Costa Coffee Smooth Medium Roast Premium Instant Coffee with Finely Ground Beans, Microground Coffee, 6 x 100g (Pack of 6), Strength Indicator- 3, Rainforest Alliance

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READ NEXT: The best craft beers made in the UK The best instant coffee to buy in 2023 1. Kenco Smooth Instant: The best standard instant coffee Coffee bags: Admittedly, this coffee isn’t instant – it takes as long to make as a tea – but it’s still pre-made and doesn’t require any special equipment. Coffee bags contain roasted coffee beans that have been ground and then sealed for freshness – the caffeine, flavours and aromas are then released when the bag is brewed in hot water. How long does instant coffee last? All the major coffee brands have been competing to produce the best-tasting, most cost-efficient products in a bid to keep their caffeine-fiending customers happy – and some amazing instant coffees have emerged as a result. You also have smaller, independent companies rising up on the instant coffee scene, introducing bold, unusual flavours and whole new ways to enjoy your rapidly made cuppa. Made up entirely of roasted Arabica beans in freeze-dried and micro-ground form, then sealed in a pressurised container, the flavours and aroma are rich and well preserved. As far as instant coffees go, this is about as fancy as it gets – and the price reflects that. But there’s a reason it’s the instant brew of choice for so many: it tastes wonderful, even without the addition of milk and sugar. When most people think of instant coffee, they probably picture the dark brown crumbs inside a Nescafe Original jar, but instant coffee is actually available in a variety of forms. Here are the main kinds to look out for.

Whether you’re after a more luxurious coffee, a tried and trusted classic or an innovative new brew, our list of the best instant coffees will have you sipping delicious, ready-made java in no time. You can stir it, stew it, use water as hot as the sun .. and the coffee just will not dissolve properly! Instant coffee has a longer shelf life than whole or ground coffee beans due to the way it’s been preserved. An unopened jar should keep for at least a year and, once you do open it, it will be good for another three months. A typical 100g container of instant coffee has around 50 mugs’ worth of coffee inside, so if you’re a daily drinker you’ll finish it well within the best before date. How much should I spend on instant coffee?Freeze-dried coffee: Freeze-drying preserves more of the aroma and flavour profile of brewed coffee, but the process is more costly and time-consuming. Because the flavour is more integral, coffee companies tend to choose good-quality Arabica beans rather than the cheaper Robusta beans used for spray-drying. Freeze-dried instant coffee has a light brown colour and the particles are larger and firmer. If you’re after a little excitement in your daily cuppa, this Irish cream flavour from Beanies might be the instant coffee for you. Rather than pouring a calorific and alcoholic splash of Bailey’s into your coffee each morning (a fun habit, but not the healthiest), you could instead enjoy this convincing and nearly calorie-free alternative. And even if that flavour doesn’t satisfy, there are over 20 other interesting flavours to choose from, including hazelnut, chai latte and maple fudge. The only real downside is the small jar, which contains around 25 cups’ worth of coffee. Coffee granules: As mentioned, coffee granules (aka coffee crystals or soluble coffee) remain the most common form of instant coffee. Confusingly, not all coffee granules are made equal. There are two main methods of producing coffee granules: Without a doubt, Nescafe’s Azera Americano is the best micro-ground coffee you can buy. A blend of Nescafe freeze-dried instant coffee and roasted coffee beans that have been ground into a silt-like powder, Azera coffee dissolves effortlessly into hot water to produce a medium-strength coffee that smells and tastes great.

It's not that it's a small amount that's left floating around your drink either. It's enough to make you feel like you've swilled sand water around your teeth. It's bitty, it's crunchy.. it's just not nice at all. Spray-dried coffee: This is a cheap method of turning brewed coffee into instant coffee granules. The spray-drying process is highly economical but results in much of the coffee’s flavour being lost, meaning there’s no point in using high-end coffee beans. Spray-dried coffee can be identified by its dark brown colour and small, rounded particles.