Does anyone drink instant coffee anymore?
For some reason I think of it as an older concept. Now Starbucks and coffee chains are popular.
Seinfeld on instant coffee https://youtu.be/uDrh5pujB9I?si=VdlVEREjMTNd2Bs7
Highlighting carlcook's advice:
dissolve in cold water, ONLY THEN add hot water. The rationale behind it is that aromatics evaporate too quickly when the instant powder is infused with too/boiling hot water.
I get the worst nausea whenever I drink something from a k cup machine. Nobody ever cleans their machine and the ingredients are questionable.
Yum, hot infected plastic
Ha, true in essence. But in practice that's a big machine. So does it taste different?
Actually now that I think about it, those still have grinds. Instant coffee is supposed to dissolve completely, right?
It still brews hot water through coffee grinds unlike instant which is mixed in and dissolved.
Instant coffee is actually freeze dried and yes should dissolve completely, while grinds will never just disappear in the water.
But then there's that.
A couple of weeks ago we went abroad and asked a friend of mine to watch our apartment because I had flowers that needed pollinating. In exchange he could stay at the apartment. Since he's a Ukrainian refugee who has to share a room with a questionable dude he gladly took me up on that offer.
Now, we are coffee snobs, my husband's youtube history is full of James Hoffmann. So we have a manual espresso press at home, a hand filter, a french press, two moka pots, and a senseo pad machine (for guests; our filter machine just broke).
When we came home, we found a can of instant coffee. Jacobs, to be precise, and everything in Ukrainian. Dude brought his instant coffee to our coffee infested place. Knowing that he has been here for a while and drinks a lot of coffee, I asked him how did this can last him so long. He got it imported. He freaking imported Ukrainian Jacobs instant coffee into Germany.
And then we start reading the can's text a bit more profoundly. It is a mix of normal instant coffee, i.e. freeze dried, with a bit of finely ground coffee mixed in. It does not dissolve completely. It takes ages for the grind to settle to the bottom. I don't know who thought this was a good idea. I don't know what the purpose is supposed to be. But they advertise it heavily on the package.
Also, I tried a cup and it does taste like shit but to each their own.
Tldr: instant coffee usually is freeze dried coffee that will dissolve completely but there are some unholy products designed by questionable people that contain real grind coffee for no reason.
Can you elaborate ?
It's supposed to be pressurised hot water through grinds, like espresso.
Nespresso machines are definitely pressurized and temp controlled. Keurig, less so.
I read something somewhere once (great source, right?) regarding Keurig temps, and they weren’t consistent or optimal. And the pressure is more like a hose with an attachment as opposed to a pressure washer.
Some K cups will empty out when you use them, too. From what I’ve run into, that’s typically the fancy flavor ones. But some are just coffee grounds that get a suboptimal water flow at suboptimal temps going through them.
Someone can correct me on what I’m remembering though.
Starbucks tried to modernize it with these little packets a few years back, under the name “Via”. The older brands still exist too, such as Nescafé, which, as a Nestle product, I assume is made from the blood of indigenous people.
The production actually is pretty cool really. They basically brew giant vats of coffee and then freeze dry it into a powder that can be easily rehydrated.
That actually made me like insta coffee a tiny bit more just for being so cool
i bet the blood of indigenous people would taste better... not that im condoning such an aberration.
When you drink the coffee, you can really taste the iron deficiency.
Nestle employees taking notes furiously
The biggest difference is that starbucks via doesn't start with awful coffee.
Starbucks isn't good coffee compared to some fancy pants third wave coffee, but It's not nescafe either.
Freeze drying and rehydrating might not do anything to hurt coffee flavor, but it's not going to make bad coffee suddenly taste good.
Via was godly for festival mornings.
I imagine there are tons of office workers, mechanics, construction workers, etc. who are drinking instant because it's impractical or impossible to have a coffee machine at work or in the field. I believe the vast majority of coffee vending machines also use instant coffee behind the scenes, so everyone who's ever gotten a cup of highway rest stop coffee was most likely drinking instant at least once. Ditto with the "cappuccino" machines at every convenience store and gas station on earth.
I carry instant coffee with me when I'm camping, because I can't be bothered to have to carry and more importantly clean any kind of coffee gadget.
Look into an Aeropress.
It'd work comfortably in camping or office situations. Not as easy as instant coffee but much, much better.
I've seen 'em and I've used them in the past. They're a fine solution, but they still require cleaning and a couple of satchels of Taster's Choice or whatever is easier on the KP and also much smaller than a giant coffee syringe. Showing up at the pay-for-pitch in the station wagon is one thing, but usually all my stuff needs to either fit in my panniers or my backback.
There are guys I've hiked with who have them, though. To each their own.
Vacuum insulated hot drink containers are a thing, and work very well. That's what field workers use. Who has time or a device to boil water?
Every coffee vending machine I have ever used ground the coffee while you wait. Cappuccino machines are definitely a mix, though.
I just brew in my French press after dinner, pour some into a thermos after it's done, and store the rest in my French press in my fridge. The next day, I pour more into my thermos. I feel even old coffee tastes better than instant, but I understand that's my opinion.
It’s all I drink. But I only drink coffee for the caffeine, it all tastes like shit. If I want to enjoy it I have a cup of tea.
Put a little salt in it! It helps a lot especially with the cheaper brands.
You do you I guess but... surely a good cup of proper coffee tastes less-shit and has more caffeine?
I drink both instant and real.
I drink french-press rocket fuel in the morning, a strong cap at lunchtime on office days, and I wouldn't compromise on either.
But afternoons at home, or in the evening... I dunno, it's just too much drama. I want something in the background that isn't going to make any demands on my attention. It's the equivalent of watching garbage TV at the end of a long day. You don't want hard-hitting incisive social commentary, you just want a couple episodes of Ow, My Balls.
I've found a brand that doesn't taste like toner; it's not real coffee, just Brown Drink. But it's entirely acceptable Brown Drink, and it does what I need it for.
What brand is it?
https://huckleberryroasters.com/collections/frontpage/products/huck-instant-blue-orchid
That is legitimately good instant coffee. Given the price, I'd hope so. I take that camping.
It's Australian, so probably not much use to you, but this
Same. French press for work, instant for home where I don't know how long I can keep a given activity going.
It's a bit more common in the UK. Everybody's got 230v electric kettles practically in every room (/s) so having coffee that just takes hot water has extra appeal. I'm also lead to believe that their instant coffee is a bit better quality than what is common in the US.
this is so odd for me to read. instant coffee is treated like literal dirt over here. so the idea theres a good kind of drinkable dirt sounds hilarious.
90% of what I "know" about England is from panel shows. It's a small and warped window.
UK here, and yeah, this is my experience.
I'll drink instant most days (right now in fact) and proper coffee when we have guests or if I'm not pushed for time.
Quality of instant varies wildly, but there's at least a few versions that are very decent indeed IMO.
I love coffee. I am a coffee snob. Instant coffee is easy to pack and travel with. If you have access to hot water it's still coffee which is better than nothing. If you don't have access to hot water then it's a tastier caffeine pill.
When camping, never otherwise.
I do. Almost always. And there are three main reasons for it.
(A) Hassle free prep. Hot water and stirrer, bam!
(B) No waste/by-products (e.g. filter, brewed coffee granules residue, blah blah) - so much less carbon footprint.
(C) A cup of instant coffee has slightly less caffeine content than the same cup of freshly brewed coffee. Good for me, because I have been a caffeine-addict, and trying to cut down now.
So I always try to go for Freeze-dried instant coffee ( especially Colombian, like Juan Valdez ), and not the Spray-dried shit.
Edit : I thank max and the OP for enlightening me about the instant coffee manufacture process. It surely appear that Instant coffee has a lot more environmental impact than simple ground coffee because of more processes involved. I have always consumed instant coffee, but were totally ignorant on this part. Dumb of me.
Thanks to the people directing me to the right way, and I will strike out my second point above.
There is waste and byproduct, just not in your kitchen. Look into the manufacturing process. There are still beans that are roasted, ground, brewed and discarded.
so much less carbon footprint.
Bad news for you.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385894723015243
Instant coffee has >2 times higher impacts and costs than ground coffee.
Based on the functional unit of 1 tonne of coffee produced, instant coffee has higher impacts and costs than ground coffee for both system boundaries because it requires double the amount of green coffee beans and 7–11 times more energy.
Really bad news, and so ignorant of me. Thanks for the enlightenment btw !
(B) No waste/by-products (e.g. filter, brewed coffee granules residue, blah blah) - so much less carbon footprint.
Not sure how you come to this conclusion. The waste is the same (if not more), just ends up somewhere else. Also, you're adding a whole extra process (freeze drying) requiring extra energy, and water needs to be boiled twice (during brewing and at home).
For me instant coffee is for backpacking, because when you're busting your ass on the trail for a few days literally anything you can eat or drink tastes amazing
One of the best feelings in the world is a morning hike up the mountains, reaching a stopping soot and boiling some hot water for some tea/coffee.
Absolutely!
It’s portable, stores well, takes nothing more than a mug and hot water to make, and takes no longer to make than it does to heat the water.
Sure, I prefer good drip coffee or an espresso-based drink, but I travel a lot and often hotel room coffee sucks. Sometimes a decent insta-coffee works great to get you out the door.
I do. What's the problem with it?
It's too fast! Where you goin at that speed?
I was recently on holiday where most of the other guests in our hotel were 50-70 year old Germans.
The breakfast buffet at our hotel had a large scale coffee maker which could do some surprisingly good freshly ground coffee. What it could also do is spit instant coffee into your mug and pour hot water on top.
In two weeks I never saw someone (other than me) draw anything but fucking instant coffee from that thing.
But why??
If only I knew...
I like drinking really good coffee as much as I can, but I do not look down on a cup of instant from time to time. I have a jar at home for if I run out, and it's often the only option while traveling.
Coffee is coffee, and I like coffee.
Instant coffee is still popular and common in Asia. Coffee vending machines, which are technically instant, are also common in waiting areas of businesses (i.e. dealership, leasing offices, clinics, etc.)
I still do. Most of my coffee consumption is instant, but I am not particular about coffee so long it doesn't taste bad.
Yeah, I have low standards
I do. Juan Valdez tastes amazing.
I used to because I am single and it didn't seem economical to brew a pot for one cup. Then I found out about the "4 cup" machines like the ones they put in hotel rooms.
Mr Coffee single cup machine, makes hot or iced, 1 cup at a time, its awesome! no more stupid pods
https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-IcedTM-Hot-Maker/dp/B093XTHCZL/
I grind enough for a big cup, pour water in it, and decant it to another cup using a fork as a filter. Seems to work fine.
Not me, but it’s great for baking (a bit of coffee makes chocolate taste more chocolatey) and making nutrition shakes palatable.
In college, I used to drink Starbucks' Via. That instant coffee hits different.
Nowadays, I make either an espresso or a pour over. But I still crave Vias sometimes.
Yes. When I can't be arsed to grind beans and boil water. Doesn't taste as good, but it's fine with a little cookie or something.
Same. Instant in the morning and a normal one with grounding beans in the afternoon.
Revenue in the Instant Coffee market amounts to US$30.3bn in 2023. The market is expected to grow annually by 5.03% (CAGR 2023-2028).
In global comparison, most revenue is generated in Japan (US$4,741m in 2023).
In relation to total population figures, per person revenues of US$3.95 are generated in 2023.
In the Instant Coffee market, volume is expected to amount to 1.6bn kg by 2028. The market for Instant Coffee market is expected to show a volume growth of 3.5% in 2024.
The average volume per person in the Instant Coffee market is expected to amount to 0.19kg in 2023.
https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/hot-drinks/coffee/instant-coffee/worldwide
I generally only drink instant for late night decaf, though the premixed Korean instant coffee packets are a treat every hour and then
In the UK it's still very common for people to have instant coffee at home. Companies will sometimes have their own fancy coffee maker (e.g. Nespresso) but not always.
Unless you work in tech, then the offices have £5k Italian espresso machines that only five people know how to operate.
Have solely or in addition to ground coffee?
Solely.
It's kinda like asking "why don't more Americans own electric kettles?".
UK: Kettle for tea. US: Coffee maker for coffee.
We generally drink more tea than coffee and so kettles became the norm. Some people do own their own coffee makers or cafetieres but it's less common. One is a nation coffee-drinkers and the other tea drinkers. Each has settled into using different machines and therefore different products.
I drink it. It's cheaper and quicker to make than anything else I've found.
Still seems like the default in much of Europe and Asia
I had a British coworker that said she thought instant coffee was the only kind until her twenties. Then I remembered British drink tea.
I think that instant Chai is actually quite popular worldwide. I assume it's pretty similar to instant coffee.
I feel like it's 2 different market segments.
Starbuck and othes fancy coffee shop I am in town, look for clean toilets and wifi so I'd pay 10 € to get them
Instant I am camping, (and sometimes indoor without coffee machine) and want a coffee
I use instant coffee for baking. And I had instant coffee as part of the tea-making facilities in British B&Bs (but I definitely prefer the tea there).
I'm thinking about making coffee ice cream and I was going to make a coffee reduction for that flavor (I experiment a lot. If it doesn't work I still have ice cream) but this sounds like a much better idea.
It is nice in chocolate desserts, pralinees, creams. Just imagine a buttercream cake where the buttercream has a hint of coffee flavor.
I don't mind instant coffee and there are so many options. I get hired if I drink the same thing all the time. So some weeks I drink cold brew, some weeks I drink instant coffee, some week I drink iced and some weeks I drink tea. I alternate between different sources of caffeine pretty much every other week.
If I'm going camping and want to keep things light I'll buy instant coffee and transfer it into a freezer bag.
Absolutely. Quality instant coffee tastes as good as a regular brew, when prepared correctly: dissolve in cold water, ONLY THEN add hot water.
Are those the actual directions or what you've found?
I used to avoid instant coffee until I read this somewhere and tried it. It definitely changed my coffee game. The rationale behind it is that aromatics evaporate too quickly when the instant powder is infused with too/boiling hot water.
When you dissolve instant coffee directly into hot water, the amylum contained in the granules hardens, creating a powdery taste and consistency. By mixing the granules with cold water first, they dissolve more gently once introduced to hot water.
I found this technique makes for a richer and more flavourful coffee experience. Allegedly also because aromatics evaporate slower.
Ducks, now I have to try...
I only use it to make Dalgona coffee. Basically a tablespoon of crystals, tablespoon of sugar, tablespoon of boiling water. Whip it until its a really thick foam, almost like shaving cream, then you put it over some milk, ideally also lightly sweetened as the foam ends up really bitter without a shitton of sugar which I don't prefer to use.
Weird auto correct. Dalgona
Nah just me with a shitty memory. Thank you, fixed.
put it over some milk?
oh. 'dalgona', I see.
Yeah my B
You add MORE sugar after the tablespoon of sugar you already added???
It's about balance of flavor for a specific treat. I consider it more of a dessert coffee. I won't argue that it's nutritionally a nightmare.
I keep it to make dalgona
What's dalgona?
Dalgona coffee is made by mixing equal parts of instant coffee, granulated sugar, and hot water. Here's a recipe on how to make it!
Only when I'm backpacking in the wilderness, otherwise, it's fresh ground for me!
I like it just fine. Used to drink it all the time at my old job. My current job actually has coffee in the break room as a perk, so now I drink that. It's still basic Folgers or whatever, but it's fine. Not every coffee needs to be fancy. Sometimes I just want a cup of joe.
In the army we used to get a pack of instant coffee with the afternoon meal. We rarely wanted to shit ourselves later in the bush, so, no. We'd save it for whomever was fucked with guard shift that night.
Please understand there is no hot water at night; no real water supply at all. We do not traipse about the boonies looking for a stream, nor do we make a fire so it can be seen for miles. We even hide the pips on our wristwatch.
Not since bush coffee have I had instant coffee. And if I die without having instant coffee again - even properly prepared - it will be too soon.
At night when the espresso machine is too loud
I did the same for a long time. Now I find the histamine bomb from instant coffee just makes me feel terrible so I grind coffee with a hand mill and use an aeropress if I'm making a cup in the middle of the night.
histamine bomb
Is this a you thing or have I not been drinking coffee long enough? Is there a science behind it but I don't understand? I just googled and found a bunch of stuff about coffee having histamine but most of the sites are less than authoritative. The NCBI article I found (I only skimmed a little) seemed non coffee specific but interesting. Gonna save to read later.
I keep a jar of it in my desk at the office.
Handy for those overnight callouts when noting else is available.
Starbucks and coffee chains are, you know, nowhere near my house, for one thing. How am I going to have coffee in the morning if I have to first leave my house and get a bus to where the coffee shop is, then get the bus home again and then go to work, or whatever?
Further, those places are EXPENSIVE AS HECC. The sort of people that can afford to buy coffee at those places every day sure do have it real nice.
For the rest of us, we make our coffee at home, and sometimes if we're lucky we get the cheap "real" grounds instead of the instant powder, haha
My husband does. Nescafe. Though I make coffee each morning in a moka pot, fresh ground. He likes the instant coffee (and likes it much earlier than I make coffee).
I like coffee but not enough to like bad coffee.
I drink instant cappuccino, a habit I picked up from my wife. It's much less "coffee" than it is "vaguely coffee-flavored drink."
Yes. I don't like it but sometimes I don't have time to make my normal pour over. Like lunchtime. Tastes pretty bad. Especially to a pour over coffee snob like me.
Even Costco sells it.
I’m a pour over die hard but have you tried aeropress? You can make a single cup very quickly and easily.
Pour over doesn't seem that popular in Australia. I mean I know it's a thing but I've never seen it or heard of anyone drinking it.
Here the at-home-coffee options go instant > french press > mocha pot > pods > espresso machine.
Where would pour over fit in here?
I think I have heard of that. You need special hardware, right?
Dealing with coffee grinds got annoying. It’s also one of my first grocery store purchases when traveling.
Bonus points for instant iced coffee.
You can make a very nice (and strong) Dalgona with Cafe Bustelo instant coffee
Wow, that looks tasty!
I hadn't heard of this. Looks like they're using sugar to make that thick consistency. One recipe says 1tbsp coffee 1tbsp sugar 1tbsp hot water. That's a hard no from me.
I think it still represents something like 5-10% of the US coffee market.
Better doesn’t always drive out cheaper.
Me
My wife prefers it. It's fine with sweet creamer.
Freeze dried Colombian is fantastic. A jar of Juan Valdez keeps in your cabinet for ages of you're not a coffee drinker.
I don't drink coffee at all but I do live outside of the US. I have noticed that in MANY places in the world, instant coffee is the norm. It's not normal to see coffee beans in the grocery store at all really where I am now. I would have to go to a more upscale place or to a specialty spot to find whole or ground coffee.
Isn't that basically what a Keurig pod is? I think more people use instant coffee now than they did before those things existed. As much as Starbucks is popular, I still think most people make their own coffee at home.
Keurig pod has coffee grinds and filter. Instant coffee dissolves in water.
I'm finishing my cup right now. People say it's shit but I don't mind it.
Personally, not very much. I’m aware my personal experience doesn’t translate to universal truth, but I only know what it know.
I have a little bit of instant coffee around but it’s mostly for camping.
Day to day, I either drink homemade iced coffee, or regular coffee made in a pour over. Getting the iced coffee ready is as fast as putting some ice in a bottle and pouring the coffee. Even the pour over, which takes maybe 15 minutes total is still faster than the time spent going to a Starbucks, waiting in line, ordering, and waiting for it to be made.
To me, buying coffee is really only going to happen when I’m traveling.
I do when I'm in a hurry. It's not as good as the real one but gets the job done when I really need it.