# Almost half of the world actually prefers instant coffee



## kleenex (Jul 20, 2014)

Almost half of the world actually prefers instant coffee - The Washington Post

From link:

Americans’ taste in coffee might be getting more high-end—with a growing fixation on perfectly roasted beans, pricier caffeinated concoctions, and artisan coffee brewers—but it turns out a surprisingly big part of the world is going in the opposite direction: towards instant coffee. 

Sales of instant coffee—the kind that dissolves in hot water and has been popularized by brands like Nescafe—have nearly tripled since 2000, according to data from market research firm Euromonitor. The world consumed nearly $31 billion-worth last year, and is expected to drink more than $35 billion-worth by 2018. Instant coffee accounts for more than 34 percent of all the retail brewed coffee consumed around the world.

___________________

Is the USA just a bunch of coffee Snobs...


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## Andy M. (Jul 20, 2014)

I can't say I'm a snob, but I will choose to do without rather than drink instant.


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## roadfix (Jul 20, 2014)

I can drink any kind of coffee.  And I only take it black, no cream, no sugar.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jul 20, 2014)

You can find the instant coffee in my house in the Zombie Apocalypse Emergency Kit.


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## Dawgluver (Jul 20, 2014)

Me too as far as instant.  As little as we drink coffee, maybe once or twice a week, I prefer the real deal.

I do have instant on hand to enhance certain recipes, like with ice cream or chocolate.


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## Andy M. (Jul 20, 2014)

I actually have a tiny jar I bought for a recipe of some type.  It went into the rub/marinade if I remember correctly.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jul 20, 2014)

Okay, I do have some instant espresso I use in recipes.  But no straight instant coffee, except for the E-kit.


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## taxlady (Jul 20, 2014)

No regular instant coffee here, but Stirling has a small jar of instant espresso in case of a migraine emergency where we are out of other coffee.

I don't know that people necessarily prefer instant. I have been told that you can only find instant coffee in some places, like Columbia!


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## creative (Jul 20, 2014)

Sales reflect what most people buy but also _what they can afford_!!!

If people, with instant coffee in their shopping baskets, were asked what type of coffee they would like to drink if money were no object...I think the results would be different.

I prefer organic filtered coffee but tend to buy organic instant coffee!  I think it's partly that I associate filtered coffee with having a stronger flavour and I try not to have too much caffeine (e.g. I wouldn't enjoy a watery filtered coffee).


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## Steve Kroll (Jul 20, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> I can't say I'm a snob, but I will choose to do without rather than drink instant.



Couldn't have said it better.


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## Zagut (Jul 20, 2014)

1/2 the world is wrong. 

What else can I say?


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## Aunt Bea (Jul 20, 2014)

I used instant coffee in the 70's during the coffee boycott.

I have also used it when traveling and camping over the years.  I find the secret to making a decent cup of instant coffee is to put the coffee granules into the pot of water and allow it to boil up instead of putting the crystals in the cup and pouring the hot water over them.

Normally I use this ground roast coffee from the local market.
Chock Full Of Nuts Jingle - Page Morton Black - YouTube

Did you know that the original jingle was:

_Chock full o’Nuts is that heavenly coffee,_

_Heavenly coffee, heavenly coffee._
_Chock full o’Nuts is that heavenly coffee,_

_Better coffee Rockefeller’s money can’t buy._

It was changed after complaints from members of the Rockefeller family.


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## bakechef (Jul 20, 2014)

I keep the little packets of Nescafe Classico for recipes, I've used them in a pinch for a cup and they weren't all that bad, full flavored and smooth even.  I use cream and sugar so that can take the edge of mediocre coffee. 

Sent from my IdeaTabA2109A using Discuss Cooking mobile app


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## Zhizara (Jul 20, 2014)

I use instant coffee because I prefer it.  I don't have to throw out 1/2 pot of coffee frequently, I gained counter space, and I prefer the flavor.


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## Mad Cook (Jul 20, 2014)

kleenex said:


> Almost half of the world actually prefers instant coffee - The Washington Post
> 
> From link:
> 
> ...


Perhaps the people who drink the 34% have never had a good cup of coffee.

In Jordan on holiday in the 1990s we stayed in a hotel in Amman where you could chose either Turkish-style coffee, which was the norm, or Nescafe, brought to the table with the tin and hot water and mixed with a great deal of ceremony. It was more expensive too.

I don't like instant coffee. Nothing to do with snobbery. I disliked coffee until I was in my 20s and had "real" coffee for the first time with no milk. My mother made Nescafe completely with hot milk - bleuch!


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## chiklitmanfan (Jul 21, 2014)

As a kid of maybe 10 or 11, when my parents went out I immediately attacked the instant coffee and loved the flavor from the beginning. They'd come home and wonder what was the matter with me as I bounced off the walls. Since then I can't attribute my fascination with instant coffee to anything other than my naivete.'  My wife and I are fanciers of upscale flavored coffees and drink that exclusively, unless we can't get it elsewhere. And must we address the issue of DeCaf? It should be against the laws of God.


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## creative (Jul 21, 2014)

A cup of instant coffee can taste pretty good if the water is heated to _just _under boiling.  If it is boiled, then the coffee can become bitter (info from a coffee expert on the radio).  I have found this to be accurate.


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## roadfix (Jul 21, 2014)

I guess since I grew up drinking instant coffee I'm ok with it.  I like drip better, but percolated (boiled..lol..) best.


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## Steve Kroll (Jul 21, 2014)

People in different places have different tastes. It doesn't necessarily make one more right than the other. To provide another example, here in the US iced tea is very popular and is served in virtually every restaurant. However, most countries around the world don't care for it that way. What does it matter? I still like it.

To me, instant coffee makes a drink that tastes like coffee flavored water. But it seems to be popular in Europe, so maybe that's just what Europeans prefer.

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of drip coffee, either, although I will occasionally drink it. Most Americans love it, though. At home, I have a $600 Italian coffee maker that I use to make my morning coffee. My drink of choice is 2 long shots of espresso with a splash of milk. I'd bet not many others would enjoy it.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jul 21, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> People in different places have different tastes. It doesn't necessarily make one more right than the other. To provide another example, here in the US iced tea is very popular and is served in virtually every restaurant. However, most countries around the world don't care for it that way. What does it matter? I still like it.
> 
> To me, instant coffee makes a drink that tastes like coffee flavored water. But it seems to be popular in Europe, so maybe that's just what Europeans prefer.
> 
> To be honest, I'm not a big fan of drip coffee, either, although I will occasionally drink it. Most Americans love it, though. At home, I have a $600 Italian coffee maker that I use to make my morning coffee. *My drink of choice is 2 long shots of espresso with a splash of milk. I'd bet not many others would enjoy it*.



Make that half & half and I would join you.  Love espresso with a little cream...


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## mmyap (Jul 21, 2014)

We keep Starbuck Via instant coffee packs in our zombie apocalypse kit.  It's pretty good.  It's also used for the occasional coffee cake that I like to make with instant coffee.

For daily use we just got a k-cup coffee maker.  Love that thing.


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## Mad Cook (Jul 21, 2014)

creative said:


> A cup of instant coffee can taste pretty good if the water is heated to _just _under boiling. If it is boiled, then the coffee can become bitter (info from a coffee expert on the radio). I have found this to be accurate.


A friend, who prefers her instant coffee white, dissolves the coffee in the milk and then pours on the hot water. She says it tastes better than milk poured in after the water. I'm not sure whether this is because water is cooled by the milk or whether it comes down to the milk first or second issue as in tea. (I prefer the tea in the cup first and then the milk added after. Others prefer milk in first and hot tea after.)


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## Mad Cook (Jul 21, 2014)

kleenex said:


> _Almost half of the world_ actually prefers instant coffee - The Washington Post
> 
> 
> ___________________
> ...


Of course, it's a question of interpretation - The results also mean that _less than half_ _of the world _prefers instant coffee.


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## taxlady (Jul 21, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> Of course, it's a question of interpretation - The results also mean that _less than half_ _of the world _prefers instant coffee.


like


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## Andy M. (Jul 21, 2014)

Also, I believe most of the world prefers tea.


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## creative (Jul 22, 2014)

Also, as previously mentioned, what people buy can be a question of what they can AFFORD to buy, i.e. not reflect what they would drink given the choice (with money being no drawback).


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## chiklitmanfan (Jul 22, 2014)

Another coffee story. I lived in Anchorage Alaska back in 1969 with 3 Army motor mechanics. We were so poor that for awhile we threw coffee grounds into a sauce pan full of water, boiled it, then strained it through a clean hankie stretched across the top of a mug. NASTY stuff but it got caffeine into our tired bodies! (we did finally manage to buy a percolator) Instant coffee back then and up there? Nope.


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## bakechef (Jul 22, 2014)

Also not all instant is created equal.  I've found that the nescafe that is marketed to mexico, central and south america is better than Folger's our store brands.  I think that it's a bigger market for them.

Sent from my XT1080 using Discuss Cooking mobile app


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## Zagut (Jul 22, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> Of course, it's a question of interpretation - The results also mean that _less than half_ _of the world _prefers instant coffee.


 
See, This shows that perception is everything. 

Instant coffee has it's place in the world. And I can even see where many would like it over other methods of preparation.

Steve likes his Espresso. 
And he's correct. I myself wouldn't want that for my wakeup beverage. Especially with the milk/cream. I'm a Black coffee man don't add anything to it at all.

Instant, Drip, Perked, Steamed, Pressed, Cold brewed, or However you prepare it. Java is a beverage that many folks like and it's a simple bean that's made the world a bit of a smaller sphere. 

To me that's a good thing. 

Well except for this of course. 

Kopi Luwak - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## Mad Cook (Jul 22, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> Also, I believe most of the world prefers tea.


It's only in the last few years that I realised that many Americans drink tea. I thought it was only us and the (British) Commonwealth (and the Chinese and Japanese).


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## Zagut (Jul 22, 2014)

I like my tea iced and my coffee hot.

Flip them around and I'll pass.


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## bakechef (Jul 22, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> It's only in the last few years that I realised that many Americans drink tea. I thought it was only us and the (British) Commonwealth (and the Chinese and Japanese).



I'd definitely say that it isn't as big a part of our culture as it is yours or Asia's, unless you consider sweet tea (sweet iced tea), that's very popular in the American South, many get passionate about it.  

Tea is getting more trendy with tea shops popping up selling many many varieties of loose teas, "gourmet" even.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jul 22, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> It's only in the last few years that I realised that many Americans drink tea. I thought it was only us and the (British) Commonwealth (and the Chinese and Japanese).



I couldn't live without my Earl Grey, English and Irish Breakfast Teas.  Then there are my Oolong, Genmaicha, etc.  I have to brew tea, I have enough teapots to start my own shop.


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## taxlady (Jul 22, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> *I couldn't live without my Earl Grey, English and Irish Breakfast Teas.  *Then there are my Oolong, Genmaicha, etc.  I have to brew tea, I have enough teapots to start my own shop.


Same here. But of course, Canada is part of the British Commonwealth.


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## Addie (Jul 22, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I couldn't live without my Earl Grey, English and Irish Breakfast Teas.  Then there are my Oolong, Genmaicha, etc.  I have to brew tea, I have enough teapots to start my own shop.



I keep a couple of English Tea bags in my Emergency Room bag. They go with me for every trip to the ER. Along with a couple of packets of sugar. I like my tea black with a bit of sugar. 

Instant coffee? No thanks. I don't even keep it on hand. If I am in someone's home and they offer me a drink, unless I see a coffee pot of some kind, I will ask for tea. No coffee pot in sight tells me they most likely drink instant. I will pass thank you.


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## Steve Kroll (Jul 22, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> It's only in the last few years that I realised that many Americans drink tea.


My wife's favorite is Yorkshire Tea (the one with the red label, not the gold), and she will often have a cup in the afternoon. She claims it's one of the few caffeinated beverages she can drink in the middle of the day that won't affect her sleep.


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## Mad Cook (Jul 23, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> My wife's favorite is Yorkshire Tea (the one with the red label, not the gold), and she will often have a cup in the afternoon. She claims it's one of the few caffeinated beverages she can drink in the middle of the day that won't affect her sleep.


Red label Yorkshire tea is good stuff - "builders' tea"! They sell gold label here too but in this area our water is very soft and the gold label its blended for hard water areas. An old friend of my mother's worked for a major tea blending company. She said that, even within one brand of tea, it was blended according to the water quality of the area it was to be sold in. Which explains why, when I went away to college, I quickly learned to buy my tea when I got there and not take it from home! 

I do have tea bags because they are convenient but I also buy Drury English Breakfast loose tea for making one cup with my mini tea maker or by the teapot-full.


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## chiklitmanfan (Jul 23, 2014)

Cindy and I have our little black iron teapot and we brew tea from time to time.  I like my tea with just a little honey but my favorite is sweet tea brewed with Luzianne brand tea.


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## Steve Kroll (Jul 23, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> Red label Yorkshire tea is good stuff - "builders' tea"! They sell gold label here too but in this area our water is very soft and the gold label its blended for hard water areas.


Ah ha... thank you for the clarification. I just assumed gold was a premium blend, but it seems thinner bodied than the original, which, in my opinion, produces a good stiff cup of tea. 

By the way, I realize you are probably not an iced tea drinker, but we've made sun tea with YT, and it works darned good for that beverage, too.


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## danbuter (Jul 23, 2014)

I like instant, but maybe I'm weird. The local instant store brand is far better than the overpriced coffee served at Barnes & Noble, at least.


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