Does anyone drink instant coffee anymore?

Starbucks tried to modernize it with these little packets a few years back, under the name “Via”. The older brands still exist too, such as Nescafé, which, as a Nestle product, I assume is made from the blood of indigenous people.

I imagine there are tons of office workers, mechanics, construction workers, etc. who are drinking instant because it's impractical or impossible to have a coffee machine at work or in the field. I believe the vast majority of coffee vending machines also use instant coffee behind the scenes, so everyone who's ever gotten a cup of highway rest stop coffee was most likely drinking instant at least once. Ditto with the "cappuccino" machines at every convenience store and gas station on earth.

I carry instant coffee with me when I'm camping, because I can't be bothered to have to carry and more importantly clean any kind of coffee gadget.

It’s all I drink. But I only drink coffee for the caffeine, it all tastes like shit. If I want to enjoy it I have a cup of tea.

I drink both instant and real.

I drink french-press rocket fuel in the morning, a strong cap at lunchtime on office days, and I wouldn't compromise on either.

But afternoons at home, or in the evening... I dunno, it's just too much drama. I want something in the background that isn't going to make any demands on my attention. It's the equivalent of watching garbage TV at the end of a long day. You don't want hard-hitting incisive social commentary, you just want a couple episodes of Ow, My Balls.

I've found a brand that doesn't taste like toner; it's not real coffee, just Brown Drink. But it's entirely acceptable Brown Drink, and it does what I need it for.

It's a bit more common in the UK. Everybody's got 230v electric kettles practically in every room (/s) so having coffee that just takes hot water has extra appeal. I'm also lead to believe that their instant coffee is a bit better quality than what is common in the US.

I love coffee. I am a coffee snob. Instant coffee is easy to pack and travel with. If you have access to hot water it's still coffee which is better than nothing. If you don't have access to hot water then it's a tastier caffeine pill.

When camping, never otherwise.

I do. Almost always. And there are three main reasons for it.

(A) Hassle free prep. Hot water and stirrer, bam!

(B) No waste/by-products (e.g. filter, brewed coffee granules residue, blah blah) - so much less carbon footprint.

(C) A cup of instant coffee has slightly less caffeine content than the same cup of freshly brewed coffee. Good for me, because I have been a caffeine-addict, and trying to cut down now.

So I always try to go for Freeze-dried instant coffee ( especially Colombian, like Juan Valdez ), and not the Spray-dried shit.

Edit : I thank max and the OP for enlightening me about the instant coffee manufacture process. It surely appear that Instant coffee has a lot more environmental impact than simple ground coffee because of more processes involved. I have always consumed instant coffee, but were totally ignorant on this part. Dumb of me.

Thanks to the people directing me to the right way, and I will strike out my second point above.

For me instant coffee is for backpacking, because when you're busting your ass on the trail for a few days literally anything you can eat or drink tastes amazing

I was recently on holiday where most of the other guests in our hotel were 50-70 year old Germans.

The breakfast buffet at our hotel had a large scale coffee maker which could do some surprisingly good freshly ground coffee. What it could also do is spit instant coffee into your mug and pour hot water on top.

In two weeks I never saw someone (other than me) draw anything but fucking instant coffee from that thing.

Absolutely!

It’s portable, stores well, takes nothing more than a mug and hot water to make, and takes no longer to make than it does to heat the water.

Sure, I prefer good drip coffee or an espresso-based drink, but I travel a lot and often hotel room coffee sucks. Sometimes a decent insta-coffee works great to get you out the door.

I do. What's the problem with it?

I still do. Most of my coffee consumption is instant, but I am not particular about coffee so long it doesn't taste bad.

Yeah, I have low standards

I like drinking really good coffee as much as I can, but I do not look down on a cup of instant from time to time. I have a jar at home for if I run out, and it's often the only option while traveling.

Coffee is coffee, and I like coffee.

Instant coffee is still popular and common in Asia. Coffee vending machines, which are technically instant, are also common in waiting areas of businesses (i.e. dealership, leasing offices, clinics, etc.)

I do. Juan Valdez tastes amazing.

I used to because I am single and it didn't seem economical to brew a pot for one cup. Then I found out about the "4 cup" machines like the ones they put in hotel rooms.

Not me, but it’s great for baking (a bit of coffee makes chocolate taste more chocolatey) and making nutrition shakes palatable.

Revenue in the Instant Coffee market amounts to US$30.3bn in 2023. The market is expected to grow annually by 5.03% (CAGR 2023-2028).

In global comparison, most revenue is generated in Japan (US$4,741m in 2023).

In relation to total population figures, per person revenues of US$3.95 are generated in 2023.

In the Instant Coffee market, volume is expected to amount to 1.6bn kg by 2028. The market for Instant Coffee market is expected to show a volume growth of 3.5% in 2024.

The average volume per person in the Instant Coffee market is expected to amount to 0.19kg in 2023.

https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/hot-drinks/coffee/instant-coffee/worldwide

In college, I used to drink Starbucks' Via. That instant coffee hits different.

Nowadays, I make either an espresso or a pour over. But I still crave Vias sometimes.

Yes. When I can't be arsed to grind beans and boil water. Doesn't taste as good, but it's fine with a little cookie or something.

I feel like it's 2 different market segments.

Starbuck and othes fancy coffee shop I am in town, look for clean toilets and wifi so I'd pay 10 € to get them

Instant I am camping, (and sometimes indoor without coffee machine) and want a coffee

I drink it. It's cheaper and quicker to make than anything else I've found.

In the UK it's still very common for people to have instant coffee at home. Companies will sometimes have their own fancy coffee maker (e.g. Nespresso) but not always.

I generally only drink instant for late night decaf, though the premixed Korean instant coffee packets are a treat every hour and then

Still seems like the default in much of Europe and Asia

I like it just fine. Used to drink it all the time at my old job. My current job actually has coffee in the break room as a perk, so now I drink that. It's still basic Folgers or whatever, but it's fine. Not every coffee needs to be fancy. Sometimes I just want a cup of joe.

I only use it to make Dalgona coffee. Basically a tablespoon of crystals, tablespoon of sugar, tablespoon of boiling water. Whip it until its a really thick foam, almost like shaving cream, then you put it over some milk, ideally also lightly sweetened as the foam ends up really bitter without a shitton of sugar which I don't prefer to use.

Absolutely. Quality instant coffee tastes as good as a regular brew, when prepared correctly: dissolve in cold water, ONLY THEN add hot water.

My husband does. Nescafe. Though I make coffee each morning in a moka pot, fresh ground. He likes the instant coffee (and likes it much earlier than I make coffee).

I like coffee but not enough to like bad coffee.

I use instant coffee for baking. And I had instant coffee as part of the tea-making facilities in British B&Bs (but I definitely prefer the tea there).

Only when I'm backpacking in the wilderness, otherwise, it's fresh ground for me!

I don't mind instant coffee and there are so many options. I get hired if I drink the same thing all the time. So some weeks I drink cold brew, some weeks I drink instant coffee, some week I drink iced and some weeks I drink tea. I alternate between different sources of caffeine pretty much every other week.

If I'm going camping and want to keep things light I'll buy instant coffee and transfer it into a freezer bag.

In the army we used to get a pack of instant coffee with the afternoon meal. We rarely wanted to shit ourselves later in the bush, so, no. We'd save it for whomever was fucked with guard shift that night.

Please understand there is no hot water at night; no real water supply at all. We do not traipse about the boonies looking for a stream, nor do we make a fire so it can be seen for miles. We even hide the pips on our wristwatch.

Not since bush coffee have I had instant coffee. And if I die without having instant coffee again - even properly prepared - it will be too soon.

I keep a jar of it in my desk at the office.

Handy for those overnight callouts when noting else is available.

I keep it to make dalgona

Starbucks and coffee chains are, you know, nowhere near my house, for one thing. How am I going to have coffee in the morning if I have to first leave my house and get a bus to where the coffee shop is, then get the bus home again and then go to work, or whatever?

Further, those places are EXPENSIVE AS HECC. The sort of people that can afford to buy coffee at those places every day sure do have it real nice.

For the rest of us, we make our coffee at home, and sometimes if we're lucky we get the cheap "real" grounds instead of the instant powder, haha

At night when the espresso machine is too loud

You can make a very nice (and strong) Dalgona with Cafe Bustelo instant coffee

I think it still represents something like 5-10% of the US coffee market.

Better doesn’t always drive out cheaper.

Me

Yes. I don't like it but sometimes I don't have time to make my normal pour over. Like lunchtime. Tastes pretty bad. Especially to a pour over coffee snob like me.

Even Costco sells it.

Dealing with coffee grinds got annoying. It’s also one of my first grocery store purchases when traveling.

Bonus points for instant iced coffee.

My wife prefers it. It's fine with sweet creamer.

I drink instant cappuccino, a habit I picked up from my wife. It's much less "coffee" than it is "vaguely coffee-flavored drink."

Freeze dried Colombian is fantastic. A jar of Juan Valdez keeps in your cabinet for ages of you're not a coffee drinker.

Isn't that basically what a Keurig pod is? I think more people use instant coffee now than they did before those things existed. As much as Starbucks is popular, I still think most people make their own coffee at home.

I'm finishing my cup right now. People say it's shit but I don't mind it.

I do when I can't be arsed otherwise.

On a good day, I slowly simmer oat milk and water in two pans and Aeropress fresh-ground coffee to make something akin to a flat white.

Can't be arsed? Oat milk in a mug in the microwave for 1-2 min and a tablespoon of Medaglia De Oro instant espresso powder.