So called "Instant Coffee" is actually the remnant stock of a failed Syrius Cybernetics Corporation Genuine People Pleasing Personality Drink Approximator. The droid/machine was one of the first (and subsequently last) projects wherein the engineers of Syrius Cybernetics Corporation enlisted the aid of the worlds first (and subsequently last) SuperCybernetic brains (also known as Marvin). The machine was programmed from a download of the operating system of the SuperCybernetics brain. Upon boot-up the machine emitted a high pitched whine which rapidly fell to what one of the engineers described as a "groan of anguish". The droid/machine suffered a short circuit caused by the total contents of it's boiler being flushed through every circuit board within the droid/machine. The engineers were not able to ascertain the cause of this (although one source, Marvin, described it as "suicide") and due to numerous lawsuits for other product malfunctions, gave it up as a lark. The corporation was therefore stuck with a huge stock of "not so simulated, coffee appearing powder product". A certain Hitchhiker from the Betelgeuse region bought it for a song and shipped it via a Vogon Survey Vessel to the planet "Earth" (HHGttG entry - Mostly harmless)where he was sure that the dominant species, descendants of primates, would consume it, gag, and then from reflex stupidity, poor another cup.