Do you prefer instant coffee to cafetiere/espresso/drip-filter or the other way round ?

[WildRosie]

I admit I haven't tasted instant coffee for at least a decade; I must have been spoiled by the relative easy availability of ground coffee and various devices for making it, plus the rise of Nero and Costa, inter alia. However, I don't doubt that instant coffee has steadily improved in range and quality. At one time all you could buy was Nescafe, Maxwell House and Mellow Birds, plus supermarket own-brand stuff. Then came the likes of Blend 37 and Masterblend. Now there's dozens of instant coffees but how do they compare to 'proper' coffee ?

Not in the same league, at all.

I can’t drink instant now. We have a cafetière

I have gadgets galore for making coffee but honestly I prefer L'or Classic instant coffee😂🤦🏼‍♀️

It helps to think of them as two different drinks. I like proper coffee but am happy to drink instant so long as I know not to expect proper coffee as it really doesn't taste as good.

Vastly prefer my Aeropress. Also it's so easy to clean!

Any of those as long as it's not instant coffee. Hate the stuff.

I like both of them. Cafetiere after a nice dinner with wine, instant otherwise. Always have Azzera, caff and decaff in. Sometimes will have an instant decaff as a nightcap.

To me, they are two different drinks, both enjoyable in different situations . I drink a lot of fresh coffee (cafetiere at home, bean to cup machine at work) but I still enjoy a cup of instant if that's what's offered to me

After being a right coffee snob in the old days, my favourite now is Nescafé gold instant coffee with heaps of Nido's dry milk. This used to be a convenience at an old job where I could just quickly add hot water wherever I was. I got too used to it and now other coffee doesn't taste right to me

We've got a Nespresso and I can't drink instant at all anymore.

DH likes the Percol ones but he dumps so much sugar in it he could be drinking anything, to be fair

I was thinking the other day that no one seems to drink instant any more. I can't remember the last time I was offered it in somebody's house. I've always hated instant so it was always a risk if accepting a coffee in someone else's house but it never comes up any more.

Would dehydrate rather than drink instant now! Use both an espresso machine and a cafetière at home depending on mood. Freshly roasted beans... mmmmmmm

Two different drinks. I never considered that but it is quite fair really.

Uhhh I love Nescafé Azera! I have it every morning and lunch time. I don't like cafetière at all and price of coffee pods started to add up as we had them so frequently. They are still a nice treat though :) DH has espresso from one of those silver Hob Espresso makers in the mornings (find them too strong!) and Azera as second cup. He hates instant coffee but seems to enjoy Azera!

I've always hated instant stuff. It's disgusting.
I have various machines and different size cafetieres, however my cafetiere mug always goes to work with me.
I'd be lost without it.

I use coffee bags, like tea bags but full of "proper" coffee rather than tea - you leave them to brew for however long/strong you like it. The bags are biodegradable and come individually wrapped in paper so I can take them with me.
Absolutely amazing coffee so please explain why my "D"H wants me to go out and buy him a jar of Tesco Value "coffee"

coffee bags here as well. not in the uk and here they are sold everywhere.

filter coffee second
instant third

espresso - far too bitter for my taste.

Nescafe Azera isn't bad, but I've bought myself a 3-cup (1 mug!) cafetiere for first coffee of the day and invested in coffee bags for work rather than be at the mercy of what's available in the cupboard.

Filter coffee, then cafetiere. I only drink instant at work, if there is no other option. I don't mind it, I just don't like it as much.

I use coffee bags at work too, the Lyons No.3 red. They're not as good value as they used to be - now 10 bags instead of 18 for the same price😡.

When I was a bairn I would only have Maxwell House coffee powder with two sugars. Yuck - I couldn't imagine doing that now. At the same time, Mum and Dad would have their 'special' Blend 37, which my siblings and I weren't allowed. Ridiculous.

Instant is not coffee, it's a caffeine hit when you need one. It isn't for enjoyment.

I grew up in a culture where filter was the norm, so I'm glad to see the UK turning to proper coffee. I have one big mug of filter in the morning and that's my caffeine allocation. I'm a bit of a coffee snob in that my every day coffee is single varietal from the supermarket and my weekend coffee is from a small local roastery and is single estate, but it's worth it to me.

Ground coffee for me, definitely - although if I am offered instant, I drink it, and I do use instant when I make iced coffee - but I use the instant espresso powder.

The Azeria type finely milled instant is alright i buy the aldi and lidl versions and have them daily with steamed milk. I'm lazy though!
I don't like costa or Starbucks but I love the local Devon coffee company etc espresso etc it's amazing.

I buy my coffee bags online.

Aeropress is the best coffee, if you buy decent beans and a grinder with good regulation of grind.

But it's a faff at 6am when I'm tired, instant has its place.

I don't mind instant, tbh, but it's a different drink. I'd rather decent instant than burnt/overbrewed filter/cafetiere type coffee.

I love my Aeropress and trying out different beans via various subscriptions. Definitely my first choice, though I'll do a cafetiere if making for more than two people due to the volumes involved.