There is hardly a more polarizing debate in the coffee world than instant coffee. Whether it is good or bad, whether you should hate it or love it, coffee drinkers tend to have a definite opinion on this type of coffee.
What is Instant Coffee
Theoretically speaking, instant coffee is lower quality coffee. It is made from robusta coffee beans, lower-quality coffee beans with a simpler flavor profile. These are easier to grow and cheaper for big buyers. Robusta beans are roasted, brewed, and subsequently made into powder. It is anything but fresh.
Despite its lower quality or lack of freshness, instant coffee still has quite a few points in its favor. It’s incredibly convenient, whereas you can pour a little coffee on hot water (it doesn’t even have to be hot!), stir a couple of times, and your coffee is ready in just a short time than it would take if you brew it in any other way. In a world where time is often more valuable than money, this is unbelievably convenient for us.
Besides, we have already begun to move past the whole “instant coffee = bad” notion that we’ve had for decades. Because of the growing awareness of coffee quality, many companies have begun to pay more attention to the quality of their coffee. On some occasions, they are incorporating arabica coffee beans to make for a higher quality coffee. Some other products consist of instant coffee made 100% from arabica beans yielding a rather impressive cup of coffee. Time is the only factor before we get instant coffee that tastes as good as coffee shop coffee.
The Best Instant Coffee
Juan Valdez – Colombian Freeze-dried instant coffee
Juan Valdez is one of the oldest Colombian brands of coffee. If Colombians, who drink some of the best coffee globally, prefer this coffee to other brands, then this should be sweet celestial coffee goodness to us.
It has been freeze-dried, which means it lacks that stinging bitterness of a regular coffee. It is much fresher because of this method’s superior ability to preserve coffee freshness.
Anthony’s organic coffee
Anthony’s coffee is organic like no other. They use only the most natural fertilizers and pesticides for their crops, who are holding one of the most natural tasting organic coffees that you’ll ever taste. Batch testing on this coffee for any foreign components ensures that it is gluten-free.
Anthony’s coffee is one of the most naturally sweet instant coffees that you can currently find on the market, possibly because of its natural growing process.
Mount Hagen Organic Fair Trade Instant Coffee
Organic fair-trade coffee, usually a label reserved for high quality, and specialty grade has finally arrived in the world of instant coffee. Mount Hagen offers one of the most premium coffees with this product, which is 100% from high-quality arabica coffee beans from Papua New Guinea, making one exotic, rich cup of coffee.
Waka Coffee Quality Instant Coffee
Waka instant coffee comes in a very different presentation from the rest. But that’s not all that’s different: Waka coffee is made of 100% Colombian arabica coffee beans – freeze-dried to preserve all of their natural flavor and aroma. The result is an incredibly fragrant and delicious cup of coffee.
Café Altura Instant Organic Coffee
Finally, we get to Café Altura’s premium instant coffee. It’s made from organic, FairTrade beans that have been naturally sun-dried to give them a very distinct citrus/fruit taste and aroma that you will instantly feel on the first sip. This is one of the most gourmet coffees we’ve seen so far and one of the fittest for drinking black, thanks to its good quality.
FAQ
What is Instant Coffee?
Instant coffee comes into presentations: air-dried, which works by shooting pressurized air, which dries coffee on the spot. This one looks more like a powder and is the most traditional way of making coffee. Then there is also the freeze-drying method. This works by introducing coffee to an incredibly freezing chamber, immediately freezes the coffee and preserving all of its flavor and aroma – or at least most of it. Then it is formed into chunks, and this is the second presentation of coffee you’ve probably seen more and more throughout the years as this method becomes more popular.
Why buy Instant Coffee?
In short, because it is incredibly convenient. Instant coffee can save you in the mornings when you wake up late or don’t have the time to start a cycle on your drip machine or brew on your French press. In less than 1 minute, you will have a fragrant cup of coffee! It May not taste the same, but it’s close enough, and it still gives you that much-needed caffeine.
How to Make the Best Instant Coffee?
Since instant coffee is ready, there’s not a lot we can do to alter its taste. One essential thing to consider is that you do not need to use piping hot temperatures for this coffee as this could burn and decrease your flavor. Instead, try to use warm temperatures up to 70° C, which is still hot but does not threaten to burn your coffee.
What is the Best Water Temperature for Brewing Instant Coffee?
Anything below 70° C should be fine. If you can’t live without hot coffee, up to 80°C should work, too, although it’s not ideal.
How can I Make Instant Coffee Taste Better?
Historically, cream and sugar are the two ingredients that remedy the bitter taste in coffee or just bad coffee. The discovery of today’s delicious coffee drinks is a result of adding different ingredients to plain coffee. As for making black instant coffee taste better, unfortunately, there is not much we can do, apart from being careful of the water temperature we use. The sweetener we use can also affect its taste, whether you use sugar, brown sugar, stevia, xylitol, etc.
