# Do you like instant coffee? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** coffee\ **Created:** [March 29, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259 "2013-03-29T13:45:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/21 "2013-03-29T15:19:13Z")
I drink instant coffee at work, because it’s quick and simple, and the kitchen facilities are limited. There’s a lot of difference between the flavour of different brands of instant - in general you do get what you pay for - Supermarket-own varieties are barely tolerable, but the upmarket instants are a lot better. At home, I drink coffee made in a cafetiere from pre-ground beans. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/22 "2013-03-29T15:23:58Z")
I’ll only drink it in an emergency, and even then it would have to be something like Medaglia D’ Oro Instant Espresso. Instant coffee is like hotel room coffee, almost impossible to make a good cup. I’d rather have no coffee than bad coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/23 "2013-03-29T15:26:07Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > if you like coffee for it’s purpose for being on this planet then most people have to resort to instant, unless you have an iron stomach. you just can’t drink 20 or more cups of brewed coffee in a day and not start to get sick. Is there any liquid other than water (maybe) you can drink 20 cups of a day of and not feel sick? You need to cut back, bro. Assuming typical 10 oz coffee mug, 200 oz is FIVE LITERS, much more than a gallon. Daily? Or is this another joke I’m taking too literally? ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/24 "2013-03-29T15:27:01Z")
Only the caffeine free version, for one cup in the evening. The rest of the day we drink the real stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/25 "2013-03-29T15:50:38Z")
It’s what Mom always drank, so it’s what I started with at home, but now I’ll only use it as an emergency source of caffeine. I’ve used it in recipes a few times, too. I do keep some of the instant “cappuccino” mixes at work for when I need coffee in the afternoon, but they’re more sugar than coffee, really. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/26 "2013-03-29T16:01:56Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I’d rather have no coffee than bad coffee. During the Korean War my father was Combat Aircrew on an AD-4 Skyraider AEW aircraft. Being AEW, there was little chance of his plane being shot down. The crew wore their Summer flying suits in their nicely-heated Skyraider. One day an aircraft crashed on the deck of their carrier (USS _Philippine Sea_, CV-47). Dad’s plane had to divert to Korea. In Winter. With little fuel. He said that the plane ran out of fuel on roll-out. No engine, no heat. His cruise book shows him the pilot, and other crew wearing ushankas, and the caption is ‘Kimpo Detachment’. I recall they’d landed at an outlying field, and then proceeded to Kimpo. This field had a skeleton crew, and there’s no telling how old the coffee was. The crew were in lightweight Summer flying suits in the middle of a Korean Winter in a no-longer-heated aircraft. Dad said it was the worst cup of coffee he’d ever had. He said it was also the _best_ cup of coffee he’d ever had. Not that this story has anything to do with instant coffee. It just illustrates that sometimes bad coffee is much better than no coffee at all. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/27 "2013-03-29T16:09:41Z")
I dislike the taste of instant and would go without rather than drink it, despite having grown up with it. And for all the people who pass along “Kahlua” recipes calling for instant coffee, I can only say wtf? Have you no taste buds? ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/28 "2013-03-29T20:14:16Z")
I don’t like ANY coffee, so I suppose I could say I like instant and brewed about the same… 😃 My fella is the only one in the house who drinks coffee on a regular basis. He drinks instant at home. At work they make typical Computer Geek coffee, where strength is valued above quality, and he says his stomach appreciates the break it gets from switching over to instant. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/29 "2013-03-29T20:18:35Z")
My parents always drank instant when I was a kid…now they use a carafe brewer. So I can appreciate it for what it is, but the only reason I have it in my pantry is because I needed it for a recipe some time ago. Remember [Postum?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postum) Loved that stuff while I was growing up. Very cool, like you were drinking coffee. Might have to grab some at the store this evening, haven’t had it in 25 years. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/30 "2013-03-29T21:08:09Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever had instant coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/31 "2013-03-29T21:11:33Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > The only instant coffees that I like are those “International Coffees” tons full of different-flavored coffees that are more like caffeinated hot cocoa. Haven’t had it in years, but my mom used to drink it at home sometimes, and she’d occasionally send me some in a care package when I was in college. Otherwise, no. I have a few of the International Coffees floating around. They make a good mocha cheesecake. Add about a third of a cup to a plain cheesecake recipe. I used to drink instant coffee when I was in a hurry, but now that I have my Keurig it makes coffee even faster than the instant stuff. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/32 "2013-03-29T23:28:12Z")
It’s okay, but the real stuff is better. ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/33 "2013-03-29T23:43:10Z")
I like both, but, believe it or not, 95% of the coffee I drink is cold. I only have hot coffee if served by a friend or relative on a visit. Since I drink cold coffee, I found that the quickest way to make it is to put a couple of spoons of instant in a glass, add cold water, stir, add ice, if desired. Hot coffee melts the ice and I can’t be bothered brewing hot coffee and cooling it. My wife has a Kuerig for her coffee. I have a big jar of instant for mine. Old fashioned, powdered instant doesn’t dissolve well in cold water, but the “crystal” kind or freeze-dried does. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/34 "2013-03-30T00:18:26Z")
I live with the dichotomy of being a coffee snob who drinks instant. When I do brew whole bean stuff, it’s with my hand grinder and from a local roaster, blah blah blah French press. That’s for days off. Work days, I put a heaping tablespoon of Cafe Casero dark roast into my 16-ounce mug, with tap water and 4-ounces of half and half. Strong, creamy, and gets the job done with much less expense and time. I’m also a cheap-ass. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/35 "2013-03-30T01:59:21Z")
I used to keep instant coffee in the cupboard for mornings when I got up too late or was too lazy to make a pot. Then it dawned on me that I could make the coffee the night before and punch the on button when I got up, and I’ve been doing it that way ever since. It’s probably been 20 years since I drank Nescafé or whatever. That said, I do have a think of the hazelnut instant International coffee at work. I add half water and half straight black coffee for an afternoon pick-me-up occasionally. It’s not gourmet but its good enough for 3 pm on a Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/36 "2013-03-30T02:20:42Z")
Carl no. Awful stuff. Tea made out of twigs and leaves tastes a heck of a lot better. And I don’t mean that as hyperbole. There’s no caffiene content, but tea made of spruce or cedar can be wonderfully bracing of a cold morning after a night camping in the woods. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/37 "2013-03-30T03:06:02Z")
I prefer my Folger’s instant to any brewed coffee I’ve ever tried, and I’ve tried quite a few. I like mild coffee, slightly sweet, with milk. Every cup of Folger’s is just how I like it. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/38 "2013-03-30T03:20:07Z")
I like instant coffee much, _much_ better than no coffee. Other than that, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/39 "2013-03-30T03:58:48Z")
Not really, and I have a cardboard palette. I hear it can be used as a topping on ice cream. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259/40 "2013-03-30T03:59:59Z")
I like and mostly drink instant. I only have brewed coffee when I’m out. Thanks to my old job where there were no other options, I can even drink the cheapest, groadiest instant coffee available (before it burned my tastebuds out, I did used to insist on a certain quality of instant but now I can drink International Roast with barely a shudder). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-instant-coffee/654259.md?page=3)