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Maxim Korean Coffee —
The Coffee Every Office
Worker Drinks Every Single Day
Not Starbucks. Not a pour-over. A yellow stick of Maxim Mocha Gold dissolved in hot water — Korea’s most consumed coffee and one of the most purchased Korean grocery items on Amazon.
- Zero-prep coffee — just hot water, no machine
- Smooth, creamy, not bitter (sweetened by default)
- Under $0.20 a cup at the 100-pack size
- A real 50-year track record as Korea’s best-seller, not a trend
- Black, unsweetened, or dark-roast coffee (try Arabica 100 or KANU instead)
- To avoid added sugar or non-dairy creamer
- A strong caffeine kick — it’s lighter than brewed coffee, see below
The Coffee Korea Runs On — And You’ve Never Heard Of It
In every Korean office, on every floor, there’s a hot water dispenser and a box of Maxim. The yellow stick. Tear it open, pour into a small cup, add hot water, done. No machine. No milk. No wait. It has been the #1 coffee in Korea since 1976 and it outsells every espresso bar in the country combined. I drank it constantly at KAIST — it’s genuinely good, and it’s one of those Korean everyday products that becomes immediately obvious why Koreans adopted it once you try it.
Maxim Mocha Gold Mild is the most popular variety — a 3-in-1 mix of instant coffee, non-dairy creamer, and sugar in one perfectly portioned stick. Four flavours available: Original, Mocha Gold Mild, White Gold (less sweet, creamier), and Arabica 100 (single-origin, no sugar added).
This Country Doesn’t Stop For Coffee. It Just Drinks It.
South Korea is one of the most competitive countries on Earth, and the schedule doesn’t leave room for a slow brew. Koreans worked 1,833 hours in 2025 — 97 hours more than the OECD average and 235 hours more than neighboring Japan, one of the longest working years of any developed economy tracked. It starts before the office, too: around 500,000 students a year sit the Suneung, Korea’s single-shot university entrance exam, and in their final year it’s normal to study 14-16 hours a day across school, hagwon (private academy) sessions that run past 10pm, and self-study — roughly 75-80% of Korean students attend at least one hagwon.
Against that backdrop, a slow pour-over doesn’t make sense — a stick you tear open and finish in ten seconds does. That’s the real reason Maxim, not a café chain, is what actually fuels the country day to day: it’s not that Koreans don’t care about coffee, it’s that when you’re on this kind of schedule, the coffee has to keep up with you.
Maxim Mocha Gold Mild — 100 Sticks
3-in-1 Korean Instant Coffee · Coffee + Creamer + Sugar · 100 ServingsOne stick = one cup. Pour into a small 150ml cup, add hot water, stir for 5 seconds. The flavour is smooth and milky — not sharp like a black espresso, more like a latte without the machine. The ratio of coffee, cream, and sugar is calibrated to Korean taste (slightly sweeter than Western instant coffee), which is why it’s been the market leader for 50 years.
The 100-stick box is the best value and lasts a long time. A box in the office break room is standard across Korea — keep it on your desk instead of running to a coffee shop.
How to Make It (Korean Style)
- Use a small 150ml cup — not a large mug, Korean coffee cups are small.
- Tear open the stick and pour in the powder.
- Add hot water and stir for 5-10 seconds until fully dissolved.
- Drink immediately. No waiting. This is the point.
Try All 4 Flavours First
Not sure which flavour you’ll like? The variety pack gives you 5 sticks of each.
Mocha Gold Mild
The classic. Smooth, slightly sweet, most popular in Korea. Start here.
White Gold
Less sweet, creamier, lighter roast. Preferred by people who want less sugar.
Arabica 100
Single-origin arabica. Richer coffee flavour, no added sugar.
Original
Stronger taste than Mocha Gold. The one Korean older adults grew up on.
How Maxim Compares to Other Korean Coffee
Maxim isn’t the only stick coffee Korea makes. Here’s how the other two most common ones actually differ.
Maxim Mocha Gold Mild
3-in-1: coffee, creamer, and sugar already mixed in. Sweet and milky. This is the one every office keeps stocked.
KANU Mini Americano
Also made by Maxim’s own parent company (Dongsuh) — but black, no sugar or creamer added. Closer to a real Americano, made famous by actor Gong Yoo’s ad campaigns.
See on Amazon →
Ediya Beanist Vanilla Latte
From Ediya, a genuinely separate Korean coffee chain (not Dongsuh). Sweeter and more dessert-like than Mocha Gold. Small rating sample on Amazon — worth knowing before you buy.
See on Amazon →Common Questions
Is Maxim actually good or just popular?
Both. It’s been refined over 50 years to hit a very specific flavour profile — smooth, slightly sweet, no bitterness. It’s not trying to be an espresso or a specialty coffee. It’s designed to be made in 10 seconds in an office and taste consistently good every time. That’s what it does, and it does it extremely well.
Which Maxim flavour should I start with?
Mocha Gold Mild — it’s the most popular in Korea for a reason. If you try the variety pack, you’ll likely end up going back to Mocha Gold for your 100-pack purchase. White Gold is the second choice for people who want something less sweet.
Can I use Maxim to make dalgona coffee?
Yes — Maxim is actually what most Koreans originally used for dalgona. Combine 2 tablespoons of Maxim with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of hot water, then whip vigorously for 2-3 minutes until thick and fluffy. Spoon over cold milk.
Is this the same coffee sold in Korea?
Yes — Maxim is manufactured by Dongsuh Foods in Korea and the product sold on Amazon is the same formula as the Korean shelf product. It ships directly.
Does it contain dairy?
The creamer is non-dairy (vegetable fat based), which is standard in Korean instant coffee. No milk or dairy ingredients. The White Gold variety is the lightest on cream.
Under $0.20 per cup. 100 servings.
Delivered via Amazon Prime. Never run out of coffee again.