffeinated
Strength control	The spoon, not the number
Best with	A dark chocolate digestive
Suits	Black coffee drinkers who want depth from a jar