Instant Coffee Rocks!

January 7, 2010 7:56 PM

Love Instant Coffee - Any Gourmet Brands To Try?

After going through the AeroPress, the Electric, Percolator, the Coffee Straw, the Stovetop Percolator, the Kerug, grinding our own beans, and countless other coffee techniques, shockingly, we found while vacationing in Europe that we like the texture, flavor, and strength of instant coffee the best! Instant coffee, Nescafe to be exact, has been the only coffee to be consistently delicious morning after morning, for a year now. It is easy, cheap, and yummy.

Not wanting to rock the satisfaction boat, but just to broaden our pallet, we're wondering if there are 'gourmet' versions of instant coffee to try? Or other delicious brands? If it makes a difference, we generally hate faux-flavored coffees (hazelnut, vanilla, etc) but we use tons of sweetener and CoffeeMate in our Joe, and that ain't gonna change. :)

posted by citystalk to food & drink (15 answers total)

Starbucks has an instant coffee that has been well reviewed, although it depends on whether you like Starbucks coffee.
posted by smackfu at 7:58 PM on January 7, 2010

smackfu, i tried via and it was meh in comparison to nescafe. but thanks for the suggestion! :)
posted by citystalk at 8:02 PM on January 7, 2010

My Israeli relatives will tolerate nothing but Nescafe. I think once that's what you like, that's what you like.
posted by escabeche at 8:04 PM on January 7, 2010

Not a gourmet brand, but much to my friends' chagrin, I'm in love with Bru (green cap). It's coffee with chicory. Look for it at your local Indian grocer.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 8:11 PM on January 7, 2010

I like the Starbucks "french roast" instant coffee but not their other blends of instant.

I also enjoy Nescafe, and I blame my Turkish friends for that because, other than Turkish coffee (which is delicious but time-consuming to brew), it is all they will make.
posted by patheral at 8:15 PM on January 7, 2010

I don't like most instant coffee, and I don't know a lot about it either, but I've found that Medaglia d'Oro "instant espresso"—which is neither gourmet nor expensive, and doesn't necessarily have to be brewed to espresso strength—tastes way better than all other kinds of instant coffee I've tried.
posted by k. at 8:16 PM on January 7, 2010 [2 favorites]

I am not a Starbucks guy or an instant coffee guy, but Starbucks Via makes a very reasonably fine cup of coffee with nothing but hot water. Different league than other instants.
posted by clango at 9:24 PM on January 7, 2010

Try both types of Via if you haven't already.
posted by Nameless at 9:52 PM on January 7, 2010

This is fun! In response to posters:

I have tried regular coffee with chicory, but I have *not* tried Bru, which appears to be an instant, which I am immediately going to buy and try! The online reviewers seem to be obsessed with it! :)

I will also try the French Roast Starbucks instant, out of curiosity...I had the regular, which was very weak and thin in my opinion.

I will also try the Medaglia d'Oro.

LOVE Turkish coffee, but it is indeed time consuming and VERY messy - my poor, poor stovetop during our Turkish coffee phase...
posted by citystalk at 10:00 PM on January 7, 2010

I haven't had Nescafe in years, but the first time I tasted the Starbucks Via Italian Roast I was *immediately* reminded of the Nescafe that used to be served in my grandmother's house. Not sure how accurate my memory is. If you do try the Via Italian Roast, go easy on the water - 6 ounces at most per packet, I use even less.
posted by chez shoes at 10:28 PM on January 7, 2010

Mount Hagen Organic Freeze Dried Instant Coffee - I usually do not like instant coffee, but I really like this one.
posted by fifilaru at 11:26 PM on January 7, 2010

I'm a huge Nescafe fan and tend to stick to 1 tsp of Nescafe Gold in a proper teacup (sans saucer), 1 tsp of sugar, water 2/3 to the top, and the rest microwaved milk. I find it significantly tastier than Nescafe Classic.
posted by whitewall at 11:56 PM on January 7, 2010

http://www.israeliproducts.com/page/IP/PROD/FOD702

Elite Instant Coffee.

Rich and creamy with a consistency a bit like hot chocolate IMO. If you are an instant-coffeeophile, you must try this.

Can be a bit hard to find, but if your town has a kosher shop they certainly will have this.

escabeche wrote, My Israeli relatives will tolerate nothing but Nescafe.

I'm surprised, no Elite? I thought that was *the* coffee of Israel. In Israel it's everywhere...

posted by thermonuclear.jive.turkey at 12:18 AM on January 8, 2010

Vinacafe!
posted by surfgator at 12:44 AM on January 8, 2010

Nthing Medaglia d'Oro. It's excellent in a faux lait (aka "poor man's au lait"): instead of using hot water to make the coffee, use hot milk. Mmm.
posted by Lexica at 12:19 PM on January 10, 2010