Supermarket Instant Coffee - Which One Tastes Best?

Wearing a white shirt while slurping coffee out of a spoon nearly 70 times is honestly a *very* impressive flex.

Growing up in Afghanistan, we could only find the nescafe brand. Growing up I would only drink coffee during school exams time as coffee would help stay up late for studying. Always thought that the instant coffee was the coffee. I never liked the taste, but I had to take. After the 2001 when the American came to Afghanistan, I started working for an American company. I remember my boss, who was an American, had set up a little table for brewing espresso for himself in his office. There were no fresh beans in Kabul, he had a big can of the typical superstore pre ground coffee. One day he offered me a cup, for the first time I enjoyed coffee. Now when I taste freshly roasted beans that are freshly ground, I can’t belief the difference. I haven’t had instant coffee for the last 17 years.

James constantly proves how much of a coffee genius he is, but calling out the Ethiopian out of a potential 38 is pretty crazy

I took my elderly father somewhere and on the way back, we stopped for a snack at one of the chains. I got us two lattes, both a fairly unremarkable medium roast Columbian bean. He took one sip and said that it didn't taste anything like coffee and asked for a cup of tea instead. It turned out that he had been drinking Nescafe for 45 years and had no idea what actual coffee tasted like.

James has some seriously impressive taste buds for coffee. Imagine being able to tell that an instant coffee comes from ethiopia from a list of 32 coffees.

Any test of instant coffee should include powdered artificial creamer for the full real-world experience.
For what it’s worth, the worst I’ve ever had was from a malfunctioning vending machine that added bad instant tea to the coffee.
If you can find a partner with freeze-drying equipment, it would be interesting to see if you can make a better instant coffee.

I was born in Italy, where espresso is the only coffee. While working from home, I started drinking instant coffee for convenience and for months I've been drinking Nescafè with sugar. Then I watched this video and I tried the winner. OMG. It's so pleasant and I can have it with no sugar with no problems. Still, it is said in the video that instant is rubbish coffee regardless. I think this also means that outside espresso, I have never tried real coffee. I don't think the coffee I get from the high-street chains is as good as this coffee. I have to find a proper coffee shop now :)

I work in the cacao industry, and your intro was such a brilliant way of highlighting the issues with (at least in the UK) our attitude to the price of things like coffee and chocolate. Enjoyed the video! I do always have instant in the house- I find it nostalgicly comforting, rather than enjoyable. However maybe in light of that intro, I should move away from it.

As an ice cream maker, instant, particularly a delicious instant, is what I need. I’d even like to use a freeze dryer to make my own. For my purposes, I kinda want overbrewed, heavily bitter coffee. But then, I really want it to be the most pleasant version of bitter, too.

"A little bit of ashtray at the end." is about the most apt description I've ever heard to describe at least half of all instants I've ever been unfortunate enough to try.

My wife helped me with a blind tasting that spanned a few days and 20 cups of instant coffee of five different types. Little's Colombian was the clear winner there as well. Fun coincidence, given that I only had five contestants and Little's happened to be one of the brands my supermarket carried.

I oftentimes find myself coming back to this video for one distinct moment, and that's at 8:10 - when he manages to guess correctly that the coffee is Ethiopian. The cafe that I work at was the first specialty coffee shop I had ever been to, and we specialize in Ethiopian coffee. As a result, I have a pretty deep respect and love for the coffees which come out of the country, particularly how wonderfully complex and interesting they are (so very floral). The fact that James is able to guess - out of all the coffees he is tasting (with very similar taste profiles) - the exact country of origin of this one coffee speaks volumes to me about the amount of knowledge he has on the subject. I also think that it speaks volumes about the coffee coming out of Ethiopia, which I happen to think is some of the best in the world.
Something about that moment just resonates with me in a deep way. Thank you James for what you've done for the coffee industry and for sharing your expansive knowledge with us.

Like many I used to drink instant sometimes but didn't really like it. There's only one I actually ever found passable, it was Kenco Peruvian and naturally, was discontinued.
I absolutely cannot stand instant any more and hate how inconsistent commonly roasted coffee beans are, which I think is down to how fresh they are. If they were roasted recently, they usually taste okay but if its been a few months (god forbid, some claim a best before of a year since roasting) then it starts to bitter.
Last year I tried a local roastery and my goodness the difference. Unfortunately all their coffees are a bit too sweet for my liking so I'm still on a search for somewhere that roasts to order a bean that suits my tastes. Its made more complicated by the fact the other person in the house has a completely opposite preference, so trying to find some middle ground.

In Sweden, we don't call it coffee. If a dinner guest asks for coffee and you only have instant, you say, - I'm sorry we don't have coffee, only instant.

I really do appreciate a good coffee
but there's something special about going back to where it all started, sat at a desk at 3am drinking a mug of the cheapest black instant coffee 5 tablespoons worth because I had no idea how to make it and thought "its gotta be similar to Ovaltine"

I grew up with Classic Nescafé with boiling hot milk. It tastes very well when accompanying authentic Mexican "sweet bread" ("pan dulce") in the morning and right before going to bed: half a teaspoon of it with boiling hot milk per cup. It does have caffeine.

Your videos are super detailed and honest. Kudos! I live in Brazil, I’m 60, and the generation of my parents was the last to brew coffee manually at home, I think, mostly. The traditional coffee here was ground coffee brewed through a cloth filter. Brazilian coffee is not watered down as in America, but espresso was introduced to my generation, specially home espresso machines. I loved the cloth filtered coffee my aunt made and kept on a Thermos, for God’s sake. I once bought an espresso machine and brought a coffee grinder from a US trip. Whole beans ground at home never seemed specially good. Perhaps always dark roasts. I’ m probably herectic, but I never really liked espresso, I find it too strong in terms of taste and effects on my gastric reflux, lol. I never liked paper filterd coffee because most of the ground coffees we have are very dark, so I found every coffee except my aunt’s and perhaps espresso in Italy too strong and bitter. I like sweetness in a coffee, and I only discovered it in, of all places, Nescafe Gold Colombia, a revelation to me. Never sold here, it just appeared in supermarkets, made in France by Nestlé. I like the convenience of Dolce Gusto no fat no sugar coffee plus milk, but I still prefer Nescafé Gold Colombia in hot milk or even a 50ml cup of it in mineral water. Will I be excommunicated? Lol

Thank you for your thoughts on instant coffee in the introduction. I never thought about coffee in the same manner as I think of clothes, entertainment, other kinds of food and, in general, what I consume. I like broadening my worldviews and this put my consumption of coffee into a bigger scope. Consumers in richer countries like yours and mine, Denmark, must take more responsibility of their consumption and coffee is one of those ways.

What I learned: James likes Colombian coffee, Illy has chocolaty coffee, every nescafe regardless of price is trash.

I haven’t drunk instant coffee for 20 years and I doubt I ever will again. Back in the 1980s I compared Nescafé instant to budget coffee beans in 1kg bags. The cost of the real thing was marginally less than instant and way better in flavour. The coffee grounds are a bonus as they make excellent compost activator.

I like Littles coffee. When I don't want to grind anything I make a sweet thing from some of their flavoured instant. More like an instant "coffee drink" rather than actual coffee

I've never actually had instant coffee in water. Always directly in warm whole milk and with sugar and it actually ends up being my wife's go to.

I have a jar of instant coffee for those strange people (guests) that dont like proper coffee. I had to laugh when it went out in its first head to head 🤣

James choosing dating partners: "Well this one is harsh and bitter. But this one is weird and interesting. Clear winner."

“This one has more of a classic instant flavour”
Yes it was indeed Nescafé Original

My mind is blown after finding this channel. I am so excited to go on this coffee journey with you.

You discarded my favourite instant, Azera Intenso, in the first round but at least I have it confirmed that my taste preference is for something earthy and woody. Just shows we all have different taste buds, one is not better than another, taste is individual. Personally, I don’t like the watery weakness of most fresh coffee-serving high street coffee shops and microground wins over freeze-dried every time for me but I respect everyone’s personal preferences. Imagine if we all liked the same thing?!

I have to admit, I was surprised you didn’t give Nescafé Gold a nod. When we lived in Europe (and didn’t have a coffee grinder etc), Nescafé Gold was my absolute choice. In Budapest I loved going to the Gellért Hotel’s cukrászda and get the cappuccino with CREAM. Ahhhhh!!
Now, I am a coffee snob. Grind my beans fresh and use an aeropress or French press.

James surrounded by approximately 87 containers of instant coffee: "I'm a little bit nervous."
me: is it because you've clearly lost your mind?

I enjoy both brewed and instant coffee. Lately I noticed lots changes. I switch my coffee for variety though recently brands that have reputation for being better/best began bringing out new lines at higher prices and less contents while the usual jars increased in price (was $13 in 2010 @ $30 in 2022) whilst quality hit the floor.

I mainly hate Azera for how similar their name is to mine.

Thank you. I generally have loathed instant coffee, but I need something to take camping that is completely fuss-free. It doesn't have to be spectacular, just hot and drinkable. This helps.

Loved his reactions here 😅 Instant coffee can still be a safer choice over a pour over with whatever pre-ground coffee I may have around, which sometimes can turn out super sour or bitter for some reason… I‘m still learning…

There are some interesting patterns emerging here: the chocolate notes of Illy, the broadly consistent superiority of Illy, Percol and Little's instant and so on. It would be good to see a follow-up, non-blind video explaining those results.

Hilarious, I just bought myself the Littles jar as a small birthday treat (admittedly mainly for the cute packaging) and was surprised at how decent it turned out to be. Then saw this video in my recommended, and clicked to see if there were other instant coffees that were this drinkable. Maybe I had just been oblivious? Turns out no, just lucky. Haha! I guess will keep the Littles in my cupboard for when I need a quick cupper next to my regular (better) quality go tos.

I’ve found instant to be universally disappointing and often tasting of plasticy dirt. It’s the classic example of coffee that people make, with something that makes you grimace after tasting. There’s no desire to have more, just drink it and get on with things after the caffeine hit.

I am just glad my country is getting a proper coffee culture. In a decade it went from being instant coffee everywhere to, filter coffee + espresso only cafés and now even our supermarkets started selling coffee beans which means a lot to be honest.

I like my instant coffee. It is like a completely different drink than regular coffee. So I have espresso, brewed coffee, instant, and tea to choose from, depending on mood.

Petition to make him read an ebook we can listen to before bed because of his soothing voice.

I became engrossed by instant coffee when I started intermittent fasting. By just drinking these, normally very acidic, without any food, it left a pretty bad after taste on the mouth.
I started a little gourmet coffee hunt to compensate for the lack of food throught the day. Now I have piles of instant coffe at home that I can't drink. 😂

I've been drinking Nescafe Gold Blend Alta Rica for the past week, and I have to say, it surprised me. I generally avoid instant, but this was the only coffee available, and it tasted better than most wholebean instants I've tried. Commenting before I see what you make of it.

This is a great video! Let me give you my point of view as an instant coffee stan. I'm Uruguayan and instant coffee is the most common way we make coffee at home. Ever since I was a kid what my mom gave me for breakfast was a hot cup of milk with instant instant coffee disolved there, and two spoons of honey. It's a bad breakfast from any point of view, I know, but it's what I grew up with, is what every morning of my childhood tasted like, and even though I have a Moka now and make real coffee when I feel like it, the affective memory that I associate with the taste of instant coffee make it what I prefer every morning to this day.

Hi, I got your vid from my recommendation as I'm watching for good coffee maker (i choose Moka Pot, also trying to move away from drinking instant for awhile now). I'm from The Philippines and I'm disappointed w myself that I never tried drinking "real" coffee bc of its intimidating taste, "Kapeng Barako" is one of the popular strong coffee we have here and most older generation loves it compared to instant. Anyways, I know now that using fresh coffee grounds are way better for overall health and I'll watch more of your vids to learn more. ☕ 💕

James, my Mother is physically disabled due to years of Rheumatoid Arthritis. The other day she asked me what coffee options there were for people with a handicap and I honestly couldn’t make a good suggestion. This video is very welcomed to just make the best of the situation. Thank you!

I used to be a coffee hobbyist, but I made a move to a country that also required a big cut in my income (and it’s been totally worth it). My first year I was in a rural area, not too far from a big town. More expensive finer coffee was available if I wanted it and wanted to splurge (and it was just OK coffee, neither great nor bad). I started drinking a cheap generic instant. I got used to it. Basically, I’m a caffeine addict. Instant coffee provides me with the most bang for the buck. A large jar of instant costs a little under $2.50 and lasts me 10 days.
The convenience is nice. The brand I favor dissolves well in room temperature water. When I shamble into the kitchen on some mornings, I’m not quite awake and often clumsy. Gulping a cup of room temp instant gets me started.
Fine coffee is a luxury. I think I appreciate it more than when I drank it often. I certainly savor it more. There’s a place nearby that does a light roast of (supposedly) organic Colombian arabica beans that I really love. But my daily “brew” is cheap instant.

I lived in Australia for a few years and I always said to my friends that sometimes, even instant coffee in my hometown were better than coffee in some shops. I'm from Medellin, Antiquia, Colombia. :)

My only complaint with this would be having the same amount of coffee and same water temp for each. Surely it would make more sense to prepare each according to their own package directions. That's how a consumer would make it. A brand intended to be made with two teaspoons per 6oz would taste watery at one teaspoon - and that's not the fault of the coffee.

In my experience Nescafe Brassero is almost drinkable and the best I've had. I would never choose to have instant, though, if that's all they have I ask for tea.

It's incredible how consistent his tasting results are.

The description of coffee as lawful neutral was great.

Ive tried dozens of instant coffees from Asia, Europe, the Americas and my favorite is Nescafe Clasico Columbian. Very smooth, fruity, and aromatic. I get it in Walmart in the Hispanic items aisle.

"The chocolatey one, with a little bit of ash tray at the end." That line caused full on laughter in our house. For us, coffe is usually pour over. We do use Illy, the brand which caused James' comment, but only as Bold/Intenso and medium or espresso grind, not instant. Usually we buy from a local roaster (shout out to Black Dog in Kearneysville, WV). They have an espresso blend that we get freshly ground fine for pour over. I have a personal liking for an instant, too, that I wish had been included in the sip off: Cafe Bustello Espresso. My husband and I grew up in instant coffe households (Nefscafe in one, Folger's in the other), so we didn't begin to drink coffee until separate trips to New Orleans in our 30s. (I started to drink coffee during a brief trip to France as a teenager, but stopped quickly upon return to the home environment,)

Very interesting results, although of course (as you make clear) taste is a very subjective thing. I usually drink a dark roast from a bean to cup machine, but on the occasions I do drink instant (E.g. camping trips or travelling) I've actually found the Nescafe Azera to be a decent option.
Also interesting that the Machu Picchu fell so early, I've had that (admittedly in bean form) a few times and thought it was nice.

James Hoffman is giving us the coffee tournament arc that we deserve.

While looking at James' videos, this one caught my attention.
Would a 'smell test' be interesting at all?
I sometimes drink instant coffee (from a Portuguese brand, Delta) and it has a roasted cereals / bread smell to it and I'm unsure if other coffees share the same attributes

I was surprised when he didn't like the Alta Rica coffee because that's the one I always have, though I do pair it with caramel syrup sometimes which makes it much sweeter. But even plain coffee out of it, I never taste any bitterness or harsh tones from it.

Best instant I've had (both decaf and regular) was Mount Hagen Fairtrade. Hard to find a decent decaf coffee at all here, so I was really happy when I found that one, since I couldn't drink regular coffee with the medication I was on back then.

First of all, Merry Christmas!
I enjoy watching your videos, even "old" ones!
Two things:
1: I'm no expert (despite having spend the past 20 years enjoying places like Bar Italia in Soho and your very beans selection...) but I'm pretty sure that Azera has changed its recipe / beans.
When it first appeared it tasted like half-decent, burnt, strong filter coffee.
Recently I'm tasting that old chicory powder my farming grandmother in France used to serve after every lunch on Saturdays...
Any idea why? (I bet you'll say "profit" 🤣)
2: You and Morten Hilmer are among the very best people on this platform, any chance of a one-off episode together? Maybe you could tailor a special "Arctic Expedition Coffee Kit", with equipment and beans that could withstand extreme weather?
Cheers, keep up the great work.
Best regards,
EPB
Essex

I drank Nescafe classic for years at work. Their brewed coffee there was just way worse than that. Nowadays I enjoy fresh ground ones out of a Moccamaster and I don't want to go back for sure.
I'm impressed on how you spotted the Nescafe classic as the classic instant, could even spot the Ethiopian one out of all of them and your final contenders were both Columbian ones.

The effort you consistently put into every single one of your videos is amazing, Liked & Subbed.

A lot of what you said at the start applies to both instant coffee and coffee beans. The companies selling it are trying to make a profit. And the price doesn't vary that much.
The sole distinction between instant and beans is that instant coffee is for speed and convenience.
The main difference in price comes when you go to a cafe and buy a coffee, or if you purchase everything you need to brew it yourself.
So if you aren't okay with the system, you shouldn't be having coffee at all.

Ive only ever had Instant coffee, except for occasional cafe trips, and all those notes you mentioned have been my exact feelings towards it. I normally buy the Azera Americano because i thought it was the lesser evil. At least I can try Littles now until I can comfortably afford all the coffee equipment for the fresh stuff

I loved whenever he’d say “classic” and it was literally called “Classico” or something

My fiancé will literally eat a spoonful of instant coffee from the jar 😂 he makes his coffee with like 6 spoonfuls and has to drink 2 cups before he is ready to do anything in the morning
I occasionally enjoy a cold brew coffee (home made, from the supermarket or from a shop) but I hate the instant kind!

A professional coffee barista that really cares about those that grow the coffee.

My tolerance of instant coffee depends on where I am. I spent a jet-lagged week in Tokyo, waking up at 3am every morning and craving caffeine. There was a jar of Nescafé in the kitchen, and under the circumstances, it was good enough.

The fact that you managed to pick out the Ethiopian is pretty astonishing to me.
Also, watching you hate-taste stuff is very enjoyable.

I'm Algerian and when I tell people I only drink instant coffee ( mostly Nescafé ) they think I'm crazy or I'm trying to show off. It's more expensive then "normal" coffee that people make at home with a Moka. The only reason I choose Nescafé is because almost all fresh coffees sold here are acidic and I can't stand the acidity in my coffee, the smell only makes me nauseous.

I'm rewatching this video and I just realized that the day this was uploaded last year, I had just met my future husband on a dating app two days prior; I've been following you for a while now, so I likely would have watched the video the day it aired. We're now happily married and we love your videos. Crazy!

I really enjoy my daily cuppa but I'm still surprised at how much I'm enjoying this content, bravo Mr Hoffmann.
Don't usually use instant but always have some lying around for convenience and I'm now buying some Little's Colombian Premium Instant Coffee. Cheers for the recommendation and keep up the great work.

Terrific film, so glad to have found this wonderful channel.
If we (my husband and I) have to drink instant, let’s say we are camping/glamping or somewhere else ‘uncivilised’ then we are reduced to drinking instant coffee we kind of enjoy Millicanno or Azeri americano
I can’t believe we used to regularly drink instant and enjoy it.

This guy is exactly what a youtube coffee reviewer would look and sound like.

Instant espresso coffee from Nescafe is also good, but you are right, coffee is often bitter and the taste can be "off" with an ashtray aftertaste. I guess tea is a good alternative and often has a more uplifting effect which lasts longer. I guess I watched this too late to be eligible to win... oh well... the idea was nice. 👍😘

This is definitely the first time I watched someone slurp coffee for 10 minutes

Without naming names, you slammed the coffee that my parents have been drinking for years. I've made them coffee from freshly ground speciality beans on several occasions (and they've loved it), have introduced them to the simplicity of brewing with an AeroPress, and yet they persist in drinking the instant coffee of choice. For them, I think the ease and simplicity of instant coffee is hard to compete with, even if the drinking experience is mediocre.

It's extremely hard to stay consistent when blindfold testing anything. Very impressed. Illy is chocolatey! I believe you.

My mum always mixes about three types of instant coffee together in an airtight coffee jar. It's bloody awful, but never a dull moment.

Before watching this, I’m going to say that Nescafé Gold espresso has to score well.
I never was an instant coffee drinker, but then I had twins. Suddenly didn’t have the time to make “real” coffee and clean up afterwards. Nescafé Espresso was the first instant coffee that made me feel like I wasn’t missing out.

So many many moons ago when I drank instant, I used to go with Moconna (Douwe Egberts in your list), since the alternatives (mostly Nescafe) were terrible. But since progressing on my coffee journey I now can't drink any instant coffee, it is just bad. Well I suppose with enough milk and sugar it might be drinkable, but generally, no.

I had to go back to Instant coffee recently because my espresso machine broke down. It was just good old Nescafe that had been sitting in the cupboard for a long time so I decided changing my morning coffee to a cup of tea was much more preferable.

Dollar Tree in the US used to have a jar of instant coffee, which I liked. In the fine print, it said that it was manufactured in Egypt. Unfortunately, after the "Arab Spring", Dollar Tree no longer had it. It had no fancy name. It was just a generic jar of coffee which could make 60 cups of coffee for one dollar.

You know his palate is on point when he blindly calls Nescafé original the "classic instant coffee profile."

You have some consistent taste buds! Enjoyed it but I can only drink the stuff with more milk than coffee.

This is excellent, well done. Love the idea.
Although it's not in the tournament, my go-to instant coffee is the UCC The Blend No.117

we had bean to cup type giant machines at work, which were fed some kind of kenco beans. the coffee it produced was extremely bitter and burnt tasting, i’m sure it was the beans to a large extent, but the machines must have been terrible too; perhaps not cleaned enough. james made an ashtray comment for one of these and that definitely brings back unpleasant memories of this machine! either way i would prefer instant coffee any day

I chose this winner coffee couple of days ago to try. I choose coffee based on the size of seeds and their color. Certainly, it has the most well shaped and biggest size beens among all competitors. I loved the color as well. Not dark and too bright. I tried it and I loved it. My stomach is sensitive and normally cheap quality coffees hurt. This one was good and I could tolerate.

Back in the Middle East my grandmother makes coffee from scratch(roasting-grinding) and spices it. She then divides it up for her children, so that when you visit any one of her children you get our family's signature coffee. Our neighbor's coffee would be spiced differently as well, and so that family would have their own signature coffee too. The older generation literally do not know what instant coffee is.

I buy the Nescafe Clasico. I use it only for making my cold mocha late and when I just want a regular cold coffee. I find this easier to mix with 2 oz hot water to melt sugar and coffee then add my other ingredients, milk froth, and ice.
Using this with milk or creamer avoids melting my ice and watering down a good cold coffee or late. Using milk in a cold late also takes the edge off if you taste any bitterness when you want it strong. It also prevents me from going to Starbucks :) for that quick cold mocha or macchiato fix. Many great recipes on youtube from coffee shop owners using these.

I came across this channel a week ago. I like coffee that’s bold and dislike light and acidic coffee. But after watching his videos, it might be because I’ve been drinking cheap coffee all my life. 😂 oh no.

Instant coffee I’ve grown up with but I’ve just got into actual better coffee I like the nespresso pods the most and find beans a bit hard work and bitter but each to their own, also for instant I like the simple Nescafé gold works well.

Getting the equipment necessary to make my own freshly brewed coffee is right up there on my wishlist. I'm a coffee lover but not a coffee connoisseur. I still need to do a lot of research before i go out and buy the equipment. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

James is like coffee Jesus, sacrificing himself for us

I do enjoy a good cup of freshly brewed coffee, but my work-coffee is the Aldi instant coffee (with coffee milk) added.
The taste beats most work coffee machines by far. I have a container with me on worktravels. Maybe it's the work-coffee taste I got used to and got fond off.

I haven't worked in sensory science for a minute, and I should probably criticize, but I really enjoyed your blind coding and fun method, even if there is no panel. And I like how you encourage people to be objective and learn

I feel like your descriptions are on point for what ive tasted in instants, vanilla, tangerine etc

Been watching a bunch of videos for like 2 weeks, don't even like coffee (chocolate espresso beans and coffee flavor deserts are great though) but so interesting to see how you compare stuff.

James perfectly captures the energy of a chill person with too much caffeine
He's just awesomely pulls it off

Interesting that your preferred C of O was usually the Colombian option. I wonder whether the lighter roast suits the instant as it avoids the darker, harsher tastes. Very interesting, especially as I usually don't favour the Colombian.

I love instant coffee! I actually don't like regular coffee for some reason instant just tastes better to me. My personal favorite is the Nescafe original. I drink a lot of Nescafe Original.

Fascinating... as a fall-back instant, my preference for Percol's Colombian ended-up 2nd. best in James' opinion - and he SHOULD know what he's talking about!