The Best Way To Brew A Good-Tasting Cup Of Instant Coffee

It should stand to reason that a truly excellent cup of coffee starts with high-quality ingredients, and instant coffee is, to many minds, never going to fit into that category. Instant coffee, in case you've ever wondered about its ingredients, is dehydrated liquid coffee concentrate. It has a reputation for being pretty terrible, but you can definitely put lipstick on this pig, says coffee expert Matt Woodburn-Simmonds of Home Coffee Expert in an exclusive interview with Foodie. Woodburn-Simmonds, an ex-barista and coffee aficionado, compares improving the taste of instant coffee to "trying to duct tape the Titanic back together," but emphasizes that not all hope is lost.

It may be Mission: Impossible to turn instant coffee into a cuppa that you can compare to joe that's been freshly-roasted, hand-ground, and lovingly brewed in a premium percolator. But, as Woodburn-Simmonds hilariously puts it while continuing the Titanic metaphor, "you can at least give the band enough time to finish playing before it sinks." Making a decent mug of instant coffee comes down to two tricks: picking a decent brand, and doctoring the drink to the point that the subpar flavor is drowned out.

First of all, says Woodburn-Simmonds, try not to skimp on the instant coffee you buy. "Let's start at least a tiny bit above the absolute bottom of the flavor barrel," he jokes, suggesting that you purchase the best coffee you can afford. The root of instant coffee's ickiness, he says, is "cheap, over-roasted beans." If you don't grab the lowliest coffee on the shelf, you have already put yourself in a better position for a decent result. Starbucks makes a premium dark roast instant coffee with 100% Arabica beans that comes in a three-pack and boasts good reviews.

If you've ever disputed the reasons why people put butter in their coffee, be prepared to become a convert. Woodburn-Simmonds suggests it as one possible additive to "balance the fact that most instant coffee is very bitter." But butter isn't the only possibility: anything with fat, such as milk or cream, is going to even out the bitterness. "A whole heap of sugar" could also do you some favors, he says. Considering that adding a pinch apiece of salt and cinnamon is a two-ingredient trick for upgrading cheap coffee, it's a safe bet that this hack would work with instant coffee as well. Overall, you probably don't want to try and drink black instant coffee. This is exactly the moment for a sweet, milky cup.