The Instant Espresso Brand That Wouldn't Impress Any Coffee Lover

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Espresso just hits differently than coffee. The difference between coffee and espresso is that the former is brewed at a higher concentration from top-quality beans that have been roasted longer. That results in bolder, richer, smoother flavor. Espresso feels a little more special and decadent, which can really start your day off on a good note — but there's a hitch. It can also seem less convenient, affordable, and accessible than coffee. If you want one of the best espresso machines, it will cost a pretty penny, and even the beans themselves are pricey. You can grab it from a coffee shop instead, but that's an extra errand and adds up in the spending department. The best way to go is often to look at ways to make espresso at home without a machine, and the easiest and most reliable option for that is instant espresso. Not all instant espressos are created equally, though.

To sort through the options, we ranked 10 instant espresso brands. And we can save you from a less-than-stellar java moment: Skip Caffe D'Avita Imported Premium Instant Espresso. It was less robust than coffee, when espresso is supposed to be the opposite. A little tropical citrus in coffees and espressos is pleasant, but Caffe D'Avita was disconcertingly sour and tart, with a lingering, chemical-like aftertaste.

Instant espresso is made by roasting, grinding, and then brewing top-notch coffee beans. The coffee then gets freeze-dried or spray-dried into concentrated powder. Freeze-drying is preferable because spray-drying can remove a good amount of flavor. When instant espresso has been freeze-dried, you can tell because it results in a coarser, more crystal-like texture compared to spray-dried espresso's finer powder. Caffe D'Avita does appear to be freeze-dried, and this is confirmed on the brand's website, so it's a mystery where its robust flavor went, and doubly so where its sourness comes from.

Many shoppers who bought Caffe D'Avita on Amazon express disappointment in their reviews, saying it tastes downright awful, terrible, and bitter — one customer even had to throw it away. Middle-of-the-road instant espresso might work in some form where there are other ingredients to factor into the flavor — you can use it to create a no-bake espresso mud pie, or to mix up a quick espresso martini. But Caffe D'Avita would likely bring off-putting tartness to those recipes, and you might not even get enough espresso character. That doesn't mean you have to write Caffe D'Avita off entirely, however. Apparently, the brand's Instant Mocha Cappuccino, which can be made hot or iced, has a cult following. Redditors call it delicious, and Costco shoppers say it is a daily must-have.