How much do you spend on coffee? The average takeaway coffee is now £3.40 – and one recent survey found millennials are spending £728 a year on them. Thanks to climate change and a limited supply of the world’s most popular coffee beans, prices are expected to continue to rise for some time.
For those of us who can’t bear the thought of shelling out £5 or more for coffee in the near future, there is another way: instant coffee.
Before you scoff, instant coffee has undergone a makeover, meaning that it is no longer limited to bitter, or overly sweet varieties of years ago. Ocado currently sells more than 100 varieties of instant coffee and searches for instant coffee are up 45 per cent on the Waitrose website compared to this time last year.
It’s also much, much cheaper than grabbing that flat white from your favourite coffee shop. Rather than spending up to a fiver per cup, buying instant will save you hundreds on your coffee habit.
Tom Saxon, head of coffee at Batch Coffee, a coffee subscription company curated by experts, says: “Over the last few years, there’s been a lot of research into using speciality coffee for instant coffee. There are indie roasters in the UK who have their own instant coffee brands and there’s a lot more choice out there.”
Samuel Ngugi, a Q-grader (think coffee sommelier) with 15 years of experience in the industry, including as a head barista for industry giant, Arabica, has noticed an explosion of better instant coffee options too:
“We have some good instant coffees now because a lot of innovation is happening. Companies are trying to make it almost the same level as the coffee sold in boutique coffee shops.“
Instant coffee is real coffee that has been brewed and dehydrated and is then packaged, without any additives, ready to be rehydrated with hot water.
Generally, it is made from one of two types of bean, or a blend of the two: arabica, which tastes sweeter and is considered better quality; and, in the more basic coffees, robusta, which is higher in caffeine and tends to be more bitter and earthy.
Saxon recommends smaller brands for instant coffee, such as Littles and True Start – and the UK-based independent roaster, Colonna – but says Nescafé, Starbucks, Matthew Algie, Tchibo all offer decent, affordable options too.
When he returned to the UK from Australia, he tried Nescafé Azera American and began keeping a box at home. “That was my first taste of a sort of different instant coffee that wasn’t Nescafé Classic.”
Ngugi stresses that snobbery aside, we all have different tastes.“I might enjoy a coffee with very high acidity. Someone else might find that coffee unappealing. So I suggest that customers get to know the best instant coffees for them. Try different ones, then you’ll be able to narrow it down and say what works for you.”
Tom Saxon suggests there are some clues you can look out for when shopping for better instant coffees. He says: “With coffee beans or grounds, darker roasted and commercial grade coffee tends to be lower quality. In terms of instant, I would always say try and steer away from big brands. And the more information about where the coffee is from, the better it is. If you can see the origin or the country – as detailed as possible – that’s always a sign of high quality coffee across the board”.
Here are some of the best instant coffees to try according to our experts
Best for a low budget
Aldi’s Alcafé £2.89 for 100g
A dupe of the popular and much more expensive Nescafé Azera Americano brand, Aldi’s offering is almost three times cheaper – with ten extra grams of coffee than the more expensive option. The taste is virtually exactly the same, and even has a little bit of crema in each cup, if you want the fantasy of a barista-made Americano with an instant coffee price.
Best for wellness
TrueStart Barista Grade Instant Coffee £6.99 for 100g (or about 55 cups)
This freeze-dried independent coffee brand promises an energy boost with no crashes or jitters, thanks to carefully selected, beans from Colombia, and independent lab tests for slow-release caffeine. While it’s a little higher in price, the coffee is ethically sourced and offers a subscription service.
Best for brand lovers
Starbucks Premium Instant Coffee Around £3.30 for 120g (x5 24g sachets)
Coffee snobs tend to scoff at Starbucks offerings, but at least one of the experts I spoke to admitted to indulging in its instant coffees every once in a while.
Best for new flavours
Little’s Instant Coffee £24 for 300g
This brand isn’t cheap by any means. But it does have some buzz for its vast range of flavoured coffees if you’re into trying something new every once in a while. From regular coffee to flavours like “Cafe Amaretto” and Havana Rum”, you certainly won’t be bored.
Best for taste
Colonna’s Speciality Instant Coffee £15 for 5 x 2.5g sachets
If you prefer an instant coffee but refuse to compromise on quality, the boutique company Colonna have just launched their first. They use a lighter roast to reduce acidity, allowing for a flavour that matches fresh coffee.
