The best instant coffee brands that we’ve tried from our travels around the world.
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Seven years ago, I went on a month-long ‘coffee fast’ after reading that the only coffee widely available in Santiago Chile was instant coffee. And to be precise, Nescafe instant coffee. It would be hard-pressed to find a specialty coffee shop in the neighborhood where our Airbnb apartment was located. And I wasn’t there for a short vacation. We were on a mission to travel around the world for two years.
I did go on a gruesome coffee free month in hopes of breaking the habit of needing a cup of freshly brewed coffee to start every day.
When I arrived in Santiago, I discovered what I read was half correct that Chileans only drink instant coffee. There were a few coffee shops that sold espresso and the likes with beans from neighboring South American countries. However, for convenience and to save on cost, my daily go-to coffee was Nescafe instant coffee from the local grocery store. My instant coffee experiences went farther than Santiago. In many instances, there was no other choice. It happened in Paraguay, Bolivia, and a few small towns in Peru and Ecuador. Also, in Mongolia, China, New Zealand, and many more during the around the world trip that we took.
Best Instant Coffee Brands
Here are the 6 best instant coffee brands that I’ve tried from my travels around the world. I chose these based on the flavor and the stimulant effect of the caffeine, ones that would wake me up in the morning.
Note: On this list, we’re only showcasing instant black coffee, not flavored instant coffee this time.
1. Douwe Egberts Pure Gold Instant Coffee
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In New Zealand, we stayed with my former roommate’s family in Auckland’s Epsom neighborhood. They aren’t a coffee drinking family, and the only coffee they had were Douwe Egberts Pure Gold instant coffee. I had it black while they usually added milk and sugar. However you like it, Douwe Egberts is worth a try even if you’re a coffee snob. It pleases my friend and her husband, who are both tea drinkers.
Dutch-owned Jacobs Douwe Egberts coffee has been dominating the coffee industry for over 250 years. The company also owns New Zealand brands like Gravity, Jed’s, Moccona, Bell, and Ti Ora.
The company also produces the Jacobs Kronung instant coffee, which I haven’t tried. Let us know if you have.
Douwe Egberts Pure Gold instant coffee is mellow and not overpowered by bitterness. A 12-oz cup was good enough for me to last throughout the day. It’s easily the best coffee for those who don’t want to mess around with grinding coffee and using a coffee machine. The downside of Douwe Egberts is the price. It is more costly than most American instant coffee brands.
2. Starbucks VIA Pike Place
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Starbucks needs no introduction. The Starbucks VIA instant coffee was introduced in 2009 using 100% natural roasted coffee without the addition of chemicals. The company took 20 years to perfect their instant coffee taste.
Try the Starbucks VIA Pike Place, which has a rich nutty flavor and it’s intense. It’s one of the most expensive instant coffees on the market. I’ve dropped a few in my bag before leaving for a trip just in case I couldn’t find good coffee while on the road.
3. Mount Hagen Organic Instant Coffee
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Mount Hagen Organic instant coffee is definitely for you if you only support fair-trade and organic coffee. It’s conveniently packaged with 25 sachets (single-serve sticks) in each box and is easy to bring along for camping or road trips.
I had several cups of Mount Hagen instant coffee in Germany while I was with a friend in Stuttgart. It’s almost the same as Douwe Egberts, not bitter and tastes better than Starbucks’ regular brewed coffee. Mount Hagen organic instant coffee is half the price of Starbucks VIA instant coffee. I needed two cups to get going for the day.
4. Cafe Buen Dia by Juan Valdez Regular Instant Coffee
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The Colombian brand Juan Valdez is hugely popular in Latin American countries. It’s the Starbucks of Latin America. Like Starbucks, the company also makes instant coffee to please the majority that can’t get to the pricey coffee shops every day.
My first taste of Juan Valdez instant coffee was in Cuenca, Ecuador. It has a rich, smooth flavor without a bitter aftertaste, and two cups were needed to wake me up in the morning. It also makes the best iced coffee when milk and sugar are added.
5. Nescafe Clasico Dark Roast
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No list is complete without mentioning the grandfather of all instant coffees – Nescafe by Nestle. Over 60% of instant coffee sold around the world is the Nescafe instant coffee brand. Introduced on April 1, 1938 in Switzerland, this widely known instant coffee brand is sold worldwide – from Santiago Chile and Beijing China to Minsk, Belarus, and La Paz, Bolivia.
The last time I had Nescafe Clasico dark roast was in Santiago, Chile, bought at a Santa Isabel grocery store near the Airbnb apartment I rented. One cup (12 oz) was enough to boost my morning energy. However, most afternoons, I went out for an espresso and empanada at the neighborhood coffee shop.
Under the Nescafe brand, here are a few types of instant coffee you’ll find:
- Nescafe Clásico – medium-dark roast
- Taster’s Choice – light-medium roast
- Taster’s Choice Sticks – light roast
- Nescafe Latte Mocha – 3 in 1 flavored
6. Cafe Bustelo
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Cafe Bustelo is a Latin-inspired espresso instant coffee. It’s one of the many coffee products by the company that has been around for almost 100 years. Cafe Bustelo offers relatively strong coffee if you use two sticks for a 12 oz cup of hot water. It has the strength like Starbucks VIA without the price tag.
It’s great if you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up drink and if you’re traveling and don’t want to use the hotels’ coffee maker.
What is instant coffee?
No expensive tools and coffee machines are needed to prepare instant coffee. All you need is hot water and a mug. To make, just add a tablespoon or two of instant coffee to your mug and add hot water. Voila! Your coffee is ready.
There’s no ground coffee to discard, and no waste. You can add milk and sugar to improve the taste if needed.
Instant coffee is produced in two ways:
- Freeze-dried: Mount Hagen and Douwe Egberts are examples of freeze-dried instant coffee. These are usually granular or crystallized instant coffee. Read about the freeze-drying processes at Douwe Egbert’s website.
- Spray-dried: Nescafe is one example of spray-dried instant coffee. It comes in powder form. Read all about the processes at NestleProfessional.
History of Instant Coffee
The first type of instant coffee, called coffee compound, was introduced in England by John Dring in 1771, followed by David Strang in 1890 (in New Zealand) and a few more inventions in the late 19th century. By the early 20th century, names like James Folger (coffee company owner in San Francisco), Sartori Kato (Japanese chemist in Buffalo), Cyrus Blanke (at Tony Faust’s Cafe, St Louis), and George Washington contributed to the development of instant coffee.
But in 1938, Nestle revolutionized the world of instant coffee when they introduced Nescafe instant coffee. After 80 years, Nescafe still dominates the instant coffee market, but the way it is made has evolved from light coffee powder with fillers, dehydrated coffee, to spray-dried. And today, there are so many more brands to try from around the world as mentioned above.
When instant coffee is the only choice, which one do you go for?
I LOVE Nescafe Black Gold, but I’ve never found it in the US. We found it first in Russia, have heard it’s in England. I’ve found it online, with crazy high shipping.
It’s a smooth, dark instant.