I tried five popular brands of instant coffee from the store to see which one is the best.
I picked plain roasts to compare, and Chock Full o' Nuts was the only real disappointment.
I already knew I was a fan of Folgers, but Nescafé was the surprise winner.
Coffee is a daily necessity for me.
I know making coffee at home instead of buying it at the shops isn't going to make my savings account skyrocket, but it is an easy way to cut down on frivolous spending. Plus, it's nice to have easy options on hand.
I tried five brands of instant coffee to see which one was best. Here's how they stacked up.
Maxwell House has several instant-coffee flavors, but I bought the original roast in the smallest size.
Although the description said the coffee would be rich, I didn't find it that flavorful.
I originally made a cup with the directed coffee-to-water ratio, which was fine but kind of weak. Then, I added an extra teaspoon of the coffee to try to get more of the flavor.
This was a mistake. The result was too bitter to drink.
If you follow the directions as written, the container makes only 11 servings, bringing the per-cup cost a bit higher than other brands.
However, the coffee itself tasted great and was well worth the price.
The description of the coffee as pure and flavorful proved to be accurate. The coffee was rich and had a good, almost hazelnut flavor that reminded me of the blend at McDonald's.
It also had a pleasant smell. Some of the other brands didn't have much of a smell at all.
I've been drinking Folgers classic roast instant coffee for years, so I already knew I enjoyed it.
The description on the container was vaguer than the others I tried. It said only that the coffee was "100% pure," with no information about the flavor.
I found that it was just a bit richer than the Café Bustelo coffee, so I liked it best out of the ones I'd tried so far — which isn't surprising since I've been drinking it for years.
Chock Full o' Nuts instant coffee was available in a medium roast for $7.
The description on the container promised "rich, quick, and easy" coffee.
Although it was just as quick and easy to make as the others, I didn't find it rich at all. The coffee didn't have any standout flavors, and the slight bitterness left a strong, unpleasant aftertaste.
It was drinkable, but it was definitely the worst of the five.
As with the Chock Full o' Nuts brand, I had to get a larger container of Nescafé instant coffee.
I'm glad I liked it since the container is so big.
The first thing I noticed was that it smelled just like real coffee beans.
I found that the coffee was actually between a light and medium roast, as the bottle promised, and it tasted wonderful.
It was rich with no aftertaste or bitterness, and it reminded me of a freshly brewed cup from a coffee chain.
None of the instant coffees I tried were too bad, but I'd happily drink Nescafé again.
I was surprised by the Nescafé brand.
Erin Ajello
The only brand of instant coffee I probably wouldn't go out of my way to drink again is Chock Full o' Nuts, though it might be a perfectly fine pick for someone who prefers a bitterer brew.
But I'll be reaching for Nescafé if I want an instant coffee that I'd genuinely be happy to drink and serve to friends.
The coffee smelled and tasted great, and it was well-priced for the number of servings it makes.
This story was originally published in February 2022 and most recently updated on October 30, 2024.
