Nescafé Sachets halved in 3 years
Three years ago, sachets of Nescafé Classic and Nescafé Sunrise were a staple at kirana stores. Back then, Nescafé Classic was 100% coffee, while Nescafé Sunrise was a blend of chicory, Robusta, and Arabica. Since Sunrise wasn't "pure" coffee due to the added chicory, it was offered in higher quantities compared to Classic. A ₹10 sachet got you 8.5 grams of Classic or 10 grams of Sunrise. This was significantly cheaper compared to the 100g glass jars, which cost ₹300 at the time.
These sachets were supposedly"testers" for promoting Nescafé products. They were convenient, affordable, and a way for people to try the coffee before committing to a jar. While the granules in jars might have been more "intact," sachets were more economical and easier to transport. The sachets often contained finer powder, possibly from leftover scrap after filling jars or granules breaking during shipping, but this didn’t affect the taste.
Fast forward to today, a ₹10 sachet now contains just 3.5 grams of coffee—less than half of what it used to be. This blatant shrinkflation feels almost criminal. To add to the frustration, the price of glass jars has skyrocketed from ₹300 to ₹410 in just three years.
I regularly brew my coffee from bean to cup using a V60 and a Timemore C2 grinder, so I’d like to think I have a fairly refined palate. But on rushed mornings before college, I rely on Nescafé sachets for convenience. The thing is, jars and sachets taste almost identical—so why reduce the sachet quantity to such an absurd degree? It’s baffling and makes me feel infuriated.
Three years ago, sachets of Nescafé Classic and Nescafé Sunrise were a staple at kirana stores. Back then, Nescafé Classic was 100% coffee, while Nescafé Sunrise was a blend of chicory, Robusta, and Arabica. Since Sunrise wasn't "pure" coffee due to the added chicory, it was offered in higher quantities compared to Classic. A ₹10 sachet got you 8.5 grams of Classic or 10 grams of Sunrise. This was significantly cheaper compared to the 100g glass jars, which cost ₹300 at the time.
These sachets were supposedly"testers" for promoting Nescafé products. They were convenient, affordable, and a way for people to try the coffee before committing to a jar. While the granules in jars might have been more "intact," sachets were more economical and easier to transport. The sachets often contained finer powder, possibly from leftover scrap after filling jars or granules breaking during shipping, but this didn’t affect the taste.
Fast forward to today, a ₹10 sachet now contains just 3.5 grams of coffee—less than half of what it used to be. This blatant shrinkflation feels almost criminal. To add to the frustration, the price of glass jars has skyrocketed from ₹300 to ₹410 in just three years.
I regularly brew my coffee from bean to cup using a V60 and a Timemore C2 grinder, so I’d like to think I have a fairly refined palate. But on rushed mornings before college, I rely on Nescafé sachets for convenience. The thing is, jars and sachets taste almost identical—so why reduce the sachet quantity to such an absurd degree? It’s baffling and makes me feel infuriated.