We Tested Instant Coffees—These Are the Ones That Deliver on Flavor

Our Top Pick

Starbucks VIA Instant Coffee in Pike Place Roast

$12 at Amazon $8 at Walmart

When it comes to instant coffee that tastes like regular drip, the top contender is Starbucks VIA Instant Pike Place Roast. Starbucks’ signature brew, so many java drinkers (myself included) are already very familiar with Pike Place Roast's subtle notes of cocoa and nuts, with very light acidity, and a touch of bitterness. When I opened up my first Starbucks VIA Instant Pike Place Roast packet, I steeled myself for disappointment. There’s no way an instant coffee powder can capture the multidimensional flavor profile of classic Pike Place Roast, right?

I’m pleased to report that my assumptions were unfounded. The first point in VIA Instant’s favor involves its ease of use. While the hefty crystals of some instant coffees don’t dissolve as quickly as we might like, VIA Instant is a fine powder that melts away almost immediately in hot water and only takes a few stirs to dissolve thoroughly in cold water. Adding to the convenience factor, Starbucks packages it in convenient single-serve packets that seem specially designed to be tossed into a work bag or stored in a desk drawer. 

When I poured hot water over the coffee powder, I was pleasantly surprised to catch a whiff of that signature coffee aroma. Instant coffees are notorious for their lack of fragrance so that slight scent of toasty beans helped elevate VIA Instant in my esteem. The flavor of coffee is present from the first sip, and I was able to detect clear hints of bitterness (but not to an abrasive level) and while its low acidity might be disappointing to some drinkers, it’s a benefit for coffee lovers with sensitive stomachs. Even after I added a stream of whole milk to the hot coffee, those notes of dark chocolate and roasted nuts still shone through. 

VIA Instant Pike Place Roast is also a highly drinkable iced coffee. Iced instant coffee can be especially prone to a diminished flavor profile, but VIA Instant Pike Place retained its recognizable Pike Place taste even when made with cold water. 

The caffeine content in Starbucks VIA Instant Pike Place is formidable; Starbucks reports that their instant coffees contain anywhere from 130mg to 140mg of caffeine per packet, so if you need a serious afternoon energy boost, this coffee will serve you well.

The Details: (8) 0.11-ounce packets; medium roast

Best Budget

Café Bustelo Espresso Instant Coffee

$11 at Amazon $7 at Target $6 at Walmart

Café Bustelo markets its non-instant coffee as “espresso coffee,” meaning that the beans are roasted and processed in the same style as espresso beans. As a result, Café Bustelo coffee is well-known for a deep, intense flavor and powerful caffeine kick. That intensity typically extends to the aroma of a freshly brewed cup of Café Bustelo, but I didn't note it with the instant version.

In terms of flavor, I got that strong and punchy “hello, it’s espresso!” Café Bustelo taste when I took my first sip. But the overall profile didn’t involve much nuance. After its bold introduction, Café Bustelo Instant gives way to a surprisingly mellow drinking experience. If you add whole milk to the equation, the taste becomes even more mild. When brewed with cold water, Café Bustelo Instant has enough bitterness and coffee flavor to hit the spot, but you’ll never mistake it for an artisanal cold brew. If you’re looking for an easy-drinking instant coffee with low acidity and plenty of caffeine, Café Bustelo Espresso Instant Coffee could be a perfect fit for you. 

The Details: 7.05 ounces; espresso-style dark roast

Best Dark Roast

Nescafé Clásico Dark Roast Instant Coffee

$16 at Amazon $7 at Walmart

Unlike Café Bustelo’s instant coffee, Nescafé Clásico Dark Roast provides a clear coffee aroma, which makes a positive first impression. Traces of toffee layer on top of an earthy base note, and when you sip the coffee, the taste matches up with the scent, accompanied by a distinct, but not overwhelming, bitterness.

I didn’t get a long finish from this coffee; the taste of each sip fades quickly, and that goes double when milk or sugar is added. But the coffee flavor follows in the footsteps of the aroma; it’s present throughout the drinking experience, even when milk is added. Low acidity makes it even easier to go back for another sip, and while the flavors are much richer when the coffee is brewed with hot water, mixing the crystals with cold water yields an inoffensive “iced coffee”. Will it blow you away with rich flavor? Definitely not. But it’s a perfectly fine pick-me-up at the tail end of a long day. 

The Details: 10.5 ounces; dark roast

Best Aroma

Signature Select Instant Coffee Crystals

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Signature Select’s instant coffee, which can be purchased at Safeway, Albertson’s, Randall’s, Shaw’s, Jewel-Osco, and several other regional store chains, easily surpassed my expectations of its quality. A generic supermarket-brand instant coffee doesn’t inspire much confidence from a coffee snob like myself, but the aroma that filled the air once I poured hot water over the Signature Select Instant Coffee Crystals immediately caught my attention. Toasted sugar, deep cacao, and a whiff of campfire were all present and accounted for. 

Also, Signature Select Instant Coffee Crystals represented the only tested coffee to include both acidity and bitterness, which are flavor elements generally expected of regular brewed coffee. I wouldn’t argue that the flavor compares to the java I’d get from my favorite coffee shop; like most instant coffees, Signature Select delivers a taste profile best described as “watered down.” But considering how easy it is to make (although the crystals are fairly sizable, they dissolve rapidly and with minimal stirring), it wasn’t hard to content myself with the close-to-the-real-thing overall flavor. 

The Signature Select crystals come in a larger container than the other jarred crystals in the taste test (8 ounces rather than 7 ounces), so you get more coffee for your buck; in fact, the label on the jar says that you can make up to 120 cups with its contents.

The Details: 8 ounces; medium roast

Best for Travel

Folgers Classic Roast Instant Coffee Crystals

$22 at Amazon

In terms of Folgers Classic Roast Instant Coffee Crystals, we have good news and bad news. The good news is that these crystals have the most travel-friendly packaging of all the instant coffees we sampled. The packets can easily be tucked into a pocket or a tiny purse compartment, and the box that holds them is small, flat, and rectangular, so it takes up less space than even the Starbucks VIA container.

The bad news? Folgers got the lowest flavor and fragrance ratings of the coffees we tasted. The aroma features a musty note that’s less than pleasant, and the coffee has a chemical taste, a strong bitterness on the finish, and no acidity to speak of. To be frank, Folgers instant coffee proved far more drinkable with milk or creamer added, and it packed enough caffeine to boost our energy levels. The delicate grains are also very rapid-dissolving, so if portability and speed are your top priorities, where instant coffee is concerned, then Folgers may just suit your needs.

The Details: (7) 0.07-ounce packets; classic roast