Recommend me some good instant coffee.

[KMc]

For instant, this is really good stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/Juan-Valdez-Freeze-Dried-Coffee/dp/B003LJ95GC

 

[GasX]

The best instant coffee you can get, imho, is Cafe Bustello.

It's instant "espresso", so it makes a nice strong cup. You find it in the spanish foods section of the supermarker...

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I just got a jar of the Nescafe Taster's Choice. Usually I would avoid a name like that at all costs but damn, this is some fine coffee.

Extremely smooth. Very easy to drink. Zero acidity. Great roasted smell. Good flavor. Very very balanced. Very easy to make.

I'm loving it.

 

[Crono]

I just got a jar of the Nescafe Taster's Choice. Usually I would avoid a name like that at all costs but damn, this is some fine coffee.

Extremely smooth. Very easy to drink. Zero acidity. Great roasted smell. Good flavor. Very very balanced. Very easy to make.

I'm loving it.

I'm literally drinking it right now. Glad you like it. I prefer smooth, balanced flavor (but lighter roast) coffees, and its amazing what they did for an instant coffee.

I keep a container of it at work. Super cheap (7 oz makes 105 cups, or about 50 even if you make it double strength) and it's easy to just use hot water tap on water cooler to make coffee in seconds.

 

[RossMAN]

I'm literally drinking it right now. Glad you like it. I prefer smooth, balanced flavor (but lighter roast) coffees, and its amazing what they did for an instant coffee.

Thanks, I might give it a shot. I wonder if it's sold at Target B&M?

 

[Crono]

Thanks, I might give it a shot. I wonder if it's sold at Target B&M?

Almost definitely.
http://coupons.target.com/printable-coupon/5aa2n6

That coupon is for the individually wrapped sticks, which aren't as good a value, but at least I know they carry them. They also have a coupon for Nescafe Clasico, which is a little stronger in flavor but almost as as good. I'm pretty sure I the Taster's Choice bottles last time I was at Target, but it has been a while.

At around $10 to $20 for a container (depends on size), that comes out to 10 to cents per cup of coffee, depending also on how strong you make it. Hard to beat that.

 

[Centauri]

What exactly is the point of instant coffee? Is the flavor/price sacrifice worth it when there are more than a few single serve coffee makers available for $15 and they take 2 mins to actually brew a cup?

 

[RossMAN]

Almost definitely.
http://coupons.target.com/printable-coupon/5aa2n6

I could hug you right now. No homo.

 

[Crono]

What exactly is the point of instant coffee? Is the flavor/price sacrifice worth it when there are more than a few single serve coffee makers available for $15 and they take 2 mins to actually brew a cup?

Several.
1. Consistency. You get the exact same thing each time. Which sounds boring, but is *exactly* what I want at work, where I don't trust the coffee maker to be clean.

2. Speed. For me, instant takes 15 seconds. That's not an exaggeration. Add heaping teaspoon or two to mug, hold down the lever on the hot water spigot until 3/4 full. Stir. Done.

3. Convenience. The easiest thing to have on hand since it lasts so long and doesn't require special storage. If you grind beans and French press coffee like I do half the time (surprise! I like instant, but love French press coffee) you know that beans go stale very quickly, and if you keep them in airtight containers you have to let the air out daily. I do keep a bag of beans in a zip-loc bag in my freezer, though, I find they keep well that way.

4. Price. If you drink a lot of coffee, you can save money by going instant. I don't drink instant all the time - I buy coffee from Dunkin' Donuts 10% of the time, and brew my own 40% of the time - but even drinking it half the time saves a lot of money. Costs 10 cents a cup for me.

 

[Crono]

I could hug you right now. No homo.

Lol, glad to spread the coffee love.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

easy to double up on caffeine also by using extra scoops. for some people it's because they only drink a cup or two every couple of weeks or so.

 

[Ksyder]

The best instant coffee you can get, imho, is Cafe Bustello.

It's instant "espresso", so it makes a nice strong cup. You find it in the spanish foods section of the supermarker...

Thats not instant coffee! Its just really finely ground dark roast.

Sorry, I am wrong, didn't realize Bustelo has an instant coffee product. Thought you were referring to the yellow bricks.

 

[Ksyder]

Hmm, I guess a lot more people prefer dark roasts.

I like the higher caffeine content of light to medium roasts and they irritate my stomach less. The lighter roasts I really, really like (especially with Jamaican Blue, Kona, and Yirgacheffe) are better on the lighter end of the spectrum. Even for instant I prefer smoother blends.

I used to drink dark roast. Starbucks is probably responsible for promoting the idea that it is the best.

However, now I never drink dark roast, and in fact avoid it. When I got into roasting coffee a whole new world of coffee flavors opened up that dark roast just doesn't have.

Currently I like a nice medium roast. I roast the coffee to the point where you can just barely taste a hint of roasty-ness. Mainly a good clean flavor is all I taste. No bitterness at all, no horrible robusta flavor. :thumbsup:

On a related note, I found out most instant coffee is arabica/robusta blend. Anyone know if starbucks via is pure arabica beans?