Best Instant Coffee Brands

Reviewed by Urban Bean Coffee Team

on August 6, 2021

25

Products Considered

185

Hours of Research

17

Experts Interviewed

58

Customers Consulted

The best instant coffee listed below has been selected by Urban Bean Coffee because of its exceptional taste, variety, and experience of customers.

Are you looking for instant coffee reviews or just want to buy instant coffee?

You are in the right place.

Instant coffee. A drink that can be prepared very quickly. You do not need to spend a lot of time grinding, brewing, and cooking - you need to pour a couple of spoons and pour hot water over them. Voila - and the coffee is ready.

Convenient, isn't it? I think so too. You can make a drink very quickly, and go about your business.

But I know that choosing the best instant coffee can be difficult. Just for the reason that currently there are so many very different varieties.

I helped you and collected really the best kinds of this drink. This list includes both well-known instant coffee brands and smaller manufacturers.

Well, let's get started.


OUR TOP PICK

Strong Coffee Company

Strong Instant Coffee Company

"An excellent choice for those who are stressed or just feel overwhelmed in the morning. The taste is comparable to freshly brewed ground coffee."


BEST DECAF PICK

Equator Coffees

Equator Decaf Instant Coffee

"Designed for those who love coffee but have to limit their caffeine intake."


BEST ORGANIC PICK

Mount Hagen

Mount Hagen Organicc Instant Coffee

"Organic decaffeinated coffee that is ideal for vegetarians. Or maybe you just want the most natural product? Then you fit Mount Hagen instant coffee."


Best Instant Coffee Brands

Therefore, it’s hard to choose only the best instant coffee from the market. Everyone has different reasons for buying good instant coffee. To help make your choice easier, we have organized the best instant coffee brands by value for money. Here are the Urban Bean Coffee’s top 10 best instant coffee 2021:

1. Strong Coffee Company – Best Instant Coffee

This organic instant coffee is a great way to start your day—and not just because of its delicious flavor and vanilla notes.

This company is called Strong Coffee for a reason. They specifically created this instant coffee for those who feel overwhelmed in the morning or who are subject to increased mental and physical stress.

The coffee contains additives such as protein, L-theanine, C8-C10 MTC oil, and others. A complete list of supplements is available on their official website. All are aimed at increasing mental and physical stamina.

Only high-quality Arabica beans from Colombia are used for this instant coffee. Colombian coffee is renowned for its great quality and the country’s tight control over coffee exports.

2. Equator Coffees – Best Decaf Instant Coffee

Finding delicious instant coffee is difficult, and finding delicious decaf instant coffee is even more so. But we did it. Equator Coffees’s specialty instant coffee has been decaffeinated by the Swiss Water Process and has sweet and spicy flavors.

The Swiss Water Process is complex and expensive, but it is the most environmentally friendly way to decaffeinate coffee.

The method allows you to remove 99.9% of the caffeine from the beans while retaining all flavoring properties. The coffee maintains a high-quality taste, and no chemicals remain in the beans.

The beans for this instant coffee are grown in Colombia, a country with strict laws that regulate coffee production.

3. Starbucks VIA Best Instant Coffee – Best Tasting Instant Coffee Brand

[img_block amz_url=”https://www.amazon.com/Starbucks-Instant-Italian-Coffee-packets/dp/B009NKX7N0/?tag=hdcurbnbn-20″ img_url=”https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81335EGi5EL.jpg” prod_name=”Starbucks VIA Instant”]

Are you ready for the best instant coffee review? Starbucks is here again.

I think you don’t need to say that Starbucks is one of the leaders in the best instant coffee industry. And this is not surprising – each bean is carefully selected before packaging. Before releasing the finished product, the manufacturer brings it to the ideal. As a result, you get the most balanced, tasty, aromatic and healthy coffee that you can have in a cup.

Beans for the future of the drink – this is the best 100% Arabica coffee. Robusta, which is known for its bitterness, is hardly added to the company’s products. Therefore, the taste of these best coffee beans has a sweet hue. You will really like it. If we take into account the fact that the product passes the quality examination, does not contain gluten and other impurities, and is also selected from various countries, then the output is a completely unique formula that gives an indescribable feeling.

Hazelnut and chocolate notes add extra points to this drink. You can take it with you on a trip through the mountains, as it can be called the best instant coffee for backpacking. Add the fact that the preparation of your cup will take no more than 15 seconds – you get the most top-grade instant coffee on the market. Therefore, this product ranks first on our list.

4. Waka Instant Coffee Best Overall Instant Coffee – Strongest Instant Coffee for Dalgona Coffee

How to preserve the taste and aroma of coffee? Waka knows exactly how to do this right! 

Thanks to freeze-dried technology, the best instant coffee infuses its original taste with citrus notes. It has a rich balanced taste, but without acidic tones compare to some types of instant coffee. All beans are 100% arabica.

Are you environmentally conscious? Then this product is for you. The packaging is made of foil-lined kraft paper. But that is not all…it uses a resealable zipper that keeps products fresh for as long as possible. You can take this instant coffee with you on a camping trip or brew it at work.

Further, the advantages include the fact that Waka coffee beans quickly dissolve in a mug without a trace and you can brew it in both hot and cold water. When brewed properly, you have enough for 80 cups of coffee. This is very economical when you consider the price of the coffee. 

Another reason you should choose Waka is that 4% of its profits go to financing clean water initiatives in 26 countries under the Add Water, Give Water program. If you still don’t believe in the quality of this best instant coffee, you can read reviews by leading brands such as Business Insider, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and others. Each of them has welcomed the taste of this coffee and now you can too!

5. Mount Hagen Best Organic Instant Coffee – Best Organic Instant Coffee

Organic decaffeinated coffee is ideal for vegetarians. Or maybe you just want the most natural product? Then you fit Mount Hagen instant coffee.

Beans are selected the only premium, they are selected by size and quality. Organic processing methods allow you to achieve a delicate and pleasant taste with the preservation of natural supplements that are beneficial to health. This product is ideal for those who are looking for the most natural coffee, while not wanting to feel bitterness in the mouth – the product is made only from Arabica beans.

Soft roasting, as well as the use of carbon dioxide, give a very delicious coffee that will be useful to students, pregnant women and people leading a healthy lifestyle.

6. Starbucks Breakfast Blend – Good Instant Coffee for Iced Coffee

Starbucks is known for producing a wide variety of varieties for a wide range of consumers. They even have the best coffee designed specifically for breakfast. It is with this type of product that I will introduce you.

Citrus notes in the drink, combined with high-quality caffeine will help you wake up all day. At the same time, this coffee is instant, and you will spend a minimum of time on its preparation. It is enough to pour the powder into the cup, pour hot water, and just enjoy it.

Long-term experiments with various taste profiles have allowed achieving a really cool composition. Gorgeous, rich aroma combined with light nutty shades. The beans harvested from Sumatra have a special coffee flavor that you will not confuse with anything else. You will immediately realize that this is a gourmet instant coffee – it is no coincidence that it is so popular all over the world.

I think that for those who drink coffee in the morning, this best instant coffee will suit just the perfect way.

7. Nescafe – Gourmet Instant Coffee for Breakfast

I think that each of you at least once in your life heard about Nescafe? I would not be surprised because the company makes really good stuff. And that’s why.

The special technology of roasting, which is stored in a strict secret, allows you to process the bean in a very soft way. At the same time, this product has very good taste properties, which can usually be obtained only with intensive cooking methods.

This best instant coffee is produced in a glass jar, which is several times better preserves not only its aroma but also useful substances. Therefore, the drink turns out the highest quality, while inexpensive. This feature makes the product incredibly popular. Add the fact that it uses 100% Arabica. Not by chance, these coffee cans are used by every third American.

In fact, everything has been said for us. I can only advise you this instant coffee as a really good product for a morning cup of instant coffee.

8. Mount Hagen – Best Instant Coffee Powder On a Budget

If you are looking for something budget, and do not want to spend big money on the best instant coffee, I advise you to draw your attention to the best brand of instant coffee, which is called Mount Hagen. It is not much different in taste from the famous and large manufacturers – but it costs 3 times cheaper. You will not have to overpay for the brand, while the coffee is quite tasty and strong.

This type of drink is made in such a way that you can successfully dissolve it even in cold water. Special cooking technology gives you great advantages over other varieties. You can also successfully mix the product even with cold milk – everything will be very good in your mouth. This is the best freeze dried instant coffee you have tried because the acidity of the drink is very balanced, and the taste has a hint of chocolate.

For those who save their money, as well as not for the most demanding customers, this coffee will be a good option for all occasions.

9. Maxim Mocha Gold Mild – Best Instant Coffee for Using With Milk

This is an extremely convenient thing.

The best instant coffee has a very bright milky coffee flavor. You also do not need to pour milk into the cup! The complete victory of the manufacturer. The really cool solution, this coffee bag will be ideal for those who do not like to think about excess. Just opened, poured, and sweet coffee with milk all day is ready! I think this is a great product.

10. G7 Instant – Best Instant Coffee for Camping

Do you need a versatile coffee for traveling, home or work? Then the G7 Vietnamese brand will suit you.

It should be noted that there are 3 things in one bag at once. This is the instant coffee for backpacking with creamer and sugar. I think that everyone wants to pour not a simple espresso into the cup, but already a ready and unrealistically tasty product. Add to this the fact that it is not just a drink from the best coffee makers, but an instant look that will be ready in 10 seconds. Still, the main advantage of this product is versatility. No more thinking about the fact that instant premium Vietnamese should be mixed with other ingredients – the manufacturer has already done everything for you. It remains only to enjoy the cool engineering thought.

This best instant coffee contains ground coffee beans from Vietnam at the base – the special climate of this country adds extra points to the final taste. Grains are carefully selected before they get to the store shelves. Therefore, I can safely recommend this drink to anyone who wants to benefit from a cup of coffee.

Instant Coffee

How to Choose the Best Instant Coffee Brand

Country of Origin

There are quite a lot of countries where coffee is grown for instant coffee. However, not all of them are used by most global manufacturers to export their products.

In the countries of South America at the moment make half of the entire world coffee market. Brazilian Arabica coffee is the most popular and cheap, so countries are focused on the production of this particular type of beans. Arabica is the basis for an instant drink, so pay attention to this country.

If we consider Asia, then Indonesia and Vietnam now account for about 23% of the world market. Robusta, which is much cheaper than Arabica, and therefore more popular among exporters, make up the majority of the cultivated coffee beans in these places.

African countries do not occupy a leading position in the export of beans for instant coffee, although in fact, Africa is the birthplace of this drink. All because of the poverty of the continent. Here you can select only one country – Cote d’Ivoire. If we talk about varieties that are grown in Africa, we can note a huge percentage of Arabica. Robusta on this continent is almost not made.

Making the right choice is difficult if there is no knowledge of the quality of the raw materials brought from different points of the world. Therefore, carefully read the reviews on Amazon to buy only the best.

If everything is clear with the countries, what sort of coffee should be grown for the future? About this below.

Types of Instant Coffee

Instant coffee is of the following types:

  • Spray Drying Instant Coffee. This is a fairly common type of instant coffee. It is made by the method of drying-spraying. Roasted, chopped kernels are carefully treated under running hot water. Next, the infusion is filtered by spraying the extract in special chambers. This coffee is widely used in cooking as an additive to the dough or cream.

  • Granulated coffee. Make this type of coffee in the same way as the previous one. Only in the granulated type of coffee add coffee oil.

  • Freeze Drying Instant Coffee. This is a rather expensive kind of coffee. The basis is the process of drying the frozen product. This production method allows you to get the product that is closest to natural.

  • Liquid coffee. Tchibo is the inventor of this type of instant coffees, which was introduced in 2008. In simple terms, it is a liquid, volatile coffee mass, which consists of 100% coffee extract – it contains no preservatives, as well as other additives. The product after production is instantly frozen so that all components and taste properties are fully preserved. This type of drink will soon begin to increase its position in the market, so we advise you to pay attention to it.

After this stage, the coffee is packaged and sent to the market.

Decaf or Non-Decaf

Questions that may arise immediately: why get such a coffee, what does it look like, for whom such coffee is suitable, and is there any difference compared to ordinary coffee? Let’s get a look.

Decaf coffee, in other words, a decaffeinated drink, is ordinary coffee, which takes on an additional treatment process to remove caffeine. However, none of the modern technologies that are used today, will give you to get rid of caffeine by 100%. All the same, often the caffeine substance will remain. If you want to preserve the coffee taste, then you should not be afraid of anything at all. The minimum caffeine concentration can usually be 0.1% (in most European countries it is the standard). The amount of caffeine in a normal serving of a drink will not be 100 milligrams, but only 4. In this case, coffee can be called “decaf.”

Is such a drink interesting to most? I think not. Who can he approach?

  1. Those people who, because of diets or for health reasons, cannot use a regular coffee drink.
  2. Those who fall asleep after the usual coffee, but like to drink a cup of drink at night.

Organic or Non-Organic

Trees for organic coffee beans differ from others in that they are grown without the addition of chemical additives. Also, the areas for trees themselves are not treated with pesticides. As a result, you get in your packets of bean, which were grown and produced in the most natural way, without the intervention of synthetic chemistry.

Now the majority of companies care, above all, about the health of their customers. Therefore, it should be understood that in modern society at the moment there is a trend according to which every gourmet wants to have a cup with a healthy product on the table. You simply develop a habit of caffeine, which does not harm the body. Also in favor of a healthy product, you can add the fact that good organic beans have a more pronounced invigorating effect. And I think that’s cool.

If it is simpler to say, then you will need one spoon of such coffee for three days, while one spoon of inorganic beans would be enough for a day.

But here it is necessary to note that there is a restriction: you can drink no more than 2 cups a day.

Instant Coffee technology

First, you need to tell how best instant coffee brands make their products.

The general sequence of actions:

  1. Growing and harvesting certain types of beans.
  2. The process of cooking beans for roasting.
  3. Roasting and removal of the excess pulp.
  4. The process of making instant coffee from the obtained beans.

What Is Instant Coffee?

The best instant coffee known to all of us is a powder mass or granules, obtained from a fairly rich extract of natural coffee in various ways. Soluble drink was invented more than a hundred years ago, but now it is competing with coffee beans, primarily due to its convenience and speed of preparation.

As a rule, after one time boiling water treatment, the composition of the coffee mass loses some of its flavors. To maintain the taste qualities, either natural coffee oils or synthetic components are added to the composition. Today, the so-called "organic" coffee, which does not contain any synthetic additives, is quite famous. But its price, respectively, is quite high.

After you know what instant coffee is, let's see how it is made.

FAQ

How is the best instant coffee different from regular coffee?

Instant coffee and regular ground coffee differ in production method, taste, aroma, nutrient content, and caffeine content. The main advantages of instant coffee in relation to ground coffee are the speed of preparation and much longer shelf life.

Can instant coffee taste good?

It all depends on what you compare it with. Coffee snobs will say that instant coffee, by definition, cannot be good. However, you can find truly worthy options. Today, there are many brands that produce very high-quality and expensive instant coffee. These coffees retain the beneficial properties of natural beans, and the taste of this drink is similar to regular coffee.

How to brew instant coffee?

You need to pour a spoonful of coffee with hot water and wait about 20 seconds. The drink will be ready. However, there is one subtlety. If you pour dry coffee with hot water, it will lose a significant part of its original taste. Therefore, there is a way out. First, you need to pour some cold water, and then pour a spoonful of coffee there. Stir the resulting mass so that no precipitate is left. And after that, you have to pour hot water. This way you can keep the maximum flavor and taste.