How to Make Your Instant Coffee Taste Better

Last Updated on December 4, 2023

I’ll tell you what motivated me to learn how to make instant coffee taste better.

I volunteered to chaperone for a ski trip with my daughter’s high school. I was the lone adult looking after a cabin full of kids. Foolishly, I assumed the lodge would have some sort of decent coffee setup in each cabin.

I was wrong.

There was a kettle, and a can of instant coffee in the cupboard. That’s it. It was not good.

Next time, I’ll be more prepared. I’ve done the research, and here are nine things that I now know will make instant coffee taste better:

• milk
• cream or heavy cream
• cinnamon
• agave syrup
• low-calorie sweetener
• sugar
• flavored syrups
• flavored coffee creamer
• butter

Instant Coffee Tip No. 1

If you want to make your instant coffee taste better, the most important thing to do is this: Dissolve the instant coffee granules in cold water first, before you add any hot water. Hot water dissolves instant coffee too quickly, leading to a powdery consistency in the coffee. Dissolving in cold water first makes a smoother-tasting cup.

What is Instant Coffee?

Instant coffee might sound like a modern convenience, but it’s been around for centuries. The first instant coffee was made in Britain in the 1700s, with the first American version being made in the 1800s. Instant coffee can be made in two ways. One involves sending a liquid coffee spray through dry, hot air. The air dries the coffee into the crystal-like grains you see in instant coffee.

The other method is freeze-drying. It is more gentle on the coffee and tends to produce better flavor.

Instant Coffee vs. Ground Coffee

The process of making instant coffee detracts from the coffee’s flavor. And while instant coffee might look a bit like ground coffee, the two are quite different. Both start with roasted coffee beans. To make regular coffee, the beans are ground and brewed with hot water.

Instant coffee adds an extra step. In production facilities, roasted beans are ground and brewed into actual coffee. Then the brewed coffee is turned into instant coffee by being either dried out in hot air or freeze-dried.

Why Does Instant Coffee Taste Bad?

The inferior taste of instant coffee comes down to two things: lower quality beans, and loss of aroma and flavor during the dehydration process.

Instant coffee brands make a lot of coffee, and they rarely choose the finest beans. They already know the coffee’s going to be spray-dried or freeze-dried, so why bother buying the expensive stuff? Instead, they tend to use a lot of Robusta beans (as opposed to Arabica) which are cheaper and taste more bitter.

When they make the coffee and then spray it into a drying chamber to create the crystals, the intense heat alters the aromatic compounds. Once they’re gone, they’re gone—even when you rehydrate those crystals to make your morning coffee.

The Best Tasting Instant Coffee

In our opinion, one instant coffee clearly stands out above all the rest: Waka Coffee.

Waka is bringing a specialty coffee sensibility to the instant coffee market, and their 100% single-origin Arabica coffee is easily the closest thing to fresh-brewed you will find. Their Colombian is a nice, medium roast with citrus notes, quite unlike any instant coffee you may know.

Their coffee comes in boxes of single-serve packets, and they donate a portion of proceeds to clean-water efforts around the globe.

If you can get your hands on some Waka, you’re off to a good start.

How to Make Instant Coffee

Instant coffee seldom tastes as good as brewed coffee, but there are steps you can take to improve the taste. The first step, of course, is buying the best brand of instant coffee you can find, like Waka. You will probably see bargain brands for sale, but these almost always taste worse.

The next step is ensuring you use filtered water. Many chain coffee shops use a special water filtration system to ensure purity, since even low levels of contaminants can affect taste. If you can, use bottled water or an at-home water filter.

Next comes the brewing itself. Make sure you use the little trick I talked about in the opening paragraphs: Before you mix your instant coffee with hot water, dissolve it in a small amount of cold water. This dissolves it more slowly and makes for a smoother cup.

And lastly, be sure the hot water you use has been freshly boiled. Water that sits in a kettle on the stove for a long while after boiling loses some of its vitality.

How Much Instant Coffee Per Cup?

While it may be tempting to just eyeball how much instant coffee you put in your cup, doing so is a sure way to end up with coffee that’s either too strong or too weak. While your specific brand will likely have its own instructions, it’s a good general rule to use one to two teaspoons per cup of water. But if you like your coffee stronger or weaker, adjust accordingly. And let your taste buds be the guide—you can always add more coffee or or more water after tasting until you get it right.

What to Add to Instant Coffee

Even when you use good-quality instant coffee, filtered water, and stick to the best process you know, sometimes the taste of your instant coffee still isn’t up to par. When this happens, your last recourse is to add some extra ingredients to make your instant coffee taste better. Here are a few suggestions:

Milk

This is a simple addition, but if you’re looking to dilute the coffee flavor without adding a lot of calories, milk is the way to go. If you prefer a non-dairy alternative, you might try soy, almond, coconut, or oat milk. And milk is one of those things you’re likely to always have in your fridge.

Cream or Heavy Cream

For a more decadent taste, cream (also called half-and-half or breve) is an excellent addition. Heavy cream’s rich taste and thickness are likely to improve both the taste and consistency of a cup of instant coffee.

Cinnamon

If you prefer spicy additions, try cinnamon. It’s calorie-free and adds a pleasant flavor.

Agave Syrup

This is an unconventional way to sweeten coffee, but because of its consistency, agave syrup blends into instant coffee very well.

Low-Calorie Sweetener

If you prefer to keep your calories low, your favorite low-calorie sweetener has the potential to bring out the better flavors in a cup of instant coffee.

Sugar

As the original coffee sweetener, sugar will make almost any cup of instant coffee taste better.

Flavored Syrups

If you’re the adventurous type or enjoy exploring new flavors, try an at-home coffee syrup. They come in a range of flavors, including caramel, vanilla, and hazelnut.

Flavored Coffee Creamer

Any grocery store is sure to have a range of flavored coffee creamers, which come in both liquid and powder form, in flavors similar to the syrups. Liquid is more likely to blend well, but powdered creamer will last significantly longer after you open it.

If you’ve been dissatisfied with the taste of your instant coffee, you now know several ways to make it taste better. And if one brewing method or coffee additive doesn’t measure up, don’t be afraid to try again. Learning how to make instant coffee taste better is a journey in itself—and can save you if you’re ever trapped in a cabin with kids, a can, and a kettle.

Butter

Fat is flavor, so a slice of butter in your coffee can give it something it’s missing. Try it sometime, with a splash of milk or cream as well. You might be surprised.

References:

• https://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-how-is-instant-co-69158
• https://www.purewow.com/food/make-instant-coffee-taste-better