Mar 06, 2025 22:00:00

I tried comparing the regular soluble coffee 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half' with the regular Gold Blend, which has 50% less caffeine

Nestle's lineup of '

Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half ,' a regular soluble coffee with 50% less caffeine, has been expanded to include bottles, refill packs, and refill bags from Saturday, March 1, 2025. I was curious about the taste of Nescafe Gold Blend, which has 50% less caffeine, so I tried drinking it against the regular ' Nescafe Gold Blend ' and ' Nescafe Gold Blend Decaffeinated .'

'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half' lineup expanded to a total of four products, to be released nationwide from March 1st | Nestle Japan
https://www.nestle.co.jp/media/pressreleases/20250123_nescafe_1

The lineup of 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half,' a regular soluble coffee with 50% less caffeine (※1), has been expanded to a total of four products and will be available nationwide from Saturday, March 1st.pdf
(PDF file) https://www.nestle.co.jp/sites/g/files/pydnoa331/files/2025-01/20250123_nescafe_1.pdf

The four products available at the time of writing the article for 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half' look like this. The one on the far left is ' Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half Stick Black 20-pack ', which has been available since November 2024, and from the right are the bottle-type ' Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half ', the system pack type refill ' Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half Eco & System Pack ', and the bag-type refill ' Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half Bag '. The packaging is based on pink.

'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half' is a standard bottle type with a content of 80g.

'Nescafe Gold Blend Half Caffeine Eco & System Pack' is a pack for refilling Nescafe's

Barista coffee maker or empty bottles.

You can easily refill it by opening the lid, turning it upside down, and pushing it into the mouth of the barista tank or bottle. Since the content volume is 95g, it cannot be refilled into the bottle of 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half' which has a content volume of 80g. However, since the regular bottle of 'Nescafe Gold Blend' has a content volume of 120g, it can be refilled into this bottle.

'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half Bag' is also for refilling bottles, but it is a bag type with a modest content of 50g, and can be refilled into an empty 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half' bottle. Although it is written as 'trial size', the bag itself does not have a zipper, so it is a product that is intended to be refilled, so please be careful.

I opened a bottle of 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half' and peeled off the film. When I put my face close to it, I could smell the coffee.

This time, I will compare it with the regular 'Nescafe Gold Blend' (left) and 'Nescafe Gold Blend Decaffeinated' (middle).

First, let's compare the powders by placing them on a plate. The color of 'Nescafe Gold Blend' seems slightly darker, but it's almost within the margin of error.

Next, I put the powder in a glass, poured hot water over it, and made coffee. There was no visible difference between the coffees.

When I tried the 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half', I found it to have a refreshing taste with a slight sourness. Compared to the regular 'Nescafe Gold Blend', this one has a slightly bitter taste and a slightly mellow aftertaste. On the other hand, the 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine-Free' seemed to have a slightly stronger sour taste than the 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half'. 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half' is not caffeine-free but is 50% off, so it is a regular soluble coffee that is just right for the evening when you feel like 'I want to take a little caffeine to make me feel refreshed, but I don't want to disturb my sleep because of too much caffeine'.

The four 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half' products have been available at retail stores and mail order sites nationwide since Saturday, March 1, 2025. The suggested retail prices are 506 yen (tax included) for the stick type 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half Stick Black 20 sticks', 1114 yen (tax included) for the bottled 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half', 1229 yen (tax included) for the system pack type refill 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half Eco & System Pack', and 548 yen (tax included) for the bag type refill 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half Bag'.

Also, at the time of writing, both products were available for purchase on Amazon.co.jp, with prices ranging from 498 yen (tax included) for the 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half Stick Black 20-pack,' 1,115 yen (tax included) for the bottled 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half,' 1,229 yen (tax included) for the refill 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half Eco & System Pack,' and 549 yen (tax included) for the 'Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half Bag.'

Amazon.co.jp: Nescafe Gold Blend Caffeine Half Stick Black 20P (2g), Regular Soluble Coffee, Individually Wrapped: Food, Beverages & Alcohol