Nigel, Author at Clearly Coffee

I tried Maxim Original Korean Instant Coffee: My Review and Photos

May 13, 2024September 13, 2023 by Nigel

by Nigel Ong

I was recently in South Korea and thought I’d check out the local coffees. As I searched, I noticed that some Korean coffees are so popular people are buying them on Amazon. These coffees are also searched online by many coffeeheads in the US.

One of them is the Maxim Original Instant Coffee. Curious to see how good they are, I picked up a Maxim Original Instant Coffee bottle and decided to experiment with it myself.

I will make coffee using Maxim Original Instant Coffee and then taste it. I then added flavorings, too. Finally, I compare the coffee with regular and premium instant coffee and see which group it belongs to.

I Tried Nescafe Classic Instant Coffee: My Review and Photos

May 13, 2024September 12, 2023 by Nigel

by Nigel Ong

In the US, we have Folgers. For many other parts of the world, the default instant coffee is Nescafe Classic. Affordable and has good taste, Nescafe has been the instant coffee sipped by billions worldwide.

But how good is it? Was it well received worldwide because of the price, or was it a genuinely excellent instant coffee? How does it compare against other popular instant coffee?

In this post, I picked up a bottle of Nescafe Classic and tested it. I also tried it with many common coffee flavorings to see how it tasted. Finally, I compared it against other popular instant coffee.

I Compared Pike Place Roast Coffee: Starbucks location vs. Via Instant vs. Whole Beans

May 13, 2024September 12, 2023 by Nigel

Starbucks Pike Place roast beans versus Via Instant coffee version, side by side — *I compared Pike Place from a Starbucks with the whole bean coffee I make at home and with the instant Via coffee version. Here’s what I found.*

by Nigel Ong

Since 2008, Starbucks Pike Place Roast has been a staple coffee for many people. However, brewing coffee takes at least several minutes, and not all have the luxury.

As a result, Starbucks introduced the Pike Place Roast as an instant coffee through its Starbucks Via range. However, is the instant coffee version of the Starbucks Pike Place Roast good enough to replace the original whole-bean version?

In this post, I set about to test this question. I brew a regular cup of Pike Place Roast from the whole bean bag and also a cup from a Starbucks Via instant coffee stick. I taste them side by side and see if they are different.

What’s a Piccolo Coffee or a Piccolo Latte?

May 13, 2024September 10, 2023 by Nigel

Question: A friend of mine just returned from a trip to Australia. When I was talking to him about Australian coffee culture, he mentioned that on coffee shop menus he often saw a brew with an interesting-sounding name: piccolo latte. I have never encountered this type of coffee and he didn’t know what it actually was. Can you tell me? – Ed Jackness

Darren Oliver at Clearly Coffee Replies: Piccolo latte is a coffee that is difficult to encounter outside of Australia. Although the name suggests that it is an Italian coffee, it was invented in Australia, in Melbourne, or Sydney (baristas in those cities are still arguing about where exactly it took place). It also never became as popular as another Australian drink: flat white. So what is a piccolo latte and how does it differ from other milk coffees? How does it taste and, finally, how to prepare it yourself at home? I will answer these questions in today’s article.

Folgers House Blend Roast Coffee – My Review with Photos

May 13, 2024September 8, 2023 by Nigel

by Nigel Ong When we see the brand Folgers, we may immediately think of their instant coffee. Regardless of what you think, Folgers also offer coffee roasts, which are very …

My Review of Starbucks Breakfast Blend coffee beans with photos

May 13, 2024September 8, 2023 by Nigel

starbucks breakfast blend coffee beans and test cups of coffee — *I tested Starbucks Breakfast Blend coffee beans all kinds of different ways. Here’s what I thought.*

by Nigel Ong

Aside from the Breakfast Blend, Starbucks has many medium roasts, such as the Pike Place and House Blend. Will the Starbucks Breakfast Blend taste better than them? I am here to try to answer this.

I try to brew and sample the Starbucks Breakfast Blend in this post. I’ll also compare it against its contemporaries and see how different its taste is.

This is part of my extensive review of Starbucks’ coffee roasts. Feel free to check out my other reviews on Starbucks Veranda Roast, Caffe Verona Roast, or Pike Place Blend.

Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast Coffee Beans: My Review and Photos

May 13, 2024September 7, 2023 by Nigel

*Lots of ways to prepare Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast!*

by Nigel Ong

You may have heard of strong, dark espresso. However, would you consider a light, delicate, and flavorful one? Welcome to the world of Blonde Espresso.

Roasted light, these beans are meant to be intense, yet at the same time, not smash your palate with smoke and bold flavors. It is a rather different experience with Espresso and something few are familiar with.

For this post, I thought I would experiment with blonde espresso, starting with Starbucks’ Blonde Espresso roast. I will first sample the espresso before making several espresso-based drinks with them. Finally, I compare it against other espresso coffee I have.

Folgers Breakfast Blend Coffee: My Review and Photos

May 13, 2024September 6, 2023 by Nigel

by Nigel Ong

Folgers Breakfast Blend coffee prepared many ways — *I tried Folgers Breakfast Blend coffee all kinds of ways! Here’s what I found.*

Many people seem to enjoy pissing on Folgers, especially coffee connoisseurs. Its commonality also made it not appealing to coffee drinkers, assuming it is a mass-produced, low-quality coffee.

However, just because connoisseurs say the coffee is bad, does not mean it actually is. I prefer to find this out myself. If you wonder how Folgers coffee roasts taste, join me in my little experiment here.

In this post, I will be brewing the Folgers Breakfast Blend several ways and sample it. I will also try the coffee with flavorings and compare it against its contemporaries.

Ready? Let’s go.

Maxim Mocha Gold Mild Korean Instant Coffee: My Review with Photos

May 13, 2024September 6, 2023 by Nigel

south korean maxim mocha gold mild instant black coffee

by Nigel Ong

South Korea is known for its amazing coffee culture, and it is also one of the world’s largest coffee consumers per capita. Koreans drink all sorts of coffee, from the fanciest to the humble instant coffee.

One of the most popular Korean instant coffee is from Maxim. It is so popular that people import and sell them to the US on Amazon.

We have reviewed the Original instant coffee before, so here, I will be reviewing the most popular instant coffee in Korea, the Mocha Gold Mild. I’ll brew the coffee several ways and then compare it against other popular instant coffees.

Folgers 1850 Pioneer Blend Coffee: My Review with Photos

May 13, 2024September 5, 2023 by Nigel

Folgers 1850 pioneer blend coffee on a french press

by Nigel Ong

Folgers’ regular coffee blends tend to split opinions. Some are okay with it, but some dislike it so much that they call it rat poison. One good thing is that Folgers do not just sit on their laurels and let it be. They actually try to introduce something better.

Enter the 1850 roasts. These are Folgers’ attempts to produce premium blends to counter the public perception that Folgers only makes poor-quality coffee. One of the posts is the Folgers 1850 Pioneer Blend, a medium roast.

In this post, I review the Folgers 1850 Pioneer Blend. I’ll brew the coffee several ways and then try them. I’ll also experiment with flavorings like milk or creamer before finally comparing them with other common coffee roasts.