What do you think of Instant coffee?

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theshortlady@reddit

I hate it. Though I have to admit the instant I've had in Europe was better than I can find in the U.S.

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KR1735@reddit

Would I prefer my single-source fair-trade espresso made from my home machine? Yes.

Would I prefer instant coffee over burnt office coffee? Hell yes.

I always keep some in my work locker for occasional night shifts. My workplace only has a drip coffeemaker, which is overkill for one person. And since I work at a smaller hospital now (I'm a doc), the cafeteria is closed at 9pm. So I'm left with water and a microwave. Instant coffee is good to have.

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elunabee@reddit

Hated it until my first long distance backpacking trip, but it hit hard mixed in a cup of oatmeal at 6 am around a campfire. I'm usually not picky about coffee, I'll drink just about anything, but this was definitely an acquired taste.

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SaoirseLikeInertia@reddit

Instant coffee is for people with no time. Ie, there’s a time and a place— camping, broken coffee maker and no French press, etc.

It’s also for people who hate themselves.

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tv996509@reddit

I love it mixed with stevia and milk. I discovered it during Covid via TikTok 😅

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cryptoengineer@reddit

I don't like it, but if its the only caffeine available, I'll drink it.

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Indoor-Cat4986@reddit

It gives me a headache :( which is a bummer cause it’s not that bad and great in a pinch, I just can’t do it anymore

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cohrt@reddit

Never had it.

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Pushpita33@reddit (OP)

What 🤯

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3rd_Life@reddit

This Summer I was in Tansania and we had a very good coffee during the morning and afternoon. It was tasting great and as the region is known for coffee I was asking at the bar about it, because I could not see any machine around. I was totally astonished when they told me that it was instant coffee - called “Africafe” - since then I am trying to find it here but it is not available or transport is extremely expensive.

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cdb03b@reddit

It is an abomination. It is tolerable for camping, but that is the only time it is close to being fit for human consumption.

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DapperReception9647@reddit

Instant coffee is disgusting and undrinkable to me

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hx87@reddit

Add it to water, tastes awful

Add it to whole milk or half and half, hit it with a frother, actually tastes good

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jaytrainer0@reddit

I like it. I only drink coffee because of my wife and she likes the little packets. I just with there were a less plastic waste version

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ExistentialWonder@reddit

I don't.

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craders@reddit

From what people who drink coffee tell me, it is bad

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GodzillaDrinks@reddit

Alright... I worked on an IFT ambulance once. Spent years of my life cramming a 52 hour work-week into every single weekend. I have the sleeping and drinking problems to prove it...

And as a trade off, I completely understand why we shouldnt buy any coffee unless we can basically pin-point exactly who grew and harvested those coffee beans...

But I also have a special affinity for that awful coffee you can only get in the just-pre-dawn hour, with frost an inch deep on the ground. If you dare ask the Ops-Manager who grew the beans, he'll spit around his cigarette and gesture briefly up the road toward the 7/11. And then he'll eat your face off cause he's taking his coffee with bath salts.

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Red_Beard_Rising@reddit

It serves its purpose and nothing more. If you are a cream and sugar person, instant might be fine. Getting instant coffee to be drinkable black requires trial and error to get the mix right.

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MM_in_MN@reddit

It is great when making a chocolate cake taste chocolate-ier or in a pinch when camping, or out on the boat. Otherwise, no thanks.

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Lazyassbummer@reddit

We keep a jar in the fridge just in case. It’s the best way to get caffeine when you’re otherwise out or the machine breaks.

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rolyoh@reddit

Great for cooking and baking. Add a small amount of the granules to beef or pork gravy, stew, chili, and spaghetti sauce. For drinking, I'll only drink it when there's nothing else available.

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In2TheMaelstrom@reddit

I think it's mildly coffee flavored sludge. I honestly would rather go without than have instant coffee. Even when I got camping I prefer using a percolator over instant.

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Ok_Elevator_3528@reddit

No thanks lol

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MaleficentCoconut594@reddit

Good in a pinch, but avoid at all costs

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Guinnessron@reddit

When I was in the UK traveling, I have to say the Nescafé in the hotel room was fairly good. Not drip or espresso quality but OK. At home? Nah.

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PomeloPepper@reddit

My husband used the coffee bags (like tea bags) for a while, and really liked them.

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Nottacod@reddit

Disgusting to drink, but needed for some baking.

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Dontfollahbackgirl@reddit

I never see anyone use it.

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Physnitch@reddit

For recipes and emergencies only. Yuck.

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2PlasticLobsters@reddit

It has no flavor & little caffiene. I'm no foodie, but this is where I have to draw the line.

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marklikeadawg@reddit

Disgusting. Not fit to drink.

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schmelk1000@reddit

Great for when I make dalgona coffee! Good for travels, like camping. Otherwise I don’t usually use it, I’m more of a tea drinker.

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Dandibear@reddit

I use Cafe Bustelo decaf espresso to make an easy mocha or latte. I can't have caffeine, but those are some seriously tasty treats.

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WulfTheSaxon@reddit

Café Bustelo is seriously underrated (along with its sibling Café Pilon). It’s so much better than the instant brands – even the pricey Starbucks Via packets.

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etayn@reddit

I agree, it's like people think that since it's instant, that the only option is the crappy stuff.

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etayn@reddit

I drink the whole range of coffee/teas. Expensive beans pour over coffee to Korean brand mix sticks. High end loose leaf tea to powdered iced tea mix and grocery store brand tea bags. You never know what you are missing if you don't try new things.

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webbess1@reddit

It was funny going to Brazil where coffee is actually grown and seeing Nescafe everywhere. I kind of got a taste for it there.

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Nuttonbutton@reddit

Great for baking. Don't usually drink it otherwise.

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justbreathe5678@reddit

Baking and maybe milkshakes

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Nuttonbutton@reddit

I hadn't thought of milkshakes. That's a decent idea

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shelwood46@reddit

I have a jar of instant espresso I use for making frosting, but I would sooner die than actually drink it. I know instant is very popular in some countries, including the UK, but blech. I watched the Simon Reeve documentary about "The Coffee Trail" and he opens it by admitting that inferior coffee beans are used to make instant, and that makes so much sense.

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qu33nof5pad35@reddit

They taste sooo good tho

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Fit-Vanilla-3405@reddit

I moved to the UK and now suffer immensely because sometimes instant is the only option here and it never is in the US.

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Pushpita33@reddit (OP)

Tea ☕ may be your option.

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Fit-Vanilla-3405@reddit

Tea’s major issue is that it’s not coffee.

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Pushpita33@reddit (OP)

Tea is lot more versatile... Hundreds of flavor and tastes great if made perfectly - both hot and iced tea.

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Fit-Vanilla-3405@reddit

Fully agree but it doesn’t hit the spot in the same way. Tea is like a fancy cappuccino or something - I want to savor it and enjoy all the notes over a good conversation and maybe some cake.

Cheap coffee I want to be able to neck a gallon of - hot or iced.

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FalseCredential@reddit

I like it, but usually it needs to be a Korean, Japanese, or Vietnamese brand.

If you don't like instant coffee or haven't tried it in years, check out an Asian grocery store (if available in your area) and take a look at the coffees.

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Pushpita33@reddit (OP)

Do they taste better?

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FalseCredential@reddit

I think they do!

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Marble-Remix@reddit

I drink instant coffee every day. Pretty much the same reasoning as OP. Can't beat the convenience.

It may not be the best-tasting coffee out there, but I don't find it objectionable and to me it doesn't taste significantly worse than most other cheap coffee.

I do appreciate the taste of higher-quality coffee but I'm too cheap to buy it for daily use.

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Pushpita33@reddit (OP)

And it's got a lot of varieties of flavor.

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bananapanqueques@reddit

Mount Hagen freeze dried instant coffee is better than fresh Starbucks drip.

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neoslith@reddit

I don't!

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szayl@reddit

It's trash.

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GreatAndromedaGalaxy@reddit

Café Ole is pretty good if you're in a pinch, camping or baking. Otherwise I prefer it brewed fresh daily.

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elucify@reddit

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beeredditor@reddit

I love it. I enjoy drip coffee and instant coffee. They have different flavors and both are good.

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butt_honcho@reddit

My three requirements for coffee are Hot, Fresh, and Caffeinated. Any two of those attributes and it's acceptable. All three and it's good. So I'll drink a hot cup of instant, but I won't (necessarily) like it.

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PrinceRoxasReddit@reddit

Subpar

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Deolater@reddit

It's amazing for adding to:

Chocolate cake or frosting to elevate the chocolate flavor
Chili, for a touch of favor complexity
Protein shake when your morning has gone all wrong and you don't have time to eat real food or make coffee

But it just doesn't taste like coffee to me

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YellowDinghy@reddit

Good for camping, bad for the rest of life.

Actually the Starbucks instant is pretty good though compared to the old fashioned stuff.

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novascotia3898@reddit

Yeah I agree, the Starbucks instant basically tastes like poor quality ground coffee which is a huge step up from regular instant. I keep it around as a back up

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canonanon@reddit

Have you ever tried the blue bottle stuff? It's pretty solid from what I hear

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novascotia3898@reddit

What brand is that? Not sure I know what you’re referring to

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canonanon@reddit

https://bluebottlecoffee.com/us/eng/collection/craft-instant?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwvKi4BhABEiwAH2gcw-256e1LPt3oYs29wbPk2IlyBcKA5u9KWKyqu2D3Btb--gLAevAeQBoCSo4QAvD_BwE

It's the brand blue bottle. I know that they had very stringent standards during the pilot phase. Basically the freezing and breaking process is basically done by hand because there's no other way to do it.

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macoafi@reddit

I feel like capitalizing the proper noun “Blue Bottle” could’ve disambiguated here.

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canonanon@reddit

I guess 🤷‍♂️

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TsundereLoliDragon@reddit

I think even camping I would bring an Aeropress.

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eyetracker@reddit

Backpacking, then.

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FlamingBagOfPoop@reddit

Via? I went thru a phase of drinking that stuff. As for instant, it’s fine. But went back to brewing “real” coffee.

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TheRandomestWonderer@reddit

Absolutely not.

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Pete_Iredale@reddit

20 secondary to grind and 5 minutes to brew is instant enough for me. Similar to beer and wine, life is too short to drink bad coffee.

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sheilahulud@reddit

Better than no coffee.

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seatownquilt-N-plant@reddit

lacks aroma and body. I wonder if they could do like those nicer instant ramen packages, that come with an oil satchel. A couple drops of coffee oil with an emulsifier. Or whatever, I am not familiar with food science.

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CardiologistSweet343@reddit

Love it!

US is a coffee country so most people brew it.

But I prefer tea, so instant coffee is perfect for me on the rare occasion I want coffee.

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SonuvaGunderson@reddit

The instant coffee you can get in Europe is usually much better than we get here.

But, Europe doesn’t have a lot of drip coffee — ubiquitous in the States — which falls somewhere between espresso and instant coffee on the ‘ease of use’ and ‘flavor’ scales.

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macoafi@reddit

My grandpa drank it every day.

I’ve never tried it. As far as I know, the only way I like coffee is espresso.

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LeSkootch@reddit

It has its uses. When I buy it I usually get Bustelo and put it in my thermos with cold water and some ice and make a cheap and quick iced coffee. Usually do this when I've got the 5am shift at work and don't have time in the morning to brew a pot. My schedule always fluctuates so when I work that early I try to sleep as much as possible. It definitely has its benefits.

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HighFiveKoala@reddit

I'm okay with Vietnamese instant coffee

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Not_A_Real_Bird@reddit

I like it. I use it as a back up to regular coffee. I find it to be quite versatile but I have brands I like.

I would also never serve it to a guest unless I'm making it in a "fancy" drink.

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timbotheny26@reddit

It tastes like coffee that's been sitting in the pot for a few hours.

I like it for camping and easy iced coffee but that's it.

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cigarjack@reddit

Hate most of them, but got Mount Hagen instant for camping and was really surprised how good it was. I keep some on hand now

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my_clever-name@reddit

It's ok as a backup.

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TechnologyDragon6973@reddit

Most brands taste bad. It nullifies whatever convenience you have by using it unless you just don’t care about the taste.

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ineedmoreslee@reddit

I use fir backpacking or when I am traveling abroad and they don’t have good coffee readily available, but that is about it.

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ABSOFRKINLUTELY@reddit

I'm not a fan but recently purchased some as part of a hurricane survival supplies.

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Aggressive_Onion_655@reddit

An abomination

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Littleboypurple@reddit

Don't care for it but, my parents love the stuff. Instant Coffee is really common in Latino and Asian households so my parents always have a cup or two alongside their breakfast.

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cathedralproject@reddit

Back in the 80s my mom drank it, it seemed normal at the time, now I think it tastes awful.

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Regular_Zombie_278@reddit

I think you were supposed to add a tablespoon of this to black coffee, not drink it on its own?

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FlamingBagOfPoop@reddit

That was the epitome of “class” in the 80’s for a middle class family. Felt fancy as hell drinking that as a kid.

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Shabopple@reddit

I felt terribly adult and sophisticated drinking my mom's Suisse Mocha (with about a quarter cup of sugar added, of course). It's right up there with cranberry cocktail in a wine glass during the holidays.

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cathedralproject@reddit

Yes! It totally was. It felt fancy. My mom would drink it out of her nice china coffee cups while smoking Virginia Slim cigarettes.

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Regular_Zombie_278@reddit

Good for cooking, not for drinking

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Different-Produce870@reddit

I am a lazy single man. Instant coffee gets the job done and I only have to microwave a cup of water for 3 1/2 minutes.

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ericchen@reddit

I don’t drink it, so I haven’t thought about it really. In instances where I can’t make regular coffee and there are no coffee shops around, I just wouldn’t drink it.

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y0da1927@reddit

It has its place.

You can make some very tasty drinks with instant coffee and a milk frother. it's very portable so it's good if you are traveling in a place without a coffee shop.

The expensive instant coffee from the specialty Italian shops actually tastes pretty decent.

Not for the everyday cup however.

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Caranath128@reddit

An affront to coffee. It’s used in baking recipes and one of my chili recipes. Otherwise, yuck.

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bi_polar2bear@reddit

It's a travesty. It's the Great Value brand of coffee. I'd rather brew Maxwell House through a percolator than drink instant.

The French press takes 3 minutes to make, and it's a perfect cup provided the water isn't over 190 degrees. I usually put the container with coffee and water in the microwave, which takes 5 minutes and less time than boiling water.

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bahala_na-@reddit

I like it, with the caveat that I think it’s because I grew up with it - my family is from another country. I did French press for a long while but once I had a kid, I don’t have time for all that right now. Instant has been a life saver. Nescafe tastes good, too. My very American in laws were impressed by it, as they have a bad perception of instant.

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DrGlennWellnessMD@reddit

I like it. I don't always want the hassle of drip coffee, so I tend towards instant at home. On the weekend, I'll do the whole shebang - fresh ground beans, drip coffee. But on a weekday, I'm going for convenience.

I do Nescafe Tasters Choice personally. It's nothing amazing, but it's not revolting chemical swill. People get really dramatic about instant coffee.

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Sowf_Paw@reddit

I got some once, thinking it would be convenient to have around. I didn't like it and I didn't think it tasted like coffee. I had one cup from it and that was it.

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divorcedbp@reddit

I consider it unethical to be used as livestock feed

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Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit

Hate it.

Fun fact!

I work in consumer analytics in grocery and from time to time will dive into demographics. The interesting thing about instant coffee is it under indexes with pretty much every single racial group except Elderly Asians (at least in my census region).

Seriously, basically no on drinks it other than those old Asian people, it's the only reason it's really kept on the shelf in my retailers.

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FlamingBagOfPoop@reddit

If you include Indians in your Asian definition, they’re a group of friends/colleagues that I’ve seen regular drink it, normally the brand named Bru.

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Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit

That is a very good point, and I have no idea if indians are included in that.

I assume they would be, along with middle eastern people but Ill make a note to check on that this week

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thadtheking@reddit

I drink it all the time. Ususlly Cafe Bustelo. Mix with a small amount of water, add flavored creamer, and top off with milk.

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rawbface@reddit

To me it's like comparing hawaiian punch to actual fruit juice. Like there are times when pouring a powdered mix into water can hit the spot, but the real thing will always be superior.

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Crayshack@reddit

It's handy, but tastes like shit. It's also more work in the morning than just "I prpped a pitcher of cold brew ahead of time." So, I don't drink instant at all.

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03zx3@reddit

Good enough in a pinch, but not my first choice.

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SPacific@reddit

It barely qualifies as coffee. It's terrible.

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MortimerDongle@reddit

I've only had it while camping.

Coffee makers are common in the US, so making instant coffee can actually be more annoying. Many people don't have electrical kettles or another very easy way to quickly boil water (though a microwave can work).:

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PseudobrilliantGuy@reddit

Eh, it's okay. But if I need a drink that badly, I'll just make some tea.

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lisasimpsonfan@reddit

It's bitter

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Particular-Move-3860@reddit

Do not like at all.

It's more useful as an ingredient in some baking recipes than it is as a beverage.

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TheBimpo@reddit

I use it when I’m camping and backpacking.

Otherwise, it’s really easy to make coffee at home. French press is about 30 seconds of active labor, a drip machine is maybe 10 seconds. Add 30 seconds to grind the beans.

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jrstriker12@reddit

Only if I don't have any other coffee options.

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machagogo@reddit

Hard pass.

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DaSupremeRuler@reddit

Gotta get any of the Nescafé tasters choice, I prefer house blend but french roast is a close second

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FivebyFive@reddit

Can't stand the taste most of the time.

I make an exception for Greek Frappe.

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MoobyTheGoldenSock@reddit

It’s shit.

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BankManager69420@reddit

Yucky (see flair)

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PineapplePza766@reddit

It’s better than Maxwell house coffee lol 😂

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Vachic09@reddit

Most of them are nasty and taste like they're burnt. (I tried it before I gave up caffeine.)

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Scrappy_The_Crow@reddit

If you consider it in isolation as its own drink that's not supposed to be a facsimile of "real" coffee, I like it. As coffee, it's not great, but is not repulsive.

Past that, I associate instant coffee with the brand name "Sanka" and by extension to my grandparents, who'd drink it in the afternoon or evenings.

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Paleozoic_Fossil@reddit

I drink it. 🤷🏾‍♀️ I don’t have a problem with it.

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Pushpita33@reddit (OP)

Yayy!

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Designer_Head_3761@reddit

Works in a pinch. I usually take it when I go backpacking but other than that, regular coffee all the way

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Kingsolomanhere@reddit

I haven't tasted instant coffee since college about 46 years ago.

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Pushpita33@reddit (OP)

And here I'm having one cup while typing this, lol 😆.

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duke_awapuhi@reddit

I hate it. I’ll drink it if I have to like in a hotel room but at home I like to have full control over my coffee drinking experience. That means grinding it to my liking and then using a cone and a kettle to make the coffee. I don’t even fuck with coffee machines if I don’t have to. I like to make it super strong

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Expat111@reddit

Foul.

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HotSteak@reddit

I do a fairly ridiculous coffee setup (local roaster delivers beans to my doorstep->hand grind->aeropress). My brother-in-law left some instant coffee at my house. It isn't terrible but it's far less complex and delicious than good specialty coffee. I won't be giving up fresh brewed coffee any time soon.

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afunnywold@reddit

I'll mix some decaf coffee with hot cocoa mix to make a better flavored low calorie drink to have as a snack during the day. It's passable.

I most prefer the coffee of a local chain - but that's a rare treat.

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WingedLady@reddit

Not really a fan. Reminds me of my parents, though.

I just have a cheap Mr Coffee and every few days I grind some beans and store them in an airtight container. Sort of my compromise between the convenience of preground and the quality of fresh ground 🤷‍♀️

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