On my first morning back at work from the long holiday, I was immediately craving a cup of coffee. I wanted to start my day with cheap but good coffee, but I really didn't want to walk to the nearest Starbucks. So, I settled for the most convenient option: Family Mart.

At first I wanted to get their machine brewed/drip coffee with my usual being White Chocolate Mocha. It was only 85 pesos for the large cup, and  you don't have to wait to get it. But then I saw this new UCC 3-in-1 coffee mix on the shelves. Actually, I saw two: the Colombia Coffee and White Coffee.

UCC Colombia Coffee

I tried the Colombia first. I was cautious about this because I know that Colombia is a dark roast coffee, and I'm not very fond of its bitter taste. I always buy medium roast coffee because of the balance of flavors.



The Colombia mix was a pleasant. It wasn't as strong as I thought it would be, plus it smelled wonderful! There was no bitter taste in the coffee though it was a dark roast. It wasn't milky or creamy, but it had that right combination of coffee and  with the stronger coffee taste, it tasted a bit like caramel.

It actually reminded me of a lot of Kopiko Brown with its robust coffee taste. I would guess it was on the sweet side, but it was ok with me. Maybe because I put a bit more water than recommended. I liked this a lot that I actually drank this for the next couple of days.

UCC White Coffee

The following week I tried the White Coffee variant. This one didn't smell as delicious as the Colombia one. The coffee taste in this one is also strong, but it was mellowed out by the creaminess of the mix. I also put more water than instructed and it still tasted good.


I didn't like this as much as the Colombia mix. I felt it tasted closer to toasted coffee than the buttery, nutty one I was expecting. The color was lighter but not as pale as other white coffee mixes I've had. Come to think of it, this is better than the other white coffee mixes I've had.

Between the two new UCC mixes from Singapore, the Colombia is hands-down better. If you like a stronger coffee taste, then this is the choice. If you want the creamier version that still tastes like coffee and not milk, the White Coffee mix is a good bet.