Hear Me Out: Instant Coffee Is, in Fact, Good

That’s because instant coffee has undergone a full transformation that feels akin to the rise of third-wave coffee shops in the mid-aughts — at least in quality, if not in scale. I first got an inkling of an instant-coffee revolution about six years ago, when a writer pitched tasting and comparing several fancy-looking new instant coffees that were popping up on social media. The results were mixed, and we weren’t entirely sold on the idea that instant coffee was good.

But a year later, in a larger taste test for our guide to the best instant coffees (which we’ve updated over the years), we threw in a couple of those fancy options alongside the big brand names and grocery store staples like Nescafé, Folgers, and even Starbucks.

Side by side, the new-wave stuff really stood out. It tasted more nuanced, more complex, more coffee-like than the old-school competitors, which at best, drew comparisons to gas station coffee, and at worst, elicited tasting notes like “burnt rubber.”

And yet, that initial 2019 taste test was not the thing that converted me to instant coffee. It was parenthood, a few years later.

Specifically, the part of parenthood where I had to wrangle a 3-year-old out the door to school after spending half the night sharing his twin mattress with him.

Typically, I use some of the fastest coffee brewing gear out there — an espresso machine and an Aeropress — but on a groggy, chaotic morning, the fiddly steps of cleaning out old grounds, grinding and measuring beans, and tamping grounds or pouring water feel like a mountain of an obstacle between me and caffeine.

My moment of inspiration came —I’m somewhat embarrassed to say — on a visit to the very fanciest of several fancy coffee shops in my Brooklyn neighborhood, where, among the $36 bags of third-wave coffee beans, I spied an attractive little box of instant coffee from Little Wolf, a Massachusetts-based roaster.

I can’t remember how that morning’s trip to school had gone, but it must have been rough, because I bought the $20 box on the spot. “It’s for work!” I reasoned, thinking I might gather some tasting notes for our next round of instant-coffee testing.

Truthfully, I did not keep or remember specific tasting notes, but I do know that those packets tasted satisfyingly, delightfully close to fresh-brewed coffee. I tried to use them sparingly (with only six packets to the box, they are not cheap!), but I took immense joy from ripping open a packet on mornings when we’d all overslept, or my son was losing his mind because his Elsa dress was in the wash.

A couple months later, I saw an ad for an instant coffee Advent calendar from Onyx Coffee Lab. I’ve been a fan of its coffee for several years since I tasted some of the beans in the sampler we recommend in our guide to gift baskets, so I pounced on the preorder.

I swear I’m not as big of an impulse buyer as this story would suggest, but the idea of not having to futz with a coffee brewer each morning for almost a whole month seemed heavenly; it was a perfect self-care Christmas gift to myself. The Snoopy mug was cute too.

That December, I relished every morning of almost-ready-made coffee and gained a new level of appreciation for how far instant coffee has come. Onyx Coffee Lab packed a different coffee for every single one of the 25 days, and it was a delight to taste the nuances in each. This was not just serviceable coffee, this was a fun, monthlong tasting adventure. Not once did I miss the fresh-brewed stuff.

I did not participate in the most recent round of tasting for our instant coffee guide, but the current picks reflect my revelation. We recommend several options in the “fancy” new instant coffee category now, each of them interesting, different, and pleasant to drink, according to my colleagues.

I do not know what kind of technological advances are responsible for this revolution in instant coffee, but I do know what company is: Swift Coffee. Most of the instant coffees we’ve found from smaller roasters are produced by Swift Coffee, which also makes its own line of instant coffees. It makes the good stuff easy to spot: If it comes as six single-serve packets in a little cardboard box, there’s a good chance it’s made by Swift Coffee.

Top pick

At this point, Swift Coffee partners with a ton of roasters, and I’d say any of its instant coffees are worth trying. But if you want my guidance as a newly minted instant-coffee enthusiast, I’d point you to Onyx Coffee Lab, which pushed my love of instant coffee beyond just appreciation of convenience, and to Swift Coffee, which not only started it all but also offers the most bang for your buck with its bulk pouches and 48-pack boxes.

Because, if you haven’t already gathered, the downside to this new, better instant coffee is that it’s expensive. We’re talking $2 to $3 per serving in most cases.

That’s really the only thing stopping me from turning into my dad at this point. That, and cold brew in the summer, which is an even faster way to get coffee in my body.

But consider me a convert, because hot-coffee season is still at least a month away, and I’m about to splurge on a 48-pack to have at the ready for the first school morning that goes awry.

This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Maxine Builder.