Coffee chews vs instant, canned and portable coffee
Want coffee without the cup, the kettle or the café queue? Here’s how Littos Coffee Chews compare with the other ways to get coffee on the go, so you can choose what suits your day.
Quick answer: Instant coffee is the cheapest per cup but needs hot water and a cup. Canned iced coffee needs no prep but is heavy and often sweetened. A portable espresso maker makes great coffee but needs water, ground coffee and cleaning. Littos Coffee Chews need nothing at all: a 15 g tin of about 25 chews with 40–140 mg of caffeine, depending on flavour, that you can take one chew at a time.
| Option | Needs water or a cup? | Prep time | Caffeine | Typical cost | What you carry | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Littos Coffee Chews | No | None. Open the tin and chew | 40–140 mg per tin (about 1.6–5.6 mg per chew) | Less than a café coffee per tin | One 15 g tin of about 25 chews | Commutes, flights, meetings, road trips, hikes |
| Café coffee | Served in a cup | Queue and wait | About 80 mg per espresso shot | Usually the most expensive per cup | Nothing, if there’s a café nearby | Sit-down breaks and treats |
| Instant coffee | Hot water and a cup | 2–3 minutes | Roughly 60–90 mg per cup | The cheapest per cup | Sachets, plus a kettle or hot water | Home, office, hotel rooms, camp kitchens |
| Canned or bottled iced coffee (RTD) | No, but best kept cold | None | Around 110–220 mg per can (NZ brands) | Usually less than a café coffee, more than instant | A 250–500 ml can or bottle | A cold coffee on a hot day |
| Portable espresso maker | Hot water, ground coffee and a cup | 3–5 minutes, plus cleaning | About one espresso shot per brew | Upfront cost for the device, plus coffee | The device (roughly 300–400 g) plus coffee | Espresso lovers at camp or in hotel rooms |
| Caffeine gum | No | None | Varies by brand, often 40–100 mg per piece | Varies by brand | A pack of gum | A quick caffeine hit (with gum to throw away) |
Questions
Can coffee chews replace a cup of coffee?
They can replace some of your cups. A tin of Littos contains about 40–140 mg of caffeine depending on flavour, and you choose how many chews to have and when. For reference, a single espresso shot has about 80 mg.
Are coffee chews cheaper than café coffee?
Usually, yes. A tin of Littos costs less than a typical café coffee, and bigger packs bring the price per tin down further. Instant coffee is cheaper per cup, but it needs hot water and a cup. Try the calculator below with your own numbers.
Do I need water to have coffee chews?
No. Open the tin, take a chew and go. You don’t need water, a cup, a kettle or a machine.
Are coffee chews better than a portable espresso maker for travel?
They do different jobs. A portable espresso maker brews a real espresso, but it needs hot water, ground coffee and cleaning. Coffee chews need nothing and fit in a pocket, so many people use both: the maker at camp and the chews on the move.
How are Littos Coffee Chews different from canned iced coffee?
A can is a cold drink with a larger single dose of caffeine, and it is heavier to carry. A 15 g tin of Littos needs no fridge, won’t spill in your bag and lets you take your coffee one chew at a time.
How is Littos different from caffeine gum?
Littos is made with real coffee powder and you eat the whole chew, so there’s no gum to throw away. Each chew contains a small amount of caffeine, so it’s easy to go at your own pace.
Can I take coffee chews on a plane?
They are a solid food, not a liquid. Rules vary by country and airline, so check before you fly and declare food where required (for example, when arriving in New Zealand or Australia).
Figures are typical ranges as of October 2026 and vary by brand, size, store and country. Caffeine in espresso and instant coffee: EUFIC. Caffeine in NZ canned coffee: The Spinoff.
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