I Tried 10 Instant Coffee Brands & the Best Was Light, Smooth and Slightly Nutty

With its energizing effects, coffee is an essential part of the morning routine for many people worldwide, and there are numerous ways to craft the perfect cup. One of the quickest and most convenient ways came about through the creation of instant coffee.

Shortcuts to traditional percolating have been around for centuries, but instant coffee as you know it can be traced back to 1890, when New Zealander David Stang developed a soluble instant coffee through his patented "dry hot air" process, according to Tasting Table. A couple of decades later, it hit the market, and by World War I, instant coffee had become what it is today. Essentially, the instant coffee you can buy at the grocery store is made from brewed coffee grounds that are dehydrated before being packaged. Since the coffee is already brewed, all you need to do is add water, and presto—"instant" coffee.

Despite its ease and afforability, instant coffee has gotten a bad rap over the years. Critics often complain about the low-caffeine content and questionable flavor. Frankly, many enthusiasts consider it a less-than-ideal cup of joe. But the product has many uses beyond just sipping. It can be useful for baking, flavoring homemade coffee ice cream, and more. There's also no question that it's a convenient way to make a quick cup of coffee–though it has some serious competition these days with the advent of single-cup coffee makers.

So, when it came time to put instant coffee brands to a taste test, I'll admit, I was a little apprehensive. Would all 10 of these brands amount to the 10 worst cups of coffee I've ever had? As it turns out, there's not much to be afraid of if what you're looking for is a standard cup of coffee. It's far from the freshly brewed coffee you can find at a local coffee shop, but the flavor profiles are there.

Here are 10 popular instant coffee brands, ranked from my least favorite to the overall best.

Maxwell House

"Good to the last drop" is a slogan that coffee enthusiasts have associated with Maxwell House for years. An eight-ounce container of the brand's medium-roast instant coffee cost me $7.99. The instructions say to stir one teaspoon of coffee for every six fluid ounces of boiling water.

The look: Out of the packaging, I noticed a medium to dark brown instant coffee resembling the chocolate cookie crunch pieces from an ice cream cake. The coffee dissolved easily in a cup of hot water. Once the coffee settled after stirring, I noticed a dark brown color in the drink, with some foaming around the edge of the cup.

The taste: Upon first sip, I thought this would be a solid middle-of-the-road option. However, I found the back end of this coffee quite bitter, so I didn't want to go back for more. Aside from the bitterness, there was no distinguishable flavor that would redeem this or rank it any higher than the other coffees in this roundup. There is a market for coffee drinkers who prefer a bitter brew, but other coffees in this taste test simply do bitterness better.

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Folgers Classic Roast

If there ever were a coffee brand that would ensure its customers could find an instant product, it would have to be Folgers. The company has been a part of America's morning routine for decades, with products that have stood the test of time, even despite the rise in national coffee chains and competition at the grocery store. Folgers Classic Roast instant coffee cost me $4.29 for a 3-ounce container.

The look: Folgers Classic Roast instant coffee is dark brown in appearance out of the packaging. It is finer than some of the other coffees in this roundup like Bustelo, but not quite as fine as others like Starbucks. After I stirred it in the hot water and the coffee dissolved, I noticed a rather dark brown hue with no foam around the edge.

The taste: The instructions on the packaging say to stir one rounded teaspoon of coffee for every six fluid ounces of hot water. I found this ratio slightly off, as the coffee seemed more watered down than the others in this roundup. That said, this coffee was smoother and had a relatively mild flavor, likely partly due to its watery nature. If you add less water or more instant coffee to balance out the watery flavor, this could turn out to be a more well-balanced cup that most coffee drinkers would find not too bold.

Great Value Classic Roast

Great Value took home the gold in my K-Cup tasting roundup, so I went into this instant coffee experiment cautiously optimistic for the Walmart store brand. An 8-ounce container of instant coffee cost me $5.42. If you stick to the container's 120-cup serving suggestion, that breaks down to less than five cents per cup of coffee.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The look: Like other instant coffees in this roundup, Great Value Classic Roast has that dark brown, chocolate crumble-esque appearance. It quickly dissolved into a cup of hot water. Once fully dissolved and stirred, I saw a dark brown cup of coffee with no foam around the edge.

The taste: I needed to take a few sips of the Great Value Classic Roast to discern any flavor. The big takeaway was the smoothness, which I picked up on immediately. It fits the expectation of a medium roast, and compared to the other instant coffees, I found this to be a very middle-of-the-road option. It is not too bold, but not so light of a coffee, either. It would likely blend well with sweeteners or flavors, but it will get the job done as a standard cup of black coffee or coffee with cream.

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Nescafé Clasico

Nescafé has two instant coffee product lines: Clásico and Taster's Choice. The Clásico product comes in a deceptively sizable six-ounce glass container, which cost me $7.29. The packaging says it can make up to 85 cups of coffee, which is just under nine cents per cup.

The look: The Nescafé Clásico instant coffee is medium reddish-brown in hue, slightly lighter in color than the instant coffee found in Bustelo or Folgers. Stirring it in with the hot water, the coffee easily dissolved. The cup of black coffee I created was dark brown in color and had no foam around the edge.

The taste: I didn't detect any distinguishable aroma while sipping on this coffee, and I found the flavor to be pleasant and mild overall. This tasted good as a cup of black coffee, which I did not find to be the case with many of the coffees on this roundup. Once I added cream, I found that it lost a bit of its smooth profile. I would imagine a majority of coffee drinkers would prefer to add cream, so that's something to keep in mind.

Ferrara Instant Espresso

Ferrara Instant Espresso has different instructions from the other coffees. It calls for one rounded teaspoon for every three ounces of boiling water, while most other coffees call for one teaspoon per six ounces of water. With a 1:3 ratio versus 1:6, I was a little worried about how intense this would come out, especially considering it's an instant espresso, which already comes with an added dose of boldness. It's also a pricier option, at $5.99 for a 2-ounce container.

The look: This instant coffee has a dark coloring and is grounded more finely than most other instant coffees. It's not the finest blend, but I found that it dissolved quickly once I began stirring. After stirring, I noticed a rather dark cup of black coffee, perhaps because I had to double the instant coffee from most other cups. There was also no foam.

The taste: It is definitely on the bolder side of the scale, but I found this instant espresso to be rather smooth. It comes with a distinct espresso flavor, so if you enjoy that, this could be an ideal pick for you at the grocery store. It is also on the bitter side with an added dose of tartness. If you want a decent instant coffee that works as a hot and iced beverage, this may not check off all your boxes.

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365 Instant Coffee

Whole Foods has its own store-brand 365 Instant Coffee, running $8.69 for a 3.5-ounce container. For a cup of hot coffee, the package says to stir one heaping teaspoon per cup of boiling water. Also, as a side note, I found that you don't have to boil water when the instructions say to. If you don't have a tea kettle, it can be cumbersome to boil water, and having a hot cup of water from the microwave or single-cup coffee machine works perfectly fine.

The look: Despite this being considered a medium-dark roast, the dry instant coffee's coloring was among the lightest. It is very light brown, appearing more like milk chocolate than dark chocolate. These dried instant coffee pieces were also noticeably larger than the other brands, looking almost like tiny pieces of gravel instead of coarse coffee grounds. When I stirred it into the hot water, I had a cup of dark brown coffee with minimal foam at the top.

The taste: The packaging advertises this instant coffee as a medium-to-dark blend, which matched what I experienced when tasting it. It's rather bold, and I noticed a bitterness immediately upon sipping. While the bitterness does not linger, it is definitely the biggest takeaway with this roast. I found this instant coffee to be the most approachable among the darker, more bitter options.

Starbucks Premium Instant Dark Roast

Starbucks continues to be an omnipresent brand in the coffee industry by ensuring there's a product for you, no matter how you prefer to enjoy your coffee. A container of the brand's Premium Instant Dark Roast cost me $9.99 for just over 3 ounces of instant coffee. The tin says it provides up to 35 cups of coffee, which is just under 29 cents per cup. It's one of the pricier options, but then again, it's Starbucks.

The look: The Starbucks Premium Instant coffee resembles finely ground coffee when you take it out of its container. Its dark brown coloring also resembled that of a dark roast. If you were to show me this instant coffee by itself, I could easily mistake it for fresh coffee by its appearance alone. Once stirred into a cup of hot water, I noticed a traditionally dark brown cup of black coffee emerge with no foam around the edge. After I added cream, I did spot a few (and I mean truly just two or three) pieces of floating debris from the instant coffee that did not totally dissolve.

The taste: The packaging advertises this blend as "Bold and Chocolaty," which I tend to agree with. The notes of chocolate were apparent from the moment I opened the container and got a whiff of the instant coffee's aroma. The chocolate flavor was very pronounced when trying the coffee. I noticed a less smooth and more bitter mouthfeel, especially on the backend. It's certainly a better option if you like a bold cup of coffee, but the chocolate might be off-putting for some.

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Café Bustelo Espresso Instant Coffee

You can spot Café Bustelo's signature yellow label about a mile away in the coffee aisle. The brand's Espresso Instant Coffee costs me $7.39 for a seven-ounce container. Instructions on the container say to stir one teaspoon of instant coffee for every six fluid ounces of hot water.

The look: The color of the instant coffee grounds is dark brown in appearance, almost like those chocolate cookie crumbles you see on an ice cream cake. Stirring it into hot water, I noticed it took a few extra stirs to dissolve completely. The end result was a dark brown cup of black coffee with no foam around the edge.

The taste: Because Café Bustelo is technically instant espresso and not coffee, I was expecting a more pronounced flavor. That is precisely what I got. It falls in that happy medium of boldness and a slightly sour mouthfeel but still smooth. I also noticed a slightly more pronounced nutty flavor immediately upon sipping. If you are looking specifically for an instant espresso, this is a solid option, but the bolder espresso flavor might not be for everyone.

Illy Classico

Illy is the brand of choice for many hotels and coffee shops nationwide, which is a good endorsement considering the many options on the market. For instant coffee, Illy claims its product is "mild and balanced" with a slightly more pronounced intensity. The 3.3-ounce can of instant coffee costs $10.20, on the pricier side compared to other coffees in this roundup.

The look: Illy Classico Instant Coffee is light brown and closer to resembling the Whole Foods 365 blend. The instructions are vague: stir one or two teaspoons of coffee into a cup of hot water. I suppose coffee enthusiasts will know what to do with that information, depending on how bold you want your drink to be. When I stirred it into the hot water, it instantly dissolved, producing a cup of dark brown coffee with no foam around the edge.

The taste: I found this instant coffee to fit its description perfectly: mild and balanced. It was smooth with no bitterness on the back end, and I found it to be just the right touch of boldness that won't offend any coffee drinkers who prefer light or medium roasts. If you like a profoundly intense cup of coffee, this probably won't suit you, but neither will most of the instant coffees in this roundup. This was one of the few coffees I readily returned to for multiple sips.

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Nescafé Taster's Choice House Blend

In addition to its Classico instant coffee, Nescafé sells a Taster's Choice House Blend line. These two products use a different blend of coffee beans, and the process for making them is different, too, with Taster's Choice being a freeze-dried product. I appreciate an instant coffee option that offers customers individual packets, with no measuring necessary. The cost was $3.79 for a box of 18 individual packets, which comes out to 21 cents per cup of coffee.

The look: The instant coffee "grounds" are larger than your typical coarse coffee grounds, more akin to small pieces of gravel. They're also a slightly lighter brown, similar to milk chocolate, which I expected from the Light to Medium roast profile the box advertises. Once I stirred the coffee with eight ounces of hot water, however, I was surprised to see how dark the coffee turned out. It appeared to be dark black coffee, with a bit of foam around the edge.

The taste: This was an extremely approachable cup of coffee. It's a Light to Medium blend, which many coffee drinkers will find ideal. It was light, not bold, and quite smooth to drink. I picked up a slight nutty flavor, but it wasn't strong enough to be the only thing I was thinking about while drinking this coffee. I also noticed nothing on the backend, and no bitterness was detected. Overall, this is a solid cup of coffee if you want to go the instant route, especially if you aren't into super bold blends.

Ultimately, I chose Taster's Choice as my top pick because of its approachable taste and texture. Instant coffee is not going to be everyone's preferred method of enjoying their morning cup of joe, but when you're in a pinch, I could see several of the brands in this roundup making their way into my pantry. The Taster's Choice, above the others, provided a pleasant flavor that wasn't too aggressive, easily allowing for adding whatever flavors or sweeteners you want. If you want an instant espresso option, you can't go wrong with Bustelo.