L'Or Intense Paper Refill: How to Decant and Store It

L'Or Intense Paper Refill: Decanting and Keeping It Dry

A refill pouch only works if there is a jar waiting for it. Buy this once you already own and like L'Or Intense, and treat the pouch as a way of getting the coffee home, not a place to keep it.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

L'Or Intense Paper Refill: Decanting and Keeping It Dry, in summary: This is L'Or Intense without the jar: 125g in a paper pouch for topping up a jar you already own. Decant it the day you open it, because the pouch does not reseal and granules take on moisture.

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

A refill pouch only works if there is a jar waiting for it. Buy this once you already own and like L'Or Intense, and treat the pouch as a way of getting the coffee home, not a place to keep it.

Why the pouch is not for storage

Paper does not close to any useful standard once it has been opened, and instant coffee granules draw moisture out of the air. Fold the top over and leave it in the cupboard, and the contents slowly set into a solid lump at the bottom. So have a clean, completely dry jar ready before you tear the top, tip the whole pouch in at once, and screw the lid down firmly.

Use a dry spoon every time, since a damp one carries moisture straight in. Decanted promptly, the coffee keeps just as it would have in the original jar; abandoned in the pouch, it will not. If you are new to L'Or Intense, buy the jar version first, both for the jar itself and to find out if the coffee suits you.

What is in the pouch

The coffee is L'Or Intense, the darker of L'Or's two everyday instants, made in L'Or's words from finely ground roast coffee blended with instant. Expect a toasted, dark roast, a dry, cocoa-like bitterness at its centre and a long finish that holds up in milk. Classique, the other everyday jar, is softer and less bitter; for milky mugs, Intense is the jar that keeps its coffee flavour.

Allowing about 2g, a slightly rounded teaspoon, for each 200ml mug, 125g comes to around 62 mugs by our own reckoning, and heaped spoons bring that nearer fifty. Give the boiled kettle thirty seconds or so to settle before pouring: instant dissolves happily in water just off the boil, and boiling water pushes a dark roast towards harshness.

The case for paper

The advantage of the format is packaging. A flat paper pouch needs far less material than glass plus a plastic lid, and it weighs a fraction as much on the way to you. Keep one good jar and refill it, and every pouch you empty is a jar and lid you did not have to throw away.

How to dispose of the pouch depends on the pack and your council. Paper-based packs often have a liner, which changes how they are handled, so read the instructions on the pouch rather than assuming it goes in with the paper. And for lump-free mugs, stir the granules into a splash of water first, then top up, rather than pouring a full mug straight onto them.

The packs we stock

L'Or Intense Paper Refill, 125g (barcode 8711000565322)

What to eat with it

McVitie's Hobnobs The Oaty One Milk Chocolate Twin Pack Biscuits, 2 x 262g: Milk chocolate Hobnobs suit a strong, milky mug of Intense, and a twin pack works like the refill: open one, keep the other sealed.
Lotus Biscoff Caramelised Biscuits, 250g: Caramelised sweetness takes the edge off the dry, bitter finish of a dark instant.
Border Dark Chocolate Ginger Organic Biscuits, 150g: Ginger and dark chocolate stand up to a dark roast rather than getting lost beside it.

Elsewhere in the L'Or range

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

FAQ

Is the refill the same coffee as the jar? Yes, it is L'Or Intense; the difference is the packaging, a paper pouch instead of a glass jar.

Do I really need to decant it? Yes, and promptly. The pouch will not reseal airtight, and granules left in it take on moisture and clump.

How many mugs will 125g make? Around 62 at a slightly rounded teaspoon per 200ml mug, by our own calculation, and fewer if you heap the spoon.

Can the pouch go in with paper recycling? Check the pack. Paper-based pouches often have a liner, and that changes how your council handles them.

Why does my instant go lumpy in the mug? A full mug of water hitting the granules at once. Stir them into a splash of water first, then top up.

Curator's note: Open it standing next to the empty jar, not a week later. That one habit is the difference between a refill and a brick of coffee at the back of the cupboard. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: L'Or Intense Paper Refill: Decanting and Keeping It Dry

Field	Detail
Brand	L'Or
Packs we stock	125g
Category	Instant Coffee
Caffeine	caffeinated
Buy it if	You already have the jar
Storage	Decant into a dry jar the day you open it
Best with	A milk chocolate Hobnob