Unfortunately, Maxwell House's instant coffee just tastes like "generic brown." After nearly two weeks of caffeine-fueled taste tests by our editors, family, and friends, we rounded up the best brands of instant coffee to make your hassle-free morning brew even better. At a certain point, you have to ask yourself if you’re putting too much effort into making instant coffee and if you should just say "fuck it" and make actual coffee. Though you may need caffeine to get started in the morning, it’s possible you’re drinking too much. The thing about Nescafé is it's supposed to be kinda good, right? For the coffees that I bought from Whole Foods––Ferrara Instant Espresso and Mount Hagen ––I decided to really go for it. How Much Caffeine Is in Instant Coffee? photo courtesy of amazon.com, Credit: It didn't really have much of a taste, but after my experience with Folgers and Maxwell house I was extremely fine with that. oz. The amount of caffeine in Folgers coffee varies greatly. Just add hot water or milk! But also, it costs ten dollars and it calls for boiling water to make the whole thing worth putting in your body. This is a thing that I believe, and I believe it even more now that we know that the Juicero is nothing more than an elaborate device that punctures a bag of fruit pulp. I took elements of the café con leche and iced coffee recipes on the container and decided to make an iced coffee with a bunch of milk in it. There were “notes” underpinning the Ferrara that extended beyond “coffee” and “gross.”This one definitely wins the award for being something someone might actually want to drink without masking its flavor with milk, but I also own a coffee maker so I’d prefer to use my Café Bustelo to make an iced coffee. This is approximately the same amount of time, money, and effort it takes to make a real coffee that tastes similarly fine. Mild. So, I bought six brands of instant coffee––four from Walgreens, two from Whole Foods––and put them to the test. 140 Starbucks VIA House Blend Instant Coffee 1 packet, makes 8 fl. There's honor in that, though I still probably wouldn't drink this unless I'd gotten paid to. That third way is instant coffee, a product that has existed for nearly 140 years and has a reputation of being gross as shit. This is a thing that I believe, and I believe it even more now that we know that the Juicero is nothing more than an elaborate device that punctures a bag of fruit pulp. No forks or spoons required, just easy-to-pick-up party foods, so you can clean up in no time. Instant coffee comes from the same beans as regular coffee but has a much lower caffeine content — 63 milligrams per serving, rather than 92 milligrams. My extremely unscientific taste-test method involved following whatever directions were on the back of the jar, having at least a sip, and hoping it wasn’t too terrible. MyRecipes may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Keurig Coffee K-Cup, all varieties 1 cup, makes 8 fl. This tasted like how that roadside motel where everybody gets murdered in No Country for Old Men probably smelled. Like its name implies, Ferrara Instant Espresso is meant for making espresso, but because I am bad at pouring things I ended up making myself something that was halfway between an espresso shot and a full-on Americano. Unlike the other coffees I'd reviewed so far, Nescafé wasn't trying to be a half-assed simulacrum of coffee—it was just kinda doing its own thing. Never in my life have I had a wet substance in my mouth that also felt dry. Everybody understands the stuggle of getting dinner on the table after a long day. Offers may be subject to change without notice. MyRecipes is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. I topped the thing off with some ice and milk, and voila! It takes like ten minutes and some people (like me until I was 26) are intimidated by the prospect of using a coffee maker. 135 Med-Dark. If you're looking for a simple recipe to simplify your weeknight, you've come to the right place--easy dinners are our specialty. The amount of caffeine in Folgers coffee varies greatly. I made an iced coffee that was slightly better than a McDonald’s iced coffee. Yes, it is good, but its high price renders it not worth actually buying in the way that Ferrara Instant Espresso is. It was so good that I finished the whole thing, despite the fact that I had to drink five more cups of instant coffee over the next hour. But is this reputation unearned? I wanted to find out. 148 Starbucks Doubleshot Energy Coffee, can 15 fl. For an easy supper that you can depend on, we picked out some of our tried-and-true favorites that have gotten us through even the busiest of days. Whether you're cooking for yourself or for a family, these easy dinners are sure to leave everyone satisfied and stress-free. If we weren't, then I wouldn't. Yet, Maxwell House's instant coffee smells exactly like brown sugar. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing people that K-cups aren't just instant coffee in a little vacuum-sealed plastic cup. While it was neither of those things, it was definitely the best thing I tried in my intrepid adventures. Mount Hagen Organic Fair Trade Instant Coffee exists at this crossroads. This is what I was led to believe, mainly because it's name sounds European. There are plenty of reasons to not want to actuallymake real coffee. They’ll all bad, but only one can be the worst. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing people that K-cups aren't just instant coffee in a little vacuum-sealed plastic cup. It is made of soluble and … From chips and dip to one-bite apps, finger foods are the perfect way to kick off a party. This meant actually boiling water in a pot. 75-150 Folgers Classic Roast Instant Coffee 2 tsp., makes 12 fl. Starbucks via Ready Brew Coffee. But, for those of you who don’t want to make your own coffee or buy it at a coffee shop, there is a third way that doesn’t involve dropping $75 on a Keurig. MyRecipes.com is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. Though you may need caffeine to get started in the … 146 Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino venti, 24 fl. Coca-Cola Is Finally Combining Its Two Best Flavors to Create Cherry-Vanilla Coke, Why Thomas Keller Thinks Farm-to-Table Is Absurd, The Best Post-Party Breakfast Spots in Atlanta, According to Local DJs. In addition to having the words organic and fair trade in its name, Mount Hagen claims on its label to be "delicious" and also "perfect." Dark. After two rounds of just pouring warm water from my sink directly into a cup full of instant coffee powder I decided to mix up my water game, this time boiling some water in the microwave to see if it would make my ostensibly sophisticated Nescafé pop. Simply by dint of good product design, Café Bustelo has tricked more hipsters into drinking shitty drip coffee than Starbucks has. Turns out, they should call it "Nescaf-okay," because this stuff is totally OK. It comes in a balanced and nutty flavor. PHOTO COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM, I Tried 6 Instant Coffees and Here’s the Worst One. illustration by lauren kolm, Credit: Medium. I have ranked these instant coffees from best to worst, though the drop-off as the list goes on is enough to give you whiplash. oz. When I added cold water to my Café Bustelo cup, the thing started bubbling over like a middle-school science experiment. oz. With an easy-open flip-top jar, Folgers Classic Roast® Instant Coffee Crystals is the fastest way to get the coffee you crave. I think we can all agree that coffee is not brown sugar. While it tasted slightly better than Ferrara Instant Espresso (see below), it is wayyyyy more expensive. Credit: It was sort of a revelation. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. But is the instant coffee version of the PBR of coffee any better? There are plenty of reasons to not want to actuallymake real coffee.