Kenco Reviews 

Sent to their email, which is not receiving mail anymore?
Hi,

Just a quick note as I have just thrown out, my latest jar of Kenco smooth (or NOT any longer) as you obviously put profit for shareholders, over your customers interests. Sad really, and I hope it costs JDE.Peet’s, millions.
Leave the coffee alone. Insulting to say, you are doing us a favour. I will be trying L’or coffee, on my way home from work, and I will look for my receipt for last jar of yours, and ask for a refund, as it is not the product I expected.
I never thought I would find a Company, that would exceed the bad reviews and score on Trustpilot, as Hermes/Evri, but you have managed it. Same on Facebook. I can hear it now, in the conference room . . “Just make the changes, we achieve more profit, and the stupid customers, will never know”
Somebody shot themselves in the foot, with that decision . . . “If it’s not broke, then don’t try to fix it”
15 + years I have been giving you my money, for an every day bit of enjoyment, now ruined.

I wish you nothing but grief, for this stupid mistake you have made.
Regards, Bob.

Whatever they have done, Kenco Smooth is barely drinkable! You have muddy awful tasting residue in the bottom of the cup. Absolutely dreadful. Won't be buying it any longer

I have been buying Kenco Rich for years but this "re-brand" has left me with several jars of coffee I can't drink and the issue of finding a suitable alternative. The new Kenco Rich coats my mug in a very "rich" brown residue, leaves a thick sludge in the bottom of the mug such that the last half inch of coffee is undrinkable and has a distinctly weird flavour. 200g jars now have 190g, 100g jars have 95g! Currently the refill packs still have 150g but no doubt that will change too - less coffee, a large portion of it wasted down the sink, plus higher prices! Time to ditch Kenco!

Kenco rich has been my favorite go to instant coffee for many years. It has changed recently. Ok I accept with upset that they changed to a smaller jar with price increase. However the quality and taste has also changed it is no longer rich and intense , it taste weak and cheap.. why change a product that works and people are happy with. There's only 1 reason GReeD. Hopefully I find a happy substitute...

After being a long term drinker of Kenco blue, I find this sorry substitute as awful. I drink 2oo gm a week at home. I brought what I now know to be a rebrand, using the same front label and making the taste disgusting. I now have 4 jars that I have brought when it was on offer, not knowing you had changed the taste totally. It is now bitter and leaves a horrible taste in your mouth and a bad residue in the cup. I am looking for a new brand.

Just opened a new style jar of Kenco smooth - awful, sticks to the side of the cup like mud and leaves a sludge at bottom of cup. I buy smooth for a reason so why add 10% more coffee beans. Surely if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Kenco listen to your customers, we can’t all be wrong, revert back to old recipe!!!!!!

I have been buying Kenco for many years. However; the new design and blend is inferior. The taste is very different in a negative way and aesthetically, there is a gritty, powder residue left in the mug.
Sorry Kenco, you have lost my custom.
Cutting corners cost saving 😡

The kenco coffe smooth that i loved for many yearrs is now disgusting..
I will never buy it again

I wouldn't even give it one star if I had a choice. After years of being a loyal customer to the Kenco coffee, I and my partner are utterly disgusted by the recent so called "change for the better", the new coffee is bitter, it doesnt dissolve and always leave an icky residue at the bottom of the cup. It's safe to say Kenco has become cheap and joined the bottom heap of coffee offerings.
It was already bad enough with the recent price increases and then deciding on smaller jars for the same increased price but now with the disgusting change to the recipe, I will now be going elsewhere for my coffee.

After many years of buying Kenco Rich, I am now finished with the brand.

The old jar contained 200g and proudly stated “Freeze Dried Instant Coffee. Nothing Else!”. The new jar has been reduced to 190g, while the recipe has changed to 90% instant coffee / 10% roast and ground coffee.

That means the actual instant-coffee content has fallen from 200g to 171g — a 14.5% reduction.

We compared the old and new products side by side and, in our opinion, the new Kenco Rich is noticeably weaker and inferior. The redesigned wraparound label also does not adhere particularly well.

I contacted Kenco/JDE Customer Relations and specifically asked why the jar had been reduced from 200g to 190g, whether the new 90/10 formulation was now permanent, and why such a significant change had been made.

Those questions were not properly answered.

Instead, I was told that the new recipe had been consumer-tested, that pricing was at the retailer’s discretion, and that my feedback would be passed to the brand team. When I asked for a refund, I was simply told to contact the retailer — despite explaining that I no longer had the receipt.

The second reply was so formulaic that the final sentence was actually duplicated word-for-word.

What disappoints me most is not simply that Kenco has reduced the pack size and reformulated a product we had bought for years, but the way a long-standing customer’s concerns were handled: feedback acknowledged, but the substance repeatedly avoided.

I have since seen numerous similar complaints online about the smaller jar, altered recipe and poorer taste, so our experience appears far from isolated.

Kenco has lost a long-standing customer. Unless the former product returns, I will not buy Kenco Rich again.

One star — for both the product change and the way the complaint was handled.

kenco smooth, new mix in 190 gram jar. once, opening the jar, i would pass it around so we could all smell the lovely aroma of coffee....not now, it is faintly reminiscent of my late brothers old holborn tobacco pouches, when they were stale and in the bin... the taste, well, as disgusting as the smell. it will be THE last jar i purchase.

I've always bought kenco smooth coffee but the change in recipe is a step too far. I'd still have bought it just for a 190g jar if they hadn't changed the recipe. It's a different taste now and leaves residue in the bottom of my cup.

Hi what in earth has happened to your once lovely coffee . For nearly 15 years from changing from nescafe to kenco and buying 2 large jars a week of the blue jar. Ive tried the kenco smooth 7 and was very dissapointed at what some absolute looney has chosen to wreck your once amazing coffee taste to what ive tried now it is not the same ive even tried large jar of the rich one and that is ecactly the same as in totally different and both coffees leave a sediment at the bottom of your cup. Please please please go back to your original taste in your coffees. I dont mind the new style jars or 5% less that ant the issue the issue lies with what ever brainboxes idea it was to ruin The Kenco Taste in 2026 after 103 years .... please send a copy to the company director of my message because your unique coffee taste is no more . Some may like it but i know that those that have brought your brand for a lifetime know the difference and they wont buy anymore. So dissapointed as only coffee i would have because of its unique taste that was the whole point of the family brand of Kenco since 1923 . Why would anyone want to change a uniqie taste of coffee that sells and people enjoy to what has happened to the coffee in 2026 doesnt make any sense unless the person was drunk at the time of there bright idea. Ive tried , ive tested and will have to find a different coffee maye dough egberts or somerhing bit nothing will be anywhere near your original taste and tbh as a grown man of 48 years it actually brings a tear to my eyes .
Sincerely
Lee

I have drunk kenco smooth coffee for years. The product has changed recently and it tastes disgusting. Makes me feel sick therefore I'm looking for an alternative. Kenco please change your coffee back.

WONT BUY AGAIN.
This new Kenco is terrible. I would usually buy a 200g jar every week. Won't be buying it anymore now they have changed it. Im not overly fussed about the shrinkflation (jar size reduced from 200g to 190g) but the coffee tastes terrible now and leaves sludge in your cup.

What used to be My favourite instant coffee is now relegated to the “must avoid” list since the “shrinkflation” and the recipe change to include non soluble coffee grounds…basically “coffee dust”. Ive thrown a full jar (minus two undrinkable cupfuls) as it is now not “smooth” at all but gritty and bitter.
Poor show Kenco☹️😡

Kenco smooth with the red lid used to be my favorite coffee but the new recipe is disgusting bitter and leaves black sludge in the bottom of the cup its awful .

Why change the recipe when there was nothing wrong ?
It's now a horrible taste resembling a mixture of Camp Coffee and Mellow Birds. It doesn't fully dissolve and leaves a dark brown sludge in the bottom of the mug.
Whoever authorised this please sack them and return the product to how it was previously or will you wait until the sales drop and you loose a fortune ?

Brought the new look jar, with less in..Nothing says its a new recipe..Horrible cheap coffee taste and looks like mud at the bottom of the mug, smaller amount. 190g instead of 200g, been drinking this smooth kenco coffee for years. Why try and change something that people have had no complaints about. Until now.. sorry but kenco is NOT for me anymore. Unless the original recipe returns...doesn't even deserve 1 star.

What on earth have they done what a disaster you have ruined a lovely cup of coffee I have drunk Kenco smooth and rich for years I’ve been noticing the terrible taste since jar change nasty taste to residue in bottom of cup for a while typed into google to see what has happened am I the only one that thinks so apparently im not loads of bad reviews hope the company takes notice I won’t buy again 😢