coffee

May 18, 2013 6:59 AM

Is there any coffee similar to Starbucks' "ready brew" that is not Starbucks? Basically, I am looking for the dead-simple coffee experience that Starbucks offers without using Starbucks coffee: open a packet of finely ground coffee, dump it in a mug, add water, stick it in a microwave for four minutes, add some milk. Done. I don't want Keurig cups or any other kind of cup that needs a separate machine, etc. I don't care about fair trade, flavor (as long as its not burnt), or price.

Thanks for any info you can provide!

Oh, and I'm in the US if it matters.

posted by dfriedman to Food & Drink (28 answers total)

Starbucks didn't invent instant coffee packets, so I'm not quite sure what you mean...
posted by acidic at 7:04 AM on May 18, 2013 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Starbucks VIA is basically just fancy instant coffee.

If you want instant coffee that is not fancy, it seems to me that Maxwell House and Folgers are the place to start looking.
posted by sparklemotion at 7:04 AM on May 18, 2013 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Gear Patrol recently reviewed several types of instant coffee, including Starbucks Via.

I have not tried any of these, but it would be a good launching off point.
posted by furnace.heart at 7:05 AM on May 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Costco sells it, if you don't care about taste, get the Kirkland brand instant coffee packets.

Also, I think it's freeze-dried coffee, not finely ground. Unless Starbucks is now selling Turkish coffee packs. May be true, I haven't set foot in a Starbucks in years.
posted by overhauser at 7:14 AM on May 18, 2013

Yes - it is freeze-dried, Starbucks did not invent the process, but IMO they perfected it...

However, I have even seen little-single-cup clone packages at Safeway/Sobeys that look nearly identical to the Starbucks VIA, but from other manufacturers.

Personally, I think any instant-coffee other than Starbucks VIA tastes horrific, but... I occasionally have a perverse need for it, as that is what I grew-up with ;-)
posted by jkaczor at 7:23 AM on May 18, 2013

I dislike Starbucks coffee, but find their instant the most drinkable instant coffee. Since I'm a backpacker, I tested many brands to come to this conclusion, including most on the list review above. That said, I drink my coffee black. If you put cream and sugar in there, I'd recommend Nescafé. It's cheap, easy to find, and tastes like a coffee drink if you put enough other stuff in there.
posted by advicepig at 7:23 AM on May 18, 2013 [3 favorites]

Gear Patrol recently reviewed several types of instant coffee, including Starbucks Via.

I have not tried any of these, but it would be a good launching off point.

I can vouch for Mt. Hagen and Medaglia d'Oro. Didn't know Mt. Hagen came in singles; I would totally go for that.
posted by BibiRose at 7:42 AM on May 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Was just popping in to say Nescafe. Advice pig is 100% right about about Nescafe if you take it with milk and sugar. Ten thousand mid-priced european hotels can't be wrong.
posted by mochapickle at 7:46 AM on May 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

nescafe is available in walmart and it is pretty good. There is also BRU you will find in asian/indian stores . similar concept.
posted by radsqd at 7:49 AM on May 18, 2013

While I'm not a coffee hipster, I do take my morning brew pretty seriously. And I hate instant coffee, which is basically the devil's brew. But a really really lovely MeFite gave me some Starbucks VIA and I was genuinely impressed. If you don't want to buy Starbucks, I'd suggest the Medaglia D’Oro, which you should be able to get in a grocery store.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:52 AM on May 18, 2013

If you are adding milk etc I'd go for Nescafe. The Starbucks coffee is glorified over priced instant. The good news is that with coffee flavours you end up equating the lovely hit of caffeine with whatever flavour your coffee is and after a few weeks it really doesn't make a difference what you drink (really it doesn't I owned a coffee shop for years and used to be the snobbiest of coffee snobs but I learned a few home truths after moving to small town USA) you will like that flavour because your brain relates it to delicious delicious caffeine and the ritual of making it. So try a few other instant coffees, find the one you hate the least and in a few weeks you won't care it tastes different.
posted by wwax at 8:01 AM on May 18, 2013 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Mount Hagen Organic Coffee is the best instant coffee. You can get it at Whole Foods and other stores for $10, or buy it in bulk from Amazon for a couple dollars less per jar. There are about 60 servings in each jar, so even if you pay the full $10 that's about 17 cents a cup for coffee that's much better than Folgers.
posted by John Cohen at 8:07 AM on May 18, 2013 [5 favorites]

Medaglia d'oro or another instant espresso.
posted by jetlagaddict at 8:17 AM on May 18, 2013

I'm convinced the Nescafé that comes in jars with bilingual English/Spanish labels is better than the Nescafé that comes in plastic containers labeled primarily in English (there's Spanish on the label too, but given much lower billing).
posted by hoyland at 8:34 AM on May 18, 2013 [2 favorites]

Trader Joe's makes a decent instant coffee.
posted by deathpanels at 8:50 AM on May 18, 2013 [2 favorites]

Not sure where in the US you're located, but if you're near a Trader Joe's, they make their own Instant Coffee packets, and they've already got both cream and sugar in them (but not too much, IMO).

You can use either milk or water, and even though like DarlingBri above I generally don't care for instant coffee, TJ's is pretty great. Cheap too. A box of 10 is $2.

Upon preview, damn, deathpanels beat me to it!
posted by mrhaydel at 8:53 AM on May 18, 2013

I have no idea how available it is near you but Nescafé is the best instant granule in the UK IMO.
posted by BenPens at 9:06 AM on May 18, 2013

Folgers is making a VIA clone called Fresh Breaks, the Black Silk variety is decent and it doesn't have the weird green pepper note that I get from traditional instant coffees (not VIA). I haven't tried the Breakfast Blend or the Colombian.
posted by elsietheeel at 9:59 AM on May 18, 2013

What about cold brew? It's not quite as Instant Gratification as instant, but it tastes better. And if you develop a habit of always having a container of strained ready-to-go cold brew in the fridge, then it is instant gratification.
posted by Sara C. at 10:31 AM on May 18, 2013

Elite instant coffee (now at Walmart?!) is my favorite by a lot. For a while I actually didn't make regular coffee and relied on this. Even my mother likes it.

Try at a store with a big kosher section...worth the hunt.
posted by skbw at 11:10 AM on May 18, 2013

Medaglia d'oro or another instant espresso.

Yeah, if you put this in a cup of 2% milk you can make yourself a not super gross coffee type drink in a pinch.
posted by furiousthought at 11:12 AM on May 18, 2013

I took a peek at your location (hi!)...IMHO Key Food store brand is the best of the cheap instant coffees. Got to be very careful with store brand, but trust me, this one is OK or even good. If you need the little packet thing bad, maybe some of those ziploc snack bags?

Personally, I think instant makes BETTER iced coffee except in rare cases.
posted by skbw at 11:17 AM on May 18, 2013

I prefer cold brew concentrate (which you can buy, as well as make) to freeze dried instant packets. So, if you're making the instant coffee in a kitchen, rather than in the woods or in your office break room, it's an option. It's easier to adjust the strength and you just mix it with water & milk and heat it.
posted by crush-onastick at 11:45 AM on May 18, 2013

Folgers or store brand (Safeway or Fred Meyer) coffee singles are the only instant coffee I've found tolerable. It is basically a teabag with a mix of instant and ground coffee. The addition of some real coffee overcomes the weird instant taste. Looks like Starbucks took that idea to the next level to make VIA.
posted by monopas at 12:23 PM on May 18, 2013

I swear by Cafe Bustelo instant espresso. Strong, fast, Make it iced or hot. Not sure it's available everywhere.
posted by annabellee at 1:14 PM on May 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Nthing Mount Hagen. It is pricey, and I need two teaspoons for it to be strong enough. Taster's Choice French Roast instant is also surprisingly not bad, and about half the price.

I love using instant, and will never go back.
posted by walla at 6:49 PM on May 18, 2013

Koreans love the instant coffee packet. Almost always with copious amounts of creamer and sugar mixed in with the coffee granules. I get these from the local Korean supermarket sometimes because I miss the extra sweetness and they salve my periodic homesickness for Seoul.

The Vietnamese instant coffee packets are even better. Stronger. And I think you can get a wider variety as well. Check out the Asian markets in your town to see your options.
posted by spamandkimchi at 6:54 PM on May 18, 2013

Nthing Nescafe. I love that stuff, and it's the only instant coffee I'll drink (though I may give Mount Hagen a try because I haven't tried that one yet).
posted by patheral at 9:40 AM on May 19, 2013