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Instant Coffee
JWFokker
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Lately I've been on an instant coffee kick, primarily because I've gotten tired of grinding beans, preparing the grounds and water, brewing, and then cleaning it all up. I want my coffee in two minutes or less with minimal cleanup. I realize that a coffee pod or K-Cup system would be the way to go, but I have yet to purchase one and instead I'm trying to find out if there is decent or even good instant coffee out there (primarily because it's cheaper than coffee pods).
My first two endeavors into instant coffee have been mixed. First I tried Nescafe Clasico, because it was in my cupboard after being brought back from Mexico. I was surprised to find out that it's not bad at all. It doesn't really taste like coffee as I'm used to it, but it doesn't taste bad either. It just lacks a certain something. It does however give the impression of decent coffee.
So I did some googling and found that most instant coffee is made with Robusto beans, rather than Arabica, and therein lies the difference. After discovering this, I went out and found some instant coffee that was made with 100% Colombian Arabica beans, by the name of Cafe Buendia! freeze dried coffee. However, it turned out to be an exercise in disappointment. Cafe Buendia! is actually much worse than the Nescafe Clasico I had previously been drinking. It's got a thin, acrid flavor similar to percolated coffee and it's far too acidic. I had plain old Taster's Choice instant coffee a couple times that was pretty similar, but not quite as bad as this. Clearly, I need to try more instant coffees before I give up, because if Nescafe Clasico can be palatable with cheap Robusto beans, there must be a decent instant coffee that uses Arabica beans. I've heard tales of Nescafe Blend 43, which is actually brewed with a blend of 43 different beans, but I've never seen it in the wild.
What is your experience with instant coffee and what brands do you prefer?
My first two endeavors into instant coffee have been mixed. First I tried Nescafe Clasico, because it was in my cupboard after being brought back from Mexico. I was surprised to find out that it's not bad at all. It doesn't really taste like coffee as I'm used to it, but it doesn't taste bad either. It just lacks a certain something. It does however give the impression of decent coffee.
So I did some googling and found that most instant coffee is made with Robusto beans, rather than Arabica, and therein lies the difference. After discovering this, I went out and found some instant coffee that was made with 100% Colombian Arabica beans, by the name of Cafe Buendia! freeze dried coffee. However, it turned out to be an exercise in disappointment. Cafe Buendia! is actually much worse than the Nescafe Clasico I had previously been drinking. It's got a thin, acrid flavor similar to percolated coffee and it's far too acidic. I had plain old Taster's Choice instant coffee a couple times that was pretty similar, but not quite as bad as this. Clearly, I need to try more instant coffees before I give up, because if Nescafe Clasico can be palatable with cheap Robusto beans, there must be a decent instant coffee that uses Arabica beans. I've heard tales of Nescafe Blend 43, which is actually brewed with a blend of 43 different beans, but I've never seen it in the wild.
What is your experience with instant coffee and what brands do you prefer?
JWFokker on
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Out of curiosity, have you tried a French press? It's not instant, but it's fast, good and quick to clean.
It takes me about five minutes to put the teapot on the stove, throw some beans on the grinder and then straight into the press. You then pour the boiling water straight into the press, wait three minutes and press down on the plunger.
Drink and dump the grounds. Cleaning the press afterward is no harder than cleaning the cup you drank out of.
I ask because every instant coffee I've tried, even the supposedly higher end stuff, has had a nasty chemical aftertaste. The pod and cup based systems are nice, but pricey and full of breakable moving parts.
EDIT: wishda is right... a press is the way to go.
We cannot allow the communist plot to fluoridate our coffees.
Otherwise, yeah, do a french press or the teabag thing. Asking what sort of instant coffee is best is akin to asking which fingernail will hurt the least when torn off with rusty pliers.
Also, I am the worst person in the world to ask what tastes good because I believe the best coffee is bitter coffee.
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I've been using an Aeropress, so the process is similar to the French Press, but still takes longer than I'd like to spend brewing one or two cups of coffee.
See, now I just want to taste the inside of your asshole.
Drip coffee is pretty close to ideal, but it's hard to find a machine that reaches the right temperature that can also brew just 8-12oz of coffee at a time, which is why I was investigating instant coffee, or if I have to, a coffee pod machine.
Me too. And I hope he's white and French. It's my favorite coffee flavor.
Protip: It's probably caffeine free.
Its pretty good. Its small, easy to make coffee and easy to clean.
Everyone makes a big deal out of how bad it is - I couldn't care less.
Best part is that it literally requires you to push two buttons for a latte and the clean-up is rinsing the milk frother out and descaling the machine every 6 months.
That's what I usually use, and the coffee it produces is excellent, but the whole grinding, heating of water (have to check the temperature too), mixing, press, add water, cleanup thing is a bit more work than I'd like to do for a single cup of coffee.
After a bit more googling, I've started eyeing up the Keurig B30 brewer. It's about the same price as the Senseo 7810 but is quieter and possibly also produces more consistent results.
now why can't the coffee just be coffee, why does the coffee have to be black
Because you add milk to it and it turns white!
http://www.ablackhorse.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=91356
I use a 4-cup coffee maker like this, and I love it. Drip coffee is excellent.
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The join code for the CLASSIC league: 214755-65927
The join code for the HEAD-TO-HEAD league: 5294-3346
I... I thought I knew you...
I mean, when I was in Atlantic City, there was a sign in one of the restaurants that said "we proudly serve Taster's Choice." If there were a restaurant out here serving Taster's Choice, they would be doing everything in their power to make sure no one found out.
Instant coffee is an abomination unto god.
You're not going to find anything less complicated than dunking, waiting, and tossing a tea bag that still involves actual coffee beans.
Well, he could go to Starbucks or its ilk.
There. :P
Man, I don't even know how to order coffee at a coffee shop. I feel dumb because I don't know the lingo, and all I want is straight-up coffee.
Should I just say "Yo! Gimme a small cup of your dark roast!" or what?
http://fantasy.premierleague.com/my-leagues/
The join code for the CLASSIC league: 214755-65927
The join code for the HEAD-TO-HEAD league: 5294-3346
And I can't believe I knew that off the top of my head. Fuck, I've gone native.
Here's how.
Me: I'd like a large coffee with milk.
Then they hand you a large coffee with milk. I do this every day and it works.
Hey, that's simple! Wow!
http://fantasy.premierleague.com/my-leagues/
The join code for the CLASSIC league: 214755-65927
The join code for the HEAD-TO-HEAD league: 5294-3346
Goddamn, somebody shoot me.
If you order a café latté, they'll steam the milk to a froth and charge an extra buck fifty.
Sometime's they'll ask if you want decaf. You say no.
It's for the best.