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26 Sep 12 - 09:01 AM (#3410393) Subject: BS: Instant Coffee? From: McGrath of Harlow I was having a cup of instant coffee, when it occurred to me to ask if any Mudcatter has ever come across a brand of instant coffee that doesn't taste pretty disgusting? Or any tricks to make it taste better? I look at the shelves in the supermarket - row on row of varieties, which only seem to vary in price. They all seem to taste as unpleasant as the others... |
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26 Sep 12 - 09:12 AM (#3410398) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Jack the Sailor Folgers is pretty good. You have that brand over there? |
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26 Sep 12 - 09:14 AM (#3410399) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,Kendall Instant oxymoron. That's what I have always believed until I discovered Kureg. Best coffee ever. Comes in little cups and it is great. You can get either regular or decaf. It is fairly expensive, $8.00 for 12 cups, but if you love good coffee, it is worth it. |
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26 Sep 12 - 09:21 AM (#3410404) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: McGrath of Harlow Wouldn't find either of those on the shelves - though I see from the Folgers website you can buy it through Amazon. I note they say "Folgers Instant Coffee Jars are carefully roasted" which is an interesting idea. Most people would just roast the contents of the jars... |
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26 Sep 12 - 09:31 AM (#3410411) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Jack the Sailor Yeah, or even roasting the beans, then making the instant coffee. I used to drink Nescafe when I drank instant regularly. It was OK but bitter, no good without sugar and creamer. You can get a drip coffee maker and buy ready to brew coffee. that's what I do. Also keep in mind that the flavor of Coffee and tea can be ruined by poor water quality. If you don't already do so you might try filtering the water and making sure there are no foul tasting mineral deposits in your kettle. I dislike the taste of chlorinated water in my coffee. |
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26 Sep 12 - 09:36 AM (#3410416) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Rapparee We used to get these packets of coffee in C-rations that...ah, never mind that. I used to drink Tasters Choice; I found it decent because it was freeze-dried instead of power. No instant coffee is truly an outstanding drink, but 'twill serve, 'twill serve. |
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26 Sep 12 - 09:41 AM (#3410419) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Sawzaw I switched from my favorite instant, Tasters Choice, to drip brewed coffee in a Mr Coffee type brewer, brewed one cup at a time. I still put a dab of instant like Tasters choice on top because it adds something to the flavor. I recently though of starting a thread about people's favorite coffee. There are apparently thousands of choices. I am current buying Java Paradise Donut Shop coffee but recently I got a can if Chock Full of Nuts Dark Arrabica New York Roast Decaf which seems to equal the Java Delite. The K cups are extremely expensive but there is a reusable K cup now that you can fill with your favorite. I haven't tried it yet. |
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26 Sep 12 - 09:48 AM (#3410423) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Jack the Sailor Cool Sawzaw. But I like the flavor of the coffee Carol and I brew. I believe that there may have already been a favorite coffee thread. I remember telling folks that mine is a simple medium roast Columbian. From any of a few popular brands like Folgers or Great Value. I've tried a lot of more expensive coffees but don't like them as much. But I have never tried, Jamaica Blue Mountain or Kopi Luwak. |
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26 Sep 12 - 09:55 AM (#3410428) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Henry Krinkle Nescafe Clasico. Pretty good stuff. Kroger store brand Cafe Autentici if you're broke or can't find any Nescafe. (:-( ))= |
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26 Sep 12 - 10:21 AM (#3410446) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Rapparee Jamaica Blue Mountain is...well, you gotta try it. It's just that over-used word "fantastic." I don't drink nothing some cat shat. |
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26 Sep 12 - 10:29 AM (#3410451) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,Peter Laban It's not all that long ago all coffee in Ireland seemed instant. I remember ordering coffee some time during the late eighties. The girl picked up a styrofoam cup, dropped a spoon of Maxwell House in it, filled it with tap water and put it in the microwave. After that, things could only improve. |
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26 Sep 12 - 10:33 AM (#3410455) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,olddude Honestly I never had a cup of instant coffee that didn't taste like dishwater. It will do in a pinch when you are desperate but I hate the stuff myself. I drink far too much coffee but the instant stuff no for sure |
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26 Sep 12 - 10:55 AM (#3410461) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Jeri Most instant coffee is... well, it's better than NO coffee. Starbucks make these little packets of instant coffee which contain micro-ground coffee, so it's sorta instant plus "cowboy coffee", and it's strong. According to the Mayo Clinic's website: Caffeine |
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26 Sep 12 - 11:15 AM (#3410469) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: artbrooks I like Starbucks instant, and (IMHO) it is better than a lot of brewed coffee. It is strong, though...the one called "Blonde" is less so than the others. |
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26 Sep 12 - 11:15 AM (#3410470) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Will Fly Instant coffee - crap, never drink it. |
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26 Sep 12 - 11:23 AM (#3410475) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Henry Krinkle You can make it stronger than brewed. Make it double strength. Yum! (:-( P)= |
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26 Sep 12 - 11:28 AM (#3410477) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Will Fly Ah, double strength crap... :-) |
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26 Sep 12 - 11:41 AM (#3410488) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: John MacKenzie Well for what it's worth, I drink real coffee black, no sugar. The only way I can manage instant is, to use a good blend, preferably Kenco Colombian. I put about 2 teaspoonfulls of cold water in a cup, add the instant coffee, stir it till dissolved, then add milk. I then top it up with boiling water. Somebody once told me that you should never pour boiling water on powders coffee, just the powder/granules that is, as it makes it more bitter. |
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26 Sep 12 - 11:49 AM (#3410492) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Richard Bridge I have a friend who although impoverished drinks only her preferred brand of instant coffee - the rather expensive "Carte Noir". She seems to be able to taste the difference. I tested her out by putting a "best generic" in the jar and she spotted it at once by taste - even though it was with milk and sugar. |
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26 Sep 12 - 12:07 PM (#3410498) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,999 Different coffees have different tastes. I've never figured out the differences. So, if you ever offer me a cup it won't matter which end of the financial spectrum you're from. I resolutely hold to the principle of whatever's on sale is what's on the table. I did once tell a wanker that if he didn't like it, he was welcome to bring his own next time. |
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26 Sep 12 - 12:23 PM (#3410505) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: John MacKenzie Wankers always prefer their own B. |
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26 Sep 12 - 12:31 PM (#3410511) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Ed T The various shades of Instant coffee Instant coffee,hot water first-Black as hell (if hell is black?) Instant Coffee,hot water after- black and Foamy on top Instant coffee, with powder whitener - acid flashback 1964 Instant Coffee with Canned milk - canned milk in disguise Instant Coffee with powdered milk - floatsome delight Instant coffee, water not so hot - extra virgin,unfiltered Instant Coffee with skim milk - thin, "granola" delight Instant Coffee with Half and half- curiosity, what's the other half? Instant Coffee, store brand, for the WTF generation |
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26 Sep 12 - 12:38 PM (#3410518) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Ed T Oh yes, the ones I forgot: Instant coffee, 18% coffee cream, pre ER triage Instant coffee, 10 percent cream, missionary position Instant coffee, 2 % milk, the "Play-it-safe", post bypass, alternative Instant coffee, homo milk, almost coffee (not that there is anything wrong with that) |
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26 Sep 12 - 12:40 PM (#3410519) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Steve Shaw I thought I hated coffee and hardly ever drank it for 40 years. Then, in Venice last October, we found we couldn't get a decent cup of tea at any of the cafes we went to. They gave you a teabag on a string, still in its outer wrapper, and a cup of rapidly-cooling water. Useless! So, reluctantly, I started to have cappuccinos. Couldn't believe the difference between them and the loathesome instant coffee. We now have an espresso machine and a grinder, and a morning sans coffee is unthinkable. Bit of a fiddle, but well worth dumping the Nescafe for! |
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26 Sep 12 - 12:55 PM (#3410528) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: MartinRyan Many years ago, I was teaching sailing on a small island in the remote South West of Ireland. In those days, "coffee" meant "instant" to just about everyone in Ireland. Half the sailing trainees were French... I remember them putting two tablespoons of Maxwell House into a small mug in an attempt to get some sort of taste from it! Regards |
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26 Sep 12 - 01:53 PM (#3410553) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Jeri Hey 9, I think that wanker was me, and I did! I don't drink that much coffee these days. One cup a day, but it's got about 3 normal cups' worth of coffee. I often have some of the good instant to add to other people's brews, but if they make weaker coffee, I can drink more of it. On my way to Kuwait, we were waiting for an aircraft turn-around in Moron, Spain. (Plane broke, had to spend 3 days in Spain--oh, the horror! HA!) There was a coffee shop next to the terminal. We were warned the cappuccino was dangerously strong. It was about the same strength as I made coffee at home. I'm less of a "real coffee" snob than I used to be, though. I think instant coffee is a lot better than it used to be. Remember how Sanka used to taste? |
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26 Sep 12 - 02:16 PM (#3410562) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: kendall Time was that decaf meant Sanka.YUK. I'm having a cup of Newman's own Kureg decaf right now. When Jacqui's son and son in law came to visit they both brought their own stash of Carte Noir. Had no interest in good coffee. |
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26 Sep 12 - 02:29 PM (#3410569) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Bill D I kive in a large metro area, so I have many choices.... and it may have been 10+ years since I drank instant. If I had to, I would add some sort of flavoring, like chocolate or one of those flavorings used to flavor cake icing.... I know one can get 'used' to a particular flavor, such as instant coffee, but would rather not. |
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26 Sep 12 - 02:42 PM (#3410573) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: JohnInKansas I've never been much impressed with some of the exotic (and largely mythical) things people do that they say makes a better cup of coffee. I even enjoyed my "army brew" that probably was bulk processed in a farm stock tank and the "stuff" served on visits to several AF bases. I can recommend the Folgers "crystals" as a resource for a quick cup. I can't recommend mix-and-blast in a microwave, however, as that method has never produced anything that even I can swallow - with any kind of coffee. If you put the Folgers in an appropriate cup, preferably after filling the cup with boiling water and then discarding the water to preheat it. With the "crystals" in the cup add boiling water and stir for a couple of swishes if you think that's necessary, and the coffee has always been indistinguishable from "fresh brewed" or "perked." Getting the "just right" amount of coffee for the cup you use (and the amount of water) is still fairly critical to getting it consistent, but the "right" amount may vary with your taste. I will agree that most instant coffees don't make an adequate cup. The stuff that looks like dirty talcum power in the jar always seems to me to have a residual "powder" taste, apparently/possibly because the dirty dust never fully dissolves as intended. I've found some brands that left a "powder scum" of unincorporated "crud" floating on top even after you've about finished choking down enough to be "almost polite enough" to whomever it was that forced the stuff at you. John |
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26 Sep 12 - 04:29 PM (#3410613) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Ed T From an instant coffee website: Rocket Fuel Strong Instant Coffee with Added Guarana 100 g (Pack of 6) 1.0 out of 5 stars Filth, dirt and rankness in droves. Avoid!, 21 Sep 2012 By Mr. Tkm Cooper (REAL NAME) I can't even begin to describe how utterly disgusting this product is. I like my coffee, I prefer filter coffee but I like a good cup of instant now and then (I'm not a coffee snob), so when a work colleague brought this so called 'rocket-fuel' in, I thought I'd give it a go. I made it conservatively (one teaspoon and quite a bit of milk). It looked rank. Thick and black, it looked like it was festering. Against my better judgment I took a sip. I nearly threw up. It tasted like liquid dirt and tarmac with a whole pot of marmite and bovril thrown in for good measure. I could feel my teeth dissolving and my guts churning with every gulp. I'm sitting here with half the cup to go and I don't think I can finish it. I'm going to taste this utter sh**e for days and no amount of teeth cleaning will rid me of the taste or stench of this putrid bile. In short. Avoid at all costs!! |
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26 Sep 12 - 04:35 PM (#3410615) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Ed T Taste test from Huff-Post. Taste test |
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26 Sep 12 - 04:37 PM (#3410617) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,999 Sounds OK to me, Ed. However, I've just noticed that likely all of you wash your cups between cups. I'll give that a try one of these days. |
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26 Sep 12 - 04:51 PM (#3410619) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: JohnInKansas Never heard of such a barbaric practice. WASH A COFFEE CUP????? I scrape mine out occasionally when the crust builds up enough to reduce the capacity, but ... John |
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26 Sep 12 - 05:00 PM (#3410621) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: McGrath of Harlow If I was going to the trouble of making real coffee I might as well make a proper pot of tea instead. For a quick fix of caffeine instant is convenient, just tastes nasty. Would it help if I used a proper copper coffe pot? |
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26 Sep 12 - 05:12 PM (#3410625) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Deckman HEY RAP .... I remember that Army coffee. When we medics were out in the field, our morning mug of coffee was the ONLY hot water we had. We'd drink half of it, then mix our shaving soap in the other half and shave. The we'd drink the rest of the coffee, with the remains of the shaving soap, and we always found that the coffee tasted better! bob(deckman)nelson |
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26 Sep 12 - 05:32 PM (#3410636) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Ed T I recall the puzzled look on Jack Soo's face on the Barney Miller show after someone washed his coffee cup. He said that he thought the baked on dirt was a pattern:) |
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26 Sep 12 - 05:54 PM (#3410645) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,DrWord Oh Jack Soo! Thanks for the memory flash! Just say no to instant! Just say 'NO!' to decaf. cheers dennis [goes to hook up a new IV ~ dark roast ~ I love the java jive!] |
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26 Sep 12 - 06:14 PM (#3410655) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Ed T A Jack Soo Coffee moment: Coffee from rainwater |
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26 Sep 12 - 08:43 PM (#3410712) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,DrWord Oh Jack! Thanx, EdT lol jack soo lol again dennis |
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26 Sep 12 - 08:51 PM (#3410715) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Bee-dubya-ell Instant coffee is okay as long as you don't expect too much of it. Don't expect it to taste like real coffee, 'cause it ain't gonna happen. Expect it to taste like a coffee-flavored beverage. You don't expect a grape Popsicle to taste like a good bottle of wine, do ya? |
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26 Sep 12 - 09:50 PM (#3410733) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Ed T Instatant coffee to freshly ground brewed coffee, is like haggis to bagged haggis tatter chips? Haggis and Black Pepper chips |
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26 Sep 12 - 10:36 PM (#3410740) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,999 That'd go good with the coffee I drink, Ed. Great idea; many thanks. |
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27 Sep 12 - 01:18 AM (#3410757) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Sawzaw The Java Paradise Donut Shop Coffee I spoke of is less than $5 for a 10 oz bag at Super Walmart. The Chock Full of Nuts Dark Arabica New York Roast Decaf, Ooops, It was not decaf after all, was less than $5 for a 10.5oz can at Shoppers Food Warehouse. They taste as good as the more expensive stuff I have tried. Starbucks has some instant as a concentrate in small skinny ketchup type packets. I haven't tried any because it too expensive. But why fool around with instant anyway? It takes as long to boil the water for a cup of instant than it does to make a cup in a drip coffee maker. They even have little 4 cup drip brewers at Walmart for less than $9. You need to get a reusable basket so you don't have to use paper filters. |
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27 Sep 12 - 07:22 AM (#3410828) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,Blandiver I used to drink Carte Noir decaff on a night because it put me to sleep quite effectively. Back then I was a Gold Blend man, but since I gave up smoking in 2000 & got my taste buds back I moved to grounds & a wee Bodum cafetierre because (being a man) I like the gubbins & accessories. I'm on ASDA's Indian Elephant Farm grounds these days - by why oh why (oh why oh why) can't you get Cuban Havana in UK supermarkets anymore??? ASDA's was perfect; Taylor's likewise. It all vanished 3 years ago & I'm loathed to start buying it online; Hungarian Jew's Harps - fine (ASDA have never stocked them), but not coffee. |
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27 Sep 12 - 07:38 AM (#3410834) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,Black Belt Caterpillar Wrestler I've never been able to work out why more than one cup of non-decaf coffee a day gives me palpitations but I can drink as much cola as I like. It must mean that it is not just the caffiene that causes the problems, but a combination of chemicals in the coffee that are removed to make it de-caff. Best coffe I ever tasted was something called "Mr Higgins's Venetian blend" which a friend gave me to try. |
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27 Sep 12 - 11:33 AM (#3410914) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,olddude I drink fresh brewed anything as long as it is black as night, strong enough to melt your spoon. If there are grounds in the bottom even better. Just black nothing in it, ruins the coffee if ya put anything in it. |
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27 Sep 12 - 11:36 AM (#3410916) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,999 With you all the way, Dan. Just as we use coffee grounds to help clear sink pipes, so too can we use them to clean our intestines. |
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27 Sep 12 - 11:46 AM (#3410922) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Ed T There are two main ways of producing instant coffee - freeze drying and spray drying. In freeze-drying, brewed coffee is frozen into granules, which are then placed in vacuum chamber, where the water sublimates (evaporates w/o liquifaction). In spray-drying, brewed coffee is sprayed in tower and dried by hot air in the matter of seconds. Freeze dried instant coffee advantage: higher quality product, better preserved flavor. Spray dried instant coffee advantages: faster and cheaper. Source: Producing Instant coffee |
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27 Sep 12 - 12:02 PM (#3410929) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: Ed T Good info on coffee found here, IMO. Coffee faq |
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27 Sep 12 - 12:04 PM (#3410930) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: kendall Barney Miller was the best sitcom ever. NYPD Blue a close second. |
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27 Sep 12 - 12:05 PM (#3410931) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,Stim I heartily endorse Henry Krinkle's "Nescafe Classico" and Jeri's Starbucks pods. The Carte Noire is excellent, as well. The Nescafe Classico is made for the Latino market in the West, it is not the same as the regular Nescafe. It develops that Nescafe makes different instant coffee for the different markets it serves around the world-- Indonesian Nescafe Classic is reputed to be their best(I haven't been able to find it in the US, so I can say no more) their Alta Rica is also supposed to be excellent, and I believe that is available in the UK. In better days, I was a coffee s...well, a person who liked really good coffee a lot. These days, it's instant most days because its cheaper and you only waste what you leave in your cup. |
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27 Sep 12 - 01:33 PM (#3410971) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: GUEST,Eliza I've had Nescafe's Gold Blend for years and it's very nice. Don't know what all the fuss is about! |
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27 Sep 12 - 02:07 PM (#3410989) Subject: RE: BS: Instant Coffee From: kendall Try the Jamaican stuff. One cup of that and you are awake the rest of your life. I took some pleasure sitting by the pool in Montego Bay drinking Jamaican coffee at $20.00 a cup! Of course, that was Jamaican dollars. |