The short version

Make a paste first, then add the liquid. That one step is the difference between a smooth cup and lumps.

Nescafé Classic is a fine robusta powder. It dissolves fast in hot water, but dumped straight into milk, and especially cold milk, it clumps. A couple of teaspoons of hot water first fixes that every time.

It's also strong and quite bitter. Our reviewer Pankaj Singh drinks one cup a day with hot milk and finds it too bitter black. If you drink it black, start with less powder than you think.

What you need

  • Nescafé Classic (any jar size or a sachet)
  • A teaspoon
  • Hot water from a kettle or pan
  • Milk, hot or cold depending on the recipe
  • Sugar, if you take it
  • For cold coffee: ice, and a shaker or a jar with a lid

How much powder to use

Nestlé's own suggestion is about 1 g per 120 ml of hot milk or water.1 That's half a teaspoon, which makes a mild cup if you fill a whole mug. A level teaspoon, about 2 g, in a 200 ml mug is a normal everyday cup. A heaped teaspoon is strong.

Teaspoon sizes, and roughly what they weigh

Weights are approximate. Weigh one spoonful on a kitchen scale once and you'll know your spoon.

Three teaspoons of coffee powder: half, level and heaped Half a teaspoon is about 1 gram, Nestlé's serving for 120 ml. A level teaspoon is about 2 grams, a regular mug. A heaped teaspoon is about 3 grams, a strong cup. ½ teaspoon · ~1 g Nestlé's serving for 120 ml 1 level teaspoon · ~2 g A regular 200 ml mug 1 heaped teaspoon · ~3 g Strong

Hot coffee with milk

The everyday Indian cup, and the way Classic tastes best. The milk takes the edge off the bitterness without hiding the coffee.

  1. Spoon it in1 level teaspoon (~2 g) of coffee, plus sugar if you take it.
  2. Make a pasteAdd 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of hot water and stir until smooth.
  3. Add hot milk190 ml for a 200 ml mug. It needs to be hot, not boiling.1
  4. Stir and drinkPour slowly while you stir so it mixes evenly.

Black coffee

Put ½ to 1 level teaspoon (1–2 g) in a mug, pour in 200 ml of hot water and stir until no grains are left. Classic is all robusta, so it's bitter black. Start at the lower end and work up. If it's still too harsh, a splash of milk helps more than extra sugar. For coffee you'll mostly drink black, a freeze-dried jar is the better buy, and our instant coffee guide compares them.

Cold coffee

The mistake everyone makes once is stirring the powder into cold milk. It floats and clumps. Dissolve it in a little hot water first.

  1. Coffee and sugar in1–2 level teaspoons (2–4 g) of coffee, sugar to taste, in a glass or shaker.
  2. Dissolve it hotAdd 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of hot water and stir until fully dissolved.
  3. Ice and cold milk4 or 5 ice cubes, then 170 ml of cold milk.
  4. Shake or stirShake for about 20 seconds for a foamy top, or just stir well.

Beaten coffee

The old Indian way to get a frothy cup without a machine. You beat the coffee with sugar and a few drops of water until it turns pale and thick, then pour hot milk over it.

  1. Equal coffee and sugar2 teaspoons of each in a cup, with 1 teaspoon of hot water.
  2. Beat itBeat hard with a spoon until it's thick and light brown. By hand that takes a few minutes; a hand whisk is quicker.
  3. Hot milk on topSpoon the foam into a mug and pour hot milk over it.

One thing to know: 2 teaspoons of Classic is about 4 g, which is roughly twice the caffeine of an everyday cup. More on that below.

What goes into each cup

A 200 ml cup, three ways

Liquids to scale. The coffee itself is about 2 g in each, so it barely shows.

Stacked bars of water and milk in a 200 ml cup for three styles Hot with milk: 10 ml hot water for the paste and 190 ml hot milk. Black: 200 ml hot water. Cold coffee: 30 ml hot water, 170 ml cold milk, plus 4 or 5 ice cubes. Hot with milk Black Cold coffee 190 ml hot milk 200 ml hot water 30 ml 170 ml cold milk ↑ 10 ml hot water for the paste + 4–5 ice cubes Hot water Milk Ice

Build your own cup

Pick a style, cup size, strength and sugar, and it gives you the exact amounts and steps.

Cup recipe builder

For Nescafé Classic. Works the same for any 100% instant coffee powder.

How do you drink it?

Coffee cost uses the 90 g jar at ₹365 (October 2026). Caffeine is our estimate from USDA data.

Mistakes that spoil the cup

  • Powder straight into cold milk. It clumps and floats. Always dissolve it in a little hot water first.
  • Too much powder. Robusta gets harsh fast. If it tastes bitter, use less coffee before you add more sugar.
  • A wet spoon in the jar. Instant coffee soaks up moisture and goes hard and sticky. Use a dry spoon and close the lid tight.
  • Boiling the milk hard. There's no need. Nestlé says hot is enough,1 and milk that boils over just makes a mess of the pan.

Caffeine per cup

Nestlé doesn't print the caffeine. USDA data puts instant coffee at about 31 mg of caffeine per gram,2 and Classic is all robusta, so treat these as the low end.

CupCoffeeCaffeine (est.)
Mild (Nestlé's serving)~1 g~31 mg
Everyday mug~2 g~63 mg
Strong mug~3 g~94 mg
Beaten coffee~4 g~126 mg

ICMR advises staying under 300 mg a day,3 and EFSA puts the limit for healthy adults at 400 mg a day and 200 mg in pregnancy.4 So two beaten coffees and a few cups of tea can take you past ICMR's line. The caffeine calculator in our review adds up your day.

Frequently asked questions

How many spoons of Nescafé Classic for one cup?
One level teaspoon, about 2 g, for a 200 ml mug. Nestlé suggests about 1 g per 120 ml, which is weaker. Use a heaped teaspoon if you like it strong.
Can I make Nescafé Classic with only water?
Yes. Stir ½ to 1 teaspoon into 200 ml of hot water. It's bitter black because it's all robusta, so start with less powder.
Do I need to boil the milk?
No. Nestlé says the milk or water only needs to be hot. Heat it until it's steaming and pour it over the coffee paste.
How do I make Nescafé cold coffee without a blender?
Dissolve 1–2 teaspoons of coffee and some sugar in 2 tablespoons of hot water. Add ice and cold milk, then shake it in a jar with a lid or stir well.
Why does my Nescafé form lumps?
Usually because the powder went straight into milk, or cold milk. Make a paste with 2 teaspoons of hot water first. Lumps in the jar itself mean moisture got in: use a dry spoon and keep the lid tight.
How much caffeine is in one cup of Nescafé Classic?
About 63 mg in a level teaspoon (2 g), by our estimate from USDA data, and possibly more because it's all robusta. A beaten coffee with 2 teaspoons has about twice that.

References

1 Nestlé India. NESCAFÉ Classic: product page (about 1 g per 120 ml of hot milk or water; liquid needs to be hot, not boiled). Accessed 18 Oct 2026. nescafe.com/in
2 US Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central: Beverages, coffee, instant, regular, powder (FDC ID 171893): caffeine 3,142 mg per 100 g. fdc.nal.usda.gov
3 ICMR–National Institute of Nutrition. Dietary Guidelines for Indians (2024): caffeine in tea and coffee and the 300 mg/day advice. nin.res.in
4 EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA Journal. 2015;13(5):4102. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4102

How we made this guide: the methods follow Nestlé's preparation advice and standard home methods. The amounts are ours. Spoon weights are approximate and the caffeine figures are estimates, not lab results. The illustrations are drawn by us. Naked Compound has no deal with Nestlé India.