My earliest memory of coffee dates back to sleepless nights spent at the campus library in college. My eyes barely managed to stay open as I attempted to re-read a passage from my hefty textbook for the fourth, fifth (perhaps, sixth?) time while my whole body shivered from the caffeine-induced jitters. Coffee was merely a quick, easy fix. I chugged cups of instant black coffee like water, not paying much heed to the bitter, pungent aftertaste that lingered on my tongue and scorched my throat. Taste was the least of my concerns. All that mattered, at the time, was efficiency.
Fast-forward to now, I’ve refined my taste in coffee, ditching the unpleasant cups of joe for more palatable ones. But when it comes to the kind of coffee I choose to savor, I’ve struggled to quit instant coffee for good. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my Bialetti Moka Pot. However, my heart forever yearns for — and adores — instant coffee. Firstly, it lives up to its name. It’s also simple to make and quite tasty — which may come as a surprise to many of my fellow javaphiles.
Instant coffee has earned a rather negative reputation within the hardcore coffee community over the years. “To me it IS terrible, it’s like dried hate and despair caught in a jar,” wrote one Redditor on a recent post in the coffee subreddit. Others lambasted instant coffee for its lack of aromatics, poor taste and ability to consistently produce only an “OK” cup of coffee.
The truth is, instant coffee is its own subset of coffee and can’t be compared to a well-brewed espresso. As another Redditor put it, “I wouldn’t try to compare powdered cheese to real cheese for taste.” But, contrary to popular belief, specialty and drinkable instant coffee exists (shocking!). I’ve tried them and I think you should too.
Want more great food writing and recipes? Sign up for Salon’s free food newsletter, The Bite.
Here are the five best instant coffees that will (ok, may) make you ditch your at-home coffee maker.
Mount Hagen Organic Freeze-Dried Instant Coffee
This is my go-to brand of instant coffee that I drink first thing every morning. It’s also the first brand that I tried after abandoning my daily cups of Folgers. As cheesy as this sounds, it truly was love at first sip. I was blown away by the taste — and shocked that instant coffee could even taste so smooth and robust. Mount Hagen’s quality is top-notch. To this day, it remains one of the richest and most delicious instant coffees I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying.
“The 1st principle for really good instant coffee is: Really good beans,” Mount Hagen said on its official website. “How could good coffee be made from bad beans? That’s why the basis for our instant coffee is the same as for our ground coffee: A blend of the finest Arabicas from Papua New Guinea, Peru, and Honduras.”
The brand also underscored its roasting process, which is “done just as carefully and gently as with our other coffees, at around 390 °F,” they specified. The coffee is then ground and extracted in large machines, ensuring that the aroma from the coffee beans is preserved. It’s finally freeze-dried to form ice sheets in a vacuum that are eventually broken to produce the final product.
UCC The Blend 117 Instant Coffee
I grabbed a few jars of UCC’s The Blend 117 during an impromptu trip to my neighborhood Japanese market in Brooklyn. The individual coffee crystals dissolved quickly when mixed with hot water to produce a silky cup of coffee. As for taste, UCC’s The Blend 117 is stronger in flavor than Mount Hagen’s instant coffee. It also has a subtle sweetness, without any added sweetener, with notes of dark chocolate.
I recommend drinking this coffee black. But it’s also exceptional with milk and sugar, which doesn’t diminish or mask the coffee’s beautiful flavor profile.
Cafe Bustelo Espresso Style Dark Roast Instant Coffee
Cafe Bustelo’s instant coffee is great for several reasons. It’s intense with a touch of bitterness that’s not necessarily unappealing, but adds a layer of acidity that can be mellowed out with your favorite creamer, milk or sugar. It’s also a fine powder as opposed to chunky, individual crystals. And it’s a great budget find — a 3.5-ounce jar of instant coffee is available for a little less than seven dollars.
That being said, Cafe Bustelo’s instant coffee isn’t my go-to option to drink black. I suggest adding a splash of milk and your favorite sweetener to make homemade café con leche (which translates to “coffee with milk”) or a Cuban cortadito, which is made with a strong shot of espresso, steamed milk or evaporated milk and sugar.
Illy Caffe Classico Instant Coffee
With notes of caramel, orange blossom and jasmine, Illy Caffe’s Classico Instant Coffee leaves behind a deliciously sweet and floral aftertaste that complements its robust blend made exclusively from Arabica beans. Simply put, this coffee has duality. It’s a medium roast instant coffee that “captures the essence of a smooth roast in an instant format, offering coffee enthusiasts a quick way to enjoy the incredible taste and aromas illy is known for,” according to the coffee’s official description.
Illy’s instant coffee is also exceptional in desserts, like chocolate cake, tiramisu, or affogato. Try sprinkling a few coffee crystals on top of scooped ice cream for an easy yet elevated caffeinated sweet treat.
Death Wish Dark Roast Instant Coffee
The only scary thing about Death Wish’s instant coffee is how scary good it is. Seriously. It’s chocolatey and mildly fruity, touting notes of cherry in each cup. It’s also strong, bold and potent, meaning it’s not for the faint of heart. This coffee had me feeling energized and wide awake first thing in the morning, only after a few sips.
“Formulated in 2018 for NASA, this is the very recipe that astronauts drank at the International Space Station,” according to Death Wish.
If you’re feeling brave, try drinking the instant coffee black. I recommend enjoying it with a splash or two of your favorite creamer or sweetener.
