10+ Best Instant Coffee Brands, Ranked Best To Worst

Instant coffee has been around since the early 1900s, yet it still holds a controversial place in the hearts of caffeine enthusiasts. Whether you’re a busy professional, a student cramming for exams, or simply someone who loves the convenience of a quick caffeine fix, finding the right instant coffee can transform your daily routine.

In this article, we’ll explore the best instant coffee brands that cater to different tastes and lifestyles, ensuring you never have to compromise on flavor or quality again.

Best Instant Coffee Brands

When it comes to instant coffee, the landscape has evolved significantly, transforming from bland brews to remarkable flavors that can rival freshly ground beans. Let’s see the brands that are ranked from best to worst:

• Pilon
• Mount Hagen
• Black Rifle Coffee Company
• Café Bustelo
• Nescafé Taster’s Choice
• Starbucks
• Juan Valdez
• Folgers
• Maxwell House

Pilon

Although Pilon may not be renowned as one of the top store-bought espresso brands, it excels in the realm of instant coffee. To be honest, based on my previous experiences with this brand, I didn’t expect it to come out on top.

Upon opening the package, a pleasant, subtle aroma of fresh coffee wafted through the air. The texture resembled that of coarsely ground coffee intended for brewing rather than the typical granules found in instant coffee. However, this product truly dissolved almost instantly, no joke.

It was the quickest dissolving coffee on our list, leaving no residue at the bottom of the cup and requiring minimal stirring. Pilon offers a light to medium roast that tastes remarkably similar to freshly brewed coffee rather than instant.

It has a rich flavor without being overwhelming and goes down easily. In fact, it boasts just the right acidity level, making it so enjoyable that I found myself finishing half the cup before realizing it. I ended up having two cups because it’s simply great coffee.

Mount Hagen

Mount Hagen certainly stands out among its competitors with its fairtrade and organic certifications. While such credentials don’t guarantee excellence, I found myself optimistic that this one would deliver and it did!

This instant coffee comes in freeze-dried form, featuring medium-sized granules that mix well without any chalky residue. I must admit the aroma was slightly off-putting. The medium to dark roast blended seamlessly with hot water, and what really set it apart from BRCC was the flavor, it had a freshness reminiscent of brewed coffee rather than the typical instant variety. Bold and smooth, it also complemented cream beautifully.

Although Mount Hagen is suitable for cold coffee beverages, it struggled to dissolve in cold cream or milk, leaving behind pesky clumps no matter how much I stirred. A quick whisk with a fork might do the trick. The reason it earns a higher ranking is simple: it’s simply delicious and makes the extra effort worthwhile for a refreshing iced coffee experience.

Black Rifle Coffee Company

Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC) stands out as the sole instant coffee brand I evaluated using individual packets, as no jarred alternative was on hand. This instant brew delivers a medium-bodied flavor reminiscent of classic instant coffees like Taster’s Choice.

It’s smooth yet packs a bit of a kick, making it quite delightful. Personally, I find that adding cream enhances its flavor, making it an excellent candidate for various mix-ins. The coffee grind is exceptionally fine, which allowed it to dissolve effortlessly in hot water with minimal stirring.

BRCC instant coffee is designed for cold beverages, so I gave that a try too. It mixed well with cold water but required a good amount of stirring to fully incorporate. Impressively, it maintains its rich coffee flavor even when chilled. I enjoyed this so much for iced coffee that I decided to make a second batch.

This time, I opted for a fork to whisk the coffee into the cream, and it proved to be a far more effective tool than a spoon!

Café Bustelo

Café Bustelo presents itself as an instant espresso, boasting a medium to dark profile that captures the essence of a true espresso roast. I was genuinely impressed by how reliably the brand delivers quality coffee across different brewing techniques. If you’ve ever sipped on Café Bustelo, you’ll recognize the flavor of this instant version immediately.

The instant coffee appears similar to coarsely ground beans rather than fine powder, making it dissolve effortlessly with minimal stirring. Among instant coffees, it stands out for its robust depth while still maintaining a smooth finish. The distinctive dark espresso kick might be a bit intense for those who prefer a milder cup.

With its bold, luscious flavor, Café Bustelo’s instant coffee holds onto its rich characteristics, even when cream is mixed in. It serves as an excellent foundation for lattes or flavored brews. Given its substantial nature, this instant espresso would also complement a decadent chocolate dessert beautifully.

Nescafé Taster’s Choice

Introduced by Nescafé in the 1930s, Taster’s Choice holds the distinction of being the pioneering freeze-dried instant coffee available to consumers. The innovative process begins with rapidly freezing coffee concentrate at extremely low temperatures.

This frozen concoction is then placed in a vacuum chamber where moisture is extracted, resulting in the familiar coffee granules we know today. While Taster’s Choice is just one of several instant coffee offerings from Nescafé, I opted to spotlight it for this ranking due to its enduring presence in the market.

Having enjoyed Taster’s Choice on numerous occasions, I appreciate its reliable quality, securing it a respectable position on our list.

Taster’s Choice features a light to medium roast profile and emits a subtly faint aroma typical of instant coffee. One sniff instantly brings to mind its instant origins perhaps because it set the bar so high decades ago.

In my opinion, it carries that quintessential instant coffee flavor, which likely stems from its freeze-drying technique. It possesses a slightly stale taste, as if it’s been languishing in a cupboard for some time. Adding cream did mute that signature flavor, yet it still left an impression of a slightly burnt essence.

The granules themselves vary from fine to medium, but this blend has noticeably less powder compared to other brands. Curiously, even after vigorous stirring, I found some undissolved grounds lingering at the bottom of my mug.

Starbucks

Starbucks may be a newcomer in the instant coffee arena, yet it holds its own fairly well, securing a middle spot on our ranking. I fondly remember taking Via packets on camping trips and genuinely enjoying them.

This time around, however, I opted for the tin canister with its convenient pop-top aluminum seal. Upon opening, the aroma struck me as peculiar, hard to pinpoint exactly what was off about it. It’s possible that the odd scent wasn’t from the coffee itself, but rather from the sealing process.

The coffee grounds are incredibly fine, almost like dust, yet they surprisingly struggled to dissolve fully in hot water. Starbucks touts that their instant coffee can mix even in cold water for iced coffee (and with such finely milled grounds, you’d think that would be a breeze), but I found myself battling stubborn clumps even after vigorous stirring.

Maybe a whisk or blender would have been a better match for this task. I went with the dark roast option, but to my taste buds, it leaned more towards a medium roast profile. It has a slight bitterness but is unexpectedly smooth.

The flavor experience is acceptable, however, this isn’t a brand I’d seek out again for instant coffee. That said, I could see it being handy for blended beverages where thorough mixing and additional ingredients come into play.

Juan Valdez

Among the instant coffee contenders we’ve examined, Juan Valdez stands out as one of the rare brands utilizing freeze-drying technology. Notably, it boasts the coarsest granules and the lightest hue compared to its peers in this evaluation.

When I first opened the jar, I was greeted by a pleasant aroma reminiscent of a delicate brew, which raised my expectations. It dissolved effortlessly in hot water (though I gave it a gentle stir just for good measure) and left no stubborn sludge clinging to the bottom of my mug.

My excitement quickly waned upon tasting; it was merely passable, resulting in a less-than-stellar ranking.

The flavor profile of Juan Valdez is caught somewhere between medium and dark, yet it carries a somewhat jarring edge almost reminiscent of earthiness. Adding cream enhances the experience, but a lingering aftertaste suggests the coffee might have seen better days.

While it may not shine as a standalone beverage, it could serve adequately in recipes or blended drinks where other flavors take center stage.

Folgers

Folgers has become synonymous with coffee for many, and it stands out as one of the top brands available at grocery stores for those who prefer their brew black and fresh. But how does its instant offering stack up? Personally, I found it lacking in several ways.

While I appreciate Folgers when it’s brewed traditionally through a drip machine, the instant version left me underwhelmed. It delivers a medium body but carries a slightly burnt aroma and flavor that dragged its ranking down on my list.

Although it leans more toward the taste of freshly brewed coffee rather than your typical instant fare, it simply doesn’t measure up enough to earn a better position.

In terms of texture, the granules fall somewhere between fine and medium nothing extraordinary. They dissolve quite easily with minimal stirring, yet even after a thorough mix, I still noticed some residue settling at the bottom of my cup, not as much as what I experienced with Maxwell House, though.

Interestingly, adding cream improved the flavor somewhat by masking that burnt note, but it wasn’t a miracle fix. This instant coffee might find its niche in recipes or blended drinks where stronger flavors can overshadow its inherent bitterness.

Maxwell House

Upon cracking open the jar of Maxwell House, the initial whiff hit me like a brick wall, definitely not a promising beginning. The aroma was off, reminiscent of something chemical rather than comforting.

The coffee grounds themselves had that classic instant coffee texture: a blend of fine and medium particles that dissolve fairly easily with minimal effort. Yet, no matter how much I stirred, an unfortunate layer of “coffee sludge” stubbornly lingered at the bottom of my cup.

Not the best companion for sipping, to say the least. Sure, you could toss this instant brew into a blended drink, but honestly, there are so many superior options out there that I wouldn’t bother. That first sniff should have clued me in that the flavor wouldn’t impress either. This medium to dark roast tasted more charred than anything else, even when I added cream.

To top it off, there was an unwelcome stale aftertaste that left me wondering if this coffee had been sitting on a shelf for ages before I stumbled upon it. Sorry, Maxwell House, but your promise of being “good to the last drop” fell flat for me; this instant coffee is firmly anchored at the bottom of my list.

Conclusion

The world of instant coffee offers a plethora of options that cater to various tastes and preferences. From rich and bold flavors to smooth and mellow blends, there’s best instant coffee brands out there for everyone.

As you explore these top-rated brands, remember to consider factors such as flavor profile, convenience, and price to find the perfect match for your coffee needs. Whether you’re at home, in the office, or on the go, a great cup of instant coffee can provide that much-needed boost.

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