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.
About Maxim Mocha Gold Mild
Maxim is probably South Korea’s most popular instant coffee and is well-known outside the country. It was started by Dongsun Foods in 1976; Maxim instant coffee is available in Korea and many places worldwide.
Maxim’s instant coffee comes in three styles: original, Mocha Gold, or White Gold. There are also other variations of instant coffee, such as Latte or decaf. You can tell these blends apart by the color scheme.
The Mocha Gold Mild is bright yellow, which reminds me of Cafe Bustelo. You can get them bottled or also in sticks. I have the stick version in my hand, which you can also purchase from Amazon.
The Mocha Gold Mild is also the most popular instant coffee in South Korea. Many love it for its mild, soft, and creamy taste. Let’s make a few cups and see how true this is.
How Does Maxim Mocha Gold Mild Taste?
First Impression
The coffee sticks are kept inside a box. The box has a strip-like opener, making it easier to open as it is not taped up. You can also reseal the box as it has a cut-in pocket to tuck the top lid in.
As for the individual coffee sticks, they come in a bright yellow color. Maxim has pre-cut a short line in the coffee sticks, making it easy to tear it open. The opening experience of the stick coffee is so much better than the Maxim Original, to be honest.
The coffee granules look similar to the Maxim Original, with a slightly darker color. Again, the granules make Maxim Mocha Gold Mild look like premium instant coffee, as it has similar shapes to Nescafe Gold, Illy Classico, and Lavazza Prontissimo.
The granules do not smell very dry. All I could pick up was a faint smell of coffee and dried seafood, about the same as other instant coffee. I suppose these granules need hot water to release their magic.
For brewing, the instruction printed is to brew a single stick of coffee with 140 ml (about 4.7 oz) of hot water. Since there is no temperature guidance, I will stick with my usual 185°F (85C°)
Black
I am a little unsure after making the coffee as per the instructions. The coffee looks light and quite transparent. It felt as if the coffee was too watery.
I went ahead and took a few sips. It is watery and lacks strength. There is a difference between a cup of mild, flavorful coffee and a watery one. I decided that the coffee simply needed more granules.
I emptied another stick of coffee into the cup, and yes, the coffee did taste much better. I would consider brewing with less hot water (maybe 100ml or 3.3 oz) or double the coffee granules.
The coffee tastes mild, with a little punch of bold flavors or smoke. I detected some deep chocolate notes, likely the mocha part of the Mocha Gold Mild instant coffee.
There is also a bit of creaminess, but the flavor of the coffee easily overpowers it. You can always turn to your milk or creamer if you want more creaminess.
The hot instant coffee felt comfortable and easy to sip. There’s nothing edgy or intense about it. It is nice, easy to make, and leaves you with a taste of good coffee, like how you feel with the Toyota Camry.
I can see why it is so popular in Korea. People may feel indifferent to the flavor in this instant coffee, but I am sure no one will hate it.
Iced
I brewed about 100ml of hot coffee and slowly poured it into a glass of ice. The idea is to see if ice will affect the flavor of the coffee.
The coffee seems to become a little more watery iced. This is unsurprising since the hot coffee would have melted some of the ice, making the coffee more watery.
This time, the iced coffee tasted better. I tasted some mild bitterness and a bit of sour notes. I do not taste much of the chocolate notes; perhaps the ice muted it.
This is far from the satisfying bitterness I can get from iced Americano. It is not satisfying enough for me. I prefer spending money and getting myself iced Americano from a coffee shop.
With Sugar
I’m interested in exploring whether sweetener would help improve the Maxim Mocha Gold Mild’s taste. I reached out to the most common one out there, granulated sugar.
I emptied a sugar stick into the cup of 140ml coffee with two Maxim Mocha Gold Mild sticks. I stirred the sugar in and then took a deep sip.
The coffee becomes sweeter, and the Maxim Mocha Gold Mild’s chocolate note strengthens. It also helped to make the coffee even nicer to sip and enjoy.
The sugar also does not need to compete with the smoked flavors in the coffee since the Maxim Mocha Gold Mild is very light in that department. As a result, the whole cup feels smooth and nice to drink.
I usually do not like sugar in my coffee, so to enjoy this is quite something. However, I prefer you try it out and see if you agree.
With Sweetener
Sugar is not the only sweetening agent around, so I decided to try artificial sweeteners in this review. For this, I added a drop of Equal artificial sweetener to my cup of coffee, freshly brewed. It is made with a single stick and 100 ml of water.
I do not think artificial sweeteners work as well as sugar. The sweetness does not seem right and comes later after the coffee fully enters the palate.
As a result, I seem to have the impression that the coffee is not sweetened enough on the initial sip. Only then did the sweetness come, which came rather strongly, too.
This is not the fault of the coffee, however. It is probably how Aspartame, the sweetener in Equal, works. I much prefer natural sugar with the Maxim Mocha Gold Mild.
With Milk
Aside from sweetness, people also like creaminess in their coffee. The most common additive here is milk. It only makes sense I try the Maxim Mocha Gold Mild with milk, too.
To test this, I brewed a fresh cup of Maxim Mocha Gold Mild and then poured in a shot of warm milk (about 30ml / 1oz). I used fresh, whole UHT cow’s milk here.
The milk further mellows the coffee. I love how the milk adds some slight sweetness to the coffee, thanks to the lactose content. Adding this creaminess with the slight chocolate note in the coffee makes the drink quite indulgent.
The key would be to add the milk slowly. This is because the coffee is rather mild in flavor. If you just add milk without looking at the coffee, you may easily overadd and drown out the coffee.
At that point, you will drink coffee-flavored milk instead of a milky cup. Get my point?
With Creamer
Again, milk is not the only fat people add to their coffee. As a result, I thought I’d experiment with this too. I added a stick of Coffee Mate creamer to my cup of 100ml, single stick Maxim Mocha Gold Mild.
Creamer usually adds more cream to the coffee than milk, which is quite evident here. I also noticed that the creamer adds a creamy taste but does not seem to bring out the chocolate note in the Maxim Mocha Gold Mild.
I’m unsure why, but my tongue seems to tell me this. I much prefer the version with milk.
Maxim Mocha Gold Mild vs. Maxim Original
It goes without saying that the Maxim Mocha Gold Mild and the Maxim Original will taste different. However, the goal is to sip these coffee side by side and see if my tongue prefers one.
Here, I made two cups of 100 ml coffee, both using a similar amount of granules. I sipped both coffees, black, hot.
The Maxim Original seems to be my preferred choice. It has a stronger flavor and is more straightforward. It does not try to blend in chocolate to make mocha, which allows the coffee notes to really come out.
The Mocha Gold Mild would be more complex in flavor and has a milder flavor. The Mocha Gold Mild may work for light sips, while the Original works better if you prefer something stronger.
Maxim Mocha Gold Mild vs. Regular Instant Coffee
Since Maxim Mocha Gold Mild is a mild instant coffee, I decided to test it with other regular instant coffee on my shelves. These include:
- Amazon Happy Belly Instant Coffee
- Nescafe Classic Instant Coffee
- Folgers Classic Roast Instant Coffee
Again, I made 100 ml cups of this coffee using the same amount of granules. I sipped this coffee black, with no flavorings.
I am happy to share that the Maxim Mocha Gold Mild tastes better than all the other regular instant coffees here. The Maxim Mocha Gold Mild has more character and depth in its flavors.
The coffee also seems to taste more refined than the others on the list. This is very encouraging, considering that the Maxim Mocha Gold Mild has a price closer to this regular instant coffee.
Maxim Mocha Gold Mild vs. Premium Instant Coffee
I know Maxim Mocha Gold Mild tastes better than regular instant coffees, so I may put it up against premium instant coffees.
Again, I brewed instant coffee from Illy Clasico, Lavazza Prontissimo Classico, and Nescafe Gold. I did not brew instant coffees made from darker coffee roasts since I don’t think it will make a fair comparison.
I firmly think the Maxim Mocha Gold Mild belongs to this league of instant coffees. These are more refined instant coffees with more flavor and aroma.
However, I still think the Maxim Mocha Gold Mild cannot compete with the Ily Clasico. It is, however, on par with the Nescafe Gold and better than the Lavazza Prontissimo Classico.
Maxim Mocha Gold Mild vs. Regular Coffee
Will Maxim Mocha Gold Mild taste better than regular coffee from gas stations and convenience stores? Chances are it will not. Instant coffees are, after all, instant coffees and usually cannot fight regular brewed coffee.
I picked up a regular Americano from a local 7-Eleven to test this. I sipped it with another fresh cup of Maxim Mocha Gold Mild.
The Maxim Mocha Gold Mild cannot compete against regular coffee, that is for sure. However, the tradeoff in quality for speed, convenience, and lower price may be worth it.
Who Is The Maxim Mocha Gold Mild For?
The Maxim Mocha Gold Mild is your Toyota Yaris. Small, basic, reliable, and easy to enjoy. Those who like their coffee simple, easy to sip, and cheap will enjoy this instant coffee the most.
This is also the kind of coffee almost everyone can enjoy. It is light in flavor and should not offend anyone with its taste. It also blends well with sweeteners and fat, making it flexible for many palates.
However, if you expect the Maxim Mocha Gold Mild to taste like brewed coffee, you may not get what you want. No matter how great it tastes, it remains instant coffee, and you should keep your expectations within that realm.