Instant Coffee Can Taste Amazing (If You Avoid These Mistakes)

Coffee snobs may not even acknowledge the existence of instant coffee in their world of perfectly brewed pour-overs and hand-ground artisanal beans, but if they want to ignore this oh-so-convenient product, it's their loss. In fact, these days instant coffee is fancier than ever, and yes, gourmet instant coffee is a thing. If you're still on the fence about whether you can retain your coffee connoisseur credentials with a jar of the instant stuff in your pantry, though, you may be reassured to know that Theo Chan, managing editor of specialty coffee review site Coffee Roast, says it's okay by him.

Chan does, however, offer a number of tips to help you get the most out of your instant coffee-drinking experience. While you don't need barista training to make the stuff, it does help to pay some attention to what you're doing. If you just boil a cup of water and dump in a spoonful of crystals, then yes, your instant coffee may prove disappointing. With Chan's advice, however, you can be sure of an enjoyable cup every time.

Instant coffee starts out as a liquid which is then dried into a powder, but the drying process can occur in one of two different ways. The faster, less expensive method is called spray drying, and it involves using hot air to evaporate the moisture. Freeze-drying, however, uses cold temperatures and low pressure to convert the liquid first to a vapor and then to a solid. According to Theo Chan, the latter method is far superior when it comes to producing great-tasting coffee.

"Freeze-dried instant coffee generally tastes more flavorful than spray-dried," says Chan, explaining that "The freeze-drying process preserves more of the coffee's natural aroma and flavor compounds." The high heat used in spray drying can break down some of these compounds, leading to what Chan calls "a more generic or burnt taste." The takeaway here? Check the label when you buy instant coffee. If you see the words "freeze-dried," that's a good sign. If there's no indication what method was used, you might be about to purchase a lower-quality product.

If you really want good coffee — or tea, instant hot chocolate, or anything else that starts with H2O — then clearly the quality of the main ingredient matters. After all, these drinks are basically just a way to flavor water, so depending on where you live, you might not want to go with something straight out of the tap. (This goes double if you reside in a city like Newark, Las Vegas, or Pittsburgh, which are known for having contaminated water.)

As Theo Chan advises, "Filtered or spring water with a balanced mineral content (not distilled) is ideal for brewing instant coffee, as it enhances extraction and taste." While he notes that you could always purchase a fancy (and expensive) brand of mineral-enhanced water optimized for coffee brewing, he admits, "The work to do that defeats the purpose of instant." A cheaper and more sustainable choice might be to buy a Brita UltraMax Large Water Dispenser from Amazon. This 27-cup slimline pitcher is priced at $36.99 at the time of writing and comes with an easily replaceable filter that should last for about two months.

While the easiest way to make instant coffee is with boiling water straight from the kettle, Theo Chan feels that you really won't get the best coffee that way. While water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, in his opinion sub-boiling water (anywhere between 175 degrees Fahrenheit and 200 degrees Fahrenheit) is preferable. The reason, he tells us, is "because it helps dissolve the coffee granules quickly and fully releases flavors." If you're making iced coffee and don't want to wait for it to cool down, he says using cold water might work if the coffee is finely ground. He does, however, add a caveat: "It dissolves instant coffee more slowly and might require stirring or shaking to mix properly."

If you're wondering how to make sure your coffee is at a specific temperature without investing in a pour-over kettle (which, tbh, seems like overkill for instant coffee), what you can do is go ahead and boil the water, then pour it into a cup or mug. Check the heat with a kitchen thermometer, then mix in a few spoonfuls of cold water until it reaches the desired temperature zone.

Undermixing is the bane of baking, as it doesn't allow cake batter to develop the necessary amount of gluten. As it turns out, though, you can also under-stir your coffee. According to Theo Chan, one of the biggest mistakes people make at the instant coffee prep stage involves not stirring the drink sufficiently. As he explains, "Undissolved granules can leave a chalky or uneven taste." If you're making hot coffee, your best bet is probably going to be stirring with a standard spoon, but if you're going with iced coffee, you can also shake it up in a lidded jar. 

If you shake the coffee until it's foamy, then you no longer have plain old iced coffee, but instead a Greek-style frappé. Of course, the frappé isn't the only fancy drink you can make with instant coffee. If you venture beyond shaking into the realm of whipping, you may wind up with dalgona coffee, the drink that was so popular during the pandemic era.

As we segue oh-so-smoothly from standard instant coffee to more elaborate concoctions made with this ingredient, we'd be remiss not to point out that it can also be used in cocktails. Spike a mug of hot instant coffee with whiskey and squirt on some whipped cream to make an Irish coffee, or add a teaspoon and a half of instant coffee powder to a standard Old Fashioned to give it some unexpected depth. Instant coffee also makes a great shortcut for espresso martinis: Dissolve a spoonful in a small amount of hot water, then shake it up with vodka, ice, and coffee liqueur.

Moving beyond beverages, instant coffee can also be used as a secret ingredient in numerous baking and cooking projects. It can be combined with milk, sugar, and crackers or bread to make Amish coffee soup, it can be used as a dry rub for meats, it can even be stirred into spaghetti sauce to transform the flavor. Instant coffee can also turn a chocolate cake into a mocha one, and is an integral ingredient in our no-bake brownie recipe, along with walnuts, graham crackers, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, and evaporated milk.