I’m not ashamed to admit that I buy instant coffee — and on my busiest days, I actually prefer it. Once maligned for tasting like brown water, the category’s having a major renaissance, thanks to new brands and brewing tech that capture flavors once reserved for pour‑overs and barista‑made lattes.
And it’s not just me who feels this way. “The biggest [myth] is probably just that you can’t have good-quality coffee if it’s instant,” said Jill Hoff, director of coffee and education at Monogram Coffee, in Calgary, Alberta. As the years progress, more and more good-quality roasters have their coffees available as instant, and the quality is really good.”
Nowadays, instant coffee comes in many forms and in higher quality — you can get frozen coffee pucks, concentrated coffee in a squeeze bottle (which is great for camping), or the classic crystals. But with so many options on the shelf (and online), how do you choose the best one?
HuffPost spoke with baristas to find out what their favorite instant coffees are, and we got their tips on how to choose one when you’re at the grocery store.
The Pantry Staple: Nescafé
Chances are, there’s a half-used jar of Nescafé tucked in the back of your pantry, pulled out when the power goes out or a recipe calls for instant coffee. The OG brand has stood the test of time, and for good reason.
“Nescafé is available everywhere, affordable, and has that classic coffee taste,” said Mason Singer, owner and founder of Inheritance, a specialty coffee company in Pensacola, Florida. “It has been on the shelves of most grocery stores for so long, it’s difficult to think of instant coffee without thinking of Nescafé. Nescafé turned instant coffee into a household product for many. You could say that Nescafé created demand for innovative coffee products rather than responding to it.”
Tommy Chan, the head roaster for Morning Owl Roastery in Ottawa, Canada, feels a little differently about Nescafé: “I think it’s a right of passage to have tried good old Nescafé growing up, but that’s not something I’d ever try again these days.”
The Best On-The-Go: Blue Bottle
Once synonymous with in-the-know California coffee drinkers and their single-origin beans, Blue Bottle has grown into a major business, bought by Nestlé in 2017 (think of it as a specialty version of Nescafé). These single-serve sachets slip easily into your bag and mix straight into a Stanley — shake, sip, and you’ve got a clean-girl potion moment made for Instagram.
“What’s so impressive about Blue Bottle is how they were able to scale specialty coffee to an international level. Their coffees are generally much better quality than Nescafé, but it comes with a hefty price tag,” Singer said.
The Everyday Upgrade: Monogram
When award-winning Canadian roaster Monogram joins the instant coffee space, it’s time to rethink your preconceptions about the drink. “They have a fantastic lineup of regions and anybody would be able to find a taste profile that best suits their style,” Chan said. “Monogram has gotten a following and is well trusted as a roaster. They’ve started venturing into instant coffee, while being at a price point that doesn’t make them seem cheap in quality.”
The Best-Tasting Upgrade: Intelligentsia
Another indie brand that’s gone to the big leagues, Intelligentsia may have started small in Chicago in the early ’90s, but has since grown thanks to funding by Peet’s Coffee & Tea in 2015.
Laila Ghambari, expert barista and coffee consultant, said, “Buy instant coffee from roasters you already love [like Intelligenstia] and trust because they are using coffee you like. I like high-quality specialty lot coffee roasted to highlight the quality and sweetness and these roasters are using their same coffee for instant as you can get whole bean, as well. If you don’t like Starbucks or Folgers coffee, you’re not going to like their instant even more.”
How To Choose An Instant Coffee
Grabbing the most recognizable brand with the prettiest logo is usually how I buy coffee — and while that’s not exactly what the experts recommend, it’s also not entirely wrong. Packaging can hint at what’s inside, but there are smarter ways to decode that aisle.
Chan suggested paying attention to tasting notes, which are often printed on the back of the jar or even built into the design. “The pink flowers on the new summer Starbucks label was my guide to a tropical fruity and floral blend,” he said. In other words, if the label calls out chocolate, citrus or berry flavors, that’s a clue to the profile you’ll get in your cup.
Chan also recommended checking how the coffee is processed: “Always prefer ‘freeze-dried’ over other methods (unless it’s explicitly experimental from a roaster you trust).” Freeze-drying tends to preserve more of the beans’ natural flavors, leading to a cup that tastes closer to freshly brewed.
Finally, think of instant coffee like wine: the more specific the origin, the better. If the package lists a country, region or even a farm, it usually signals greater transparency and higher quality beans — and that care tends to translate into the taste.