Instant Coffee Review

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Tried different instant coffees for some time, here are some notes so that I don't forget. I tried all mixed in with milk and sugar for weeks at a time to get a feel for their taste profiles.

What surprised me about instant coffee is that when hot water is added from my zojirushi boiler (set at 195F) it will create bubbles at the top just like a real cup. 

Most instant coffee seems to have less caffeine than brewed coffee. That was the main reason for switching, the other reason was to find a travel friendly format.

Jamaica Mountain Peak Instant Coffee

https://saladafoodsja.com/mountain-peak-instant-coffee/

This one I noticed on the shelf at the nearby grocery store. Since I've heard great things about Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans, I thought to try this to see what it's like. I made it with milk and sugar.

The scent in a fresh cup is quite noticeable. It's a pleasant coffee aroma reminiscent of brewed coffee that says "hey, I'm here and I'll wake you up". You can smell it. The taste goes down smoothly but you can feel like. Every so often I sense a metallic taste, it could be that I drink this from a stainless steel double walled mug, or it could be that I need to add a lot more sugar. It doesn't take much of this per cup so one could go a long way with a small jar.

Yaucano Instant Coffee 

https://prcoffee.com/product-category/yaucono/

I saw this bright yellow lid on the shelf at a nearby grocery store. I looked up reviews to see whether to try it, there were a number of good reviews online. I liked that the bottle I got was squarish in shape, it was something different. But the lid turned out to be a little too challenging for me to figure out. That's a review for another time.

This coffee is buttery smooth and almost chocolately when mixed with milk, sugar, a couple drops of vanilla and a dash of cinnamon powder. It doesn't have as noticeable of a coffee aroma as the Mountain Peak brand. It's a nice smooth drink. 

Cafe Bustelo Espresso Instant Coffee

https://www.cafebustelo.com/en/coffee/instant/espresso-style

This is a go-to choice. I can't say anything bad about it but I also can't recall anything remarkable about it either. 

It is a little more challenging to find the right mix of sugar. I would say with this I tend to add more sugar than with Yaucano. 

Chock Full'O'Nuts Instant Coffee

https://www.chockfullonuts.com/product/chock-full-o-nuts-original-instant/

This I got because it was on sale for a full $1 less than its usual price. I figured why not give it a try. It's perhaps the most like Yaucano, maybe a hint more of coffee scent. Someday I'll compare side by side with Yaucano to see if my memory recalls this correctly.

The flavor of coffee with this one is weaker so I would add more granules per cup. What I would've used with 2 teaspoons of Mountain Peak, I would go with 4 teaspoons with this one to feel like coffee has flavor. The flavor is quite smooth. It worked better to have a touch less milk than with the other varieties.

Medaglia D'oro Instant Espresso Coffee

https://www.medagliadoro.com/coffee/instant/espresso

I'd been eyeing this one for years since seeing it but didn't get into instant coffees until this year so never tried it before. I had tried their ground coffee beans before it was good though a little beyond my budget. This time when I specifically went on a hunt for this at the store, I didn't see it on the shelf and tried 3 other stores before finding a small jar to try. This is the one I had this morning. 

It has a bit of a burnt coffee flavor. It's not so burnt that it affects the cup but that is more of where the aroma smells like. I can see why chefs want to pair this with chocolate recipes, it has almost a nutty woodsy flavor. I was surprised that 2 teaspoons wasn't enough so I added a 3rd teaspoon. It was my first and only cup to date and I had it with some cookies for breakfast so who knows maybe that's why it tastes like cookie to me. 

Nescafe Clasico

https://www.nescafe.com/us/products/clasico/

This is something I see at both BJs and Costco so I was curious how it stands up to the other highly rated brands. If it's good it may be easier for my lazy self to buy in bulk and have fewer trips.

I have not yet tried this so will come back with my review after trying this out.

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Separate from this review I wanted to someday analyze cost per ounce and also store availability. Writing this note here to remind myself.