Nescafé Cafe Menu recipe change brews social media outrage
Nescafé has earned the wrath of disgruntled coffee drinkers who are furious the company has changed the recipe of their favourite brew.
The company launched a "new and improved" Café Menu range in July, which comprises 14 styles of instant coffee sachets including strong cappuccino, hazelnut latté and white chocolate mocha.
While baristas might not think instant coffee drinkers are all that fastidious, the backlash against the new blends suggests otherwise.
Dozens of disgruntled customers have taken to social media to express their anger and disgust, leaving Nescafe desperately trying to contain their rage.
"Sorry but this 'new' recipe for this once delicious coffee is just horrendous," Tiffany Jackson posted to Nescafé's Facebook page.
Suzie Gordon complained that she did not get enough oomph from the new blend, posting: "THE COFFEE IS NOW NOT PERFECT - You changed it. I DRINK STRONG COFFEE."
"Nescafé what have you done to your new 'creamier, frothier' cappuccino? It is disgusting! I loved the old version, possibly too much," said another.
Another woman posted a photo of the old and new products, which appeared to show a greater concentration of milk powder in the new version.
Nescafé responded to the furore by blocking some of the most vigorous complainers.
Tabatha Voss said Nescafé blocked her from commenting on its Facebook page and deleted several of the comments she had made over the past month.
"There were literally hundreds of complaints from people about the new taste and a whole lot of those comments have vanished," she said.
The company pled with others to keep their anger under control, asking one woman to stop posting an image that called on Nescafé to reinstate the old product.
"While we really appreciate your passion for our NESCAFÉ Café Menu Range we ask that you please stop posting this image as it breaks our house rules," the Nescafé account wrote.
A spokeswoman for Nescafé's owner Nestle Australia said the new product was developed based feedback from customer who wanted a creamier cup of coffee.
"We then extensively tested it with our consumers, who preferred the new taste," she said.
The spokeswoman was unable to say how else the new recipes differed from the old ones.
