The 5 best instant coffees that will make you ditch your at-home coffee maker

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 multiple of my fellow javaphiles Related A better pumpkin bread made with coffee citrus and chocolate Instant coffee has earned a rather negative reputation within the hardcore coffee society over the years To me it IS terrible it s like dried hate and despair caught in a jar wrote one Redditor on a contemporary 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 the greater part delicious instant coffees I ve had the pleasure of enjoying The st principle for really good instant coffee is Really good beans Mount Hagen announced 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 methodically and gently as with our other coffees at around 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 decisively freeze-dried to form ice sheets in a vacuum that are eventually broken to produce the final product UCC The Blend Instant Coffee I grabbed a minimal jars of UCC s The Blend during an impromptu trip to my neighborhood Japanese sphere in Brooklyn The individual coffee crystals dissolved briskly when mixed with hot water to produce a silky cup of coffee As for taste UCC s The Blend 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 -ounce jar of instant coffee is available for a little less than seven dollars That being declared 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 caf 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 Just 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 sparse 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 minimal sips Formulated in 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 Read more about coffee From beans to brews Coffee tourism is percolating across the globe Caffeine is everywhere Is it literally harmless Keurig Dr Pepper pays million dollar civil penalty after SEC statements about K-Cup recyclability The post The best instant coffees that will make you ditch your at-home coffee maker appeared first on Salon com