Considering that the bar is pretty low for instant coffee, we were surprised to find how much of a difference there was between each brand—some smelled and tasted pretty close to freshly brewed coffee, with subtle notes of chocolate or fruit, but others reeked of burnt rubber and tasted bitter, sour, or flat. Here are our favorites. These single-serve packets of instant coffee made one of the most nuanced, fresh-tasting cups we tried. The Canyon Instant Coffee tasted the most like freshly brewed coffee, and it was one of the most nuanced cups we drank.
The bottom line: a very drinkable cup. You may be able to find it elsewhere online for a bit more money, but if not, consider one of our other favorites. We found this instant coffee to be mild, a touch malty, and overall totally serviceable. The Verve Instant Coffee had a very mild aroma that was a touch malty and papery, with a pleasant roasted scent. We found it a bit more sour than the Canyon coffee, and we picked up a slight berry or citrus zing. This instant coffee has a decent body and pretty generic flavor, and unlike our other picks, you can buy it in a jar as well as in single-serve packets.
We all agreed that the flavor came out more as the coffee sat for a minute or two. Mount Hagen also sells this coffee in a larger, 3. With a smooth, rich bitterness and notes of blackberry, the Blue Bottle Craft Instant Espresso is very drinkable.
The Blue Bottle Craft Instant Espresso has good depth of flavor for an instant coffee, with an appropriate level of bitterness for an imitation espresso. Made into an iced latte, it was one of our favorite iced instant coffees, as the bitterness grounds the flavor of the coffee amid the milk, with some nuttiness and depth still coming through.
This is a bold coffee with rich flavor, only a slight bitterness, and a good bit of tartness. It tastes predominantly of blackberry jam and has some deep roasty notes. Although Swift Coffee Mainstay made one of the larger volumes of the instant coffees we tested 10 ounces , it was still a notably strong cup of coffee. Our tasters found that it tasted like blackberry jam, and considered it to have an authentic coffee flavor. It tastes just as good iced, and the addition of milk brings some sweetness to it without overwhelming the roastiness of the coffee.
