FOOD NEWS
Ranking Instant Espresso Brands from Worst to Best
BY Hunter Wren Miele
10. Caffe D'Vita
Caffe D'Vita instant espresso's chunky texture made it clear it was freeze-dried — usually preferable to spray-dried — making its flavor more disappointing.
Rather than having a chocolatey and robust smell, it was more citrus-like. This hinted at its flavor, which was almost like that of straight lemon juice.
9. Fire Department
Fire Department Coffee's Skull-Crushing instant espresso has an aroma similar to gas station coffee or cheap grocery store beans made in a dirty drip brewer.
The first sip tastes of burnt beans, which is followed by a metallic aftertaste. Given its directions, it also seems like this espresso is meant to be drunk like a regular coffee.
8. Butter-Nut
While Butter-Nut instant espresso has a noticeable caramel-like taste and a full-bodied richness, it lacks the creamy, chocolatey taste of genuine espresso.
The coffee was sweeter than others on this list but brewing it according to package directions resulted in an incredibly weak shot.
7. Ferrara
Thanks to being made with a blend of arabica and robusta beans, Ferrara has a slightly elevated taste with an intense smokiness and chocolate flavor.
It's a little too bitter to drink black, but a splash of milk makes for a decent middle-of-the-road coffee drink without any particularly tasty notes.
6. NesCafé Gold
While the NesCafé Gold instant espresso container makes several claims that seem false, its flavor was toasty, caramel-like, and pleasant, with a mellow sweetness.
It has a jarring, acidic aftertaste, but adding some creamy milk elevated its body to make it slightly more espresso-like while masking this unpleasant aftertaste.