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Azera Intense takes the roast further than any other tin in the Azera range, and the people it disappoints are mostly those who wanted the standard Azera. Buy it knowing that, and it is the Azera that keeps tasting of coffee under a generous pour of milk.
What makes it Intense
As with the rest of the Azera range, the tin holds soluble coffee with finely ground roasted beans mixed in. The granules dissolve at once and decide the strength, while the ground coffee brings back body and a roasted smell that turning coffee into granules tends to lose. Intense then takes the roast well past the standard Azera Americano, into smoky, toasty territory with a hint of char.
Of the Azera coffees we stock, this is the darkest and the most bitter, and it drinks noticeably stronger than Nescafé Original. Expect cocoa and smoke on the nose, bitterness right at the front and a dry finish. That profile is the whole point, and it explains why the tin holds its ground under milk where lighter instants thin out.
Intense or the standard Americano?
The choice is straightforward. If you drink coffee black and like it clean, the standard Azera Americano is the better tin, lighter in roast and less bitter. If you add a generous splash of milk, or you gave up on instant because it tasted weak and watery, Intense is built to answer exactly that. Anyone who finds dark roasts harsh should skip it.
Neither of the decaf Azeras we stock is an Intense, so for evening mugs the 90g Americano Decaff or the 135g Decaf Americano is the choice. A 140g tin of Intense makes somewhere near fifty-five large mugs, which suits someone who drinks it every morning better than someone who makes one a week and leaves the tin open between times.
Big mug, water off the boil
Intense is built americano style, meaning a decent dose in plenty of water. Aim for about 2.5g, a rounded or heaped teaspoon, to 250ml. Squeeze that into a 150ml cup and it turns tarry. If one spoon feels too gentle first thing, double the coffee and the water together instead of shortening the mug, and the balance stays where it should be.
Temperature matters more here than with plain granules. Water at a full boil scalds the ground coffee, and a scalded dark roast tastes ashy rather than just bitter. Give the kettle around half a minute after it clicks, which brings the water down to somewhere near 90 to 95°C. Add milk afterwards, as much as you like; this is the Azera that can take it.
The packs we stock
- Nescafe Azera Americano Intense Instant Coffee with Finely Ground Beans, 140g (barcode 8445291074385)
What to eat with it
- Thomas Fudge's 6 Dark Chocolate Florentines: dark chocolate meets the cocoa and smoke of the roast on equal terms.
- Royal Dansk Danish Butter Cookies, 340g: a plain, buttery cookie whose sweetness softens the bitterness at the front of the cup.
- Border Dark Chocolate Ginger Organic Biscuits, 150g: ginger heat and dark chocolate are bold enough not to disappear beside a dark roast.
- McVitie's Milk Chocolate Digestives Biscuits, 266g: a milk chocolate digestive to sit beside the big, milky morning mug.
Elsewhere in the Nescafé range
- Nescafe Azera Americano Decaff Instant Coffee, 90g
- Nescafe Azera Americano Instant Coffee, 140g
- Nescafe Azera Decaf Americano Instant Coffee with Finely Ground Beans, 135g
- Nescafe Cappuccino Decaf Unsweetened Taste Instant Coffee Sachets, 7 Sachets 105g
- Nescafe Cappuccino Instant Coffee, 7 Sachets
- Nescafe Cappuccino Instant Coffee Sachets, 12 Sachets 186g
The full range is on the Nescafé brand page.
FAQ
How strong is Azera Americano Intense? Very. Nothing else in the Azera range is roasted darker or tastes more bitter, and it drinks stronger than Nescafé Original.
Can you drink Azera Intense with milk? Yes. It is the Azera best suited to a generous splash, because the dark roast still tastes of coffee underneath.
What size mug suits Azera Intense? A large one, around 250ml. A small cup concentrates it until it tastes harsh.
Why does my Azera Intense taste ashy? The water was probably too hot. Let the kettle rest for about half a minute before pouring.
Is Azera Intense ground coffee or instant? Instant. The granules have finely ground roasted beans mixed through them, and you make it with nothing more than a kettle and a spoon.
Curator's note: Buy this if your complaint about instant was always strength rather than texture. If you like your coffee gentle and black, the standard Azera Americano will make you happier. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.
In short: Nescafé Azera Americano Intense: The Dark-Roast Azera
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | Nescafé |
| Packs we stock | 140g |
| Category | Instant Coffee |
| Caffeine | caffeinated |
| Character | Dark, smoky, bitter up front |
| Best with | A large mug and plenty of milk |
| Dose | About 2.5g per 250ml |
More from the tea wiki
- Nescafé: The Instant Coffee Benchmark
- Tea vs Coffee: Taste, Caffeine and Switching
- Caffeine in Tea
- Tea vs Coffee
- Tea for Coffee Drinkers: Where to Start
- Chai vs Coffee
- Best Instant Coffee UK
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