to think serving instant coffee in a cafe is not on?

[KatyTheCleaningLady]

My Greggs is closed for remodeling all week, so I have to go elsewhere for my bacon roll and coffee.

I went into a nice looking independent cafe and ordered a bacon roll and a white coffee.

I then paid and popped over to the newsagents to pick something up while they prepared my order.

When I came back, she was making the coffee.

It was instant! She said unless someone orders a cappuccino or something like that, they serve instant coffee.

I had already paid and didn't see the point of making a fuss, so I just took it and left.

It's dreadful.

I know a lot of British people drink instant, but don't you think a cafe should have proper coffee?

Go ahead and give me a biscuit to dunk in it. I'm ready.

You haven't said how much it cost.

Personally I hate queuing up for ages whilst the staff person farts around getting foam out of a poncey coffee machine. Especially if it's for the person in front of me and I just want to pay for my cheese bap and go.

Normal 30 years ago, not now and if they've adopted 'proper coffee' prices without providing the product they are totally taking the piss.

I'd expect instant in a greasy spoon or grotty b+b. that's about all.

I don't know how much it cost. I bought something else with it.

I didn't want an espresso drink. I wanted plain coffee. Maybe the problem is that regular drip coffee is rare and it's either instant or espresso machine?

YANBU, unless it's a greasy spoon.

It was completely normal not that long ago - I remember as a kid and teen in the 80s and 90s everywhere sold instant, and just the one cafe owned by an Italian had a Gaggia machine (which as a kid I was mesmerised by).

In the cafe I worked at when at school the standard for a coffee was a spoonful of nescafe, 1/3rd hot water from a still and 2/3 hot milk

I grew up drinking instant and still would drink it now, but prefer proper coffee. But I will drink anything to get the caffeine. But it takes the piss really if they are charing 1.50 or so for instant imo.

Greggs coffee is 100% fair-trade coffee bean, not instant.
I prefer millicano tbh, but Greggs coffee is good and a reasonable price IMO.

I like mcdonalds coffee.

I like instant and proper coffee.

I dont like that nescafe azera shit. Waste of money and tastes like mellow birds.

Pah, most drip coffee isn't 'proper' either. Most of that will be pre-ground which is rubbish, and probably will have been sitting around for a few hours. I don't know how people drink that filth. It should be ground for the order. The beans should be freshly roasted, and stored airtight in a fridge/freezer. Cafetieres are just about OK but espresso based is the way to go. It doesn't have to be stronger but gives a better flavour.

Really, filth? Can you honestly tell the diffeence?

I'm not sure, do your recognise sarcasm?

If it took that long to make a coffee in a cafe, then I wouldn't go there.

Clearly not. No need for the tone

Much espresso machine coffee is crap though. It doesn't matter that the beans are freshly ground if the grounds are then scorched because the machine is too hot.

Hardly anywhere does filter or cafetiere coffee anymore. It's a shame.

Coffee snobbery is very, very boring though.

I like instant Nescafe Alta Rica and I only like it when it's made by me at breakfast and no more than two cups - after that, that's me done for the day.

I also don't see the point of going into a shop to buy a cup of coffee.

That's one more reason why I'm not a billionaire.

There is no way I would entertain even the thought of instant coffee. Horrible stuff.

Instant is a different product.

To make coffee, you roast and grind the beans and brew with water.

To make instant coffee you do that ^ on a massive scale with more finely ground beans then you freeze dry or spray dry the liquid into granules. It's explained here

I got given instant in a Harvester restaurant. Was far too pathetic to speak up, so I just took it. It was crap.

DH has a Nespresso machine at work and if I visit I sometimes like an espresso capsule with extra water and no milk for something to do. I suppose that's not real coffee either.

I once asked for a cappuccino in a café in Brid. I was given instant coffee with squirty cream on top!

If you like it, then it doesn't matter what it is. They should charge accordingly though.

YABU to think that a cafe shouldn't serve instant coffee, just because you don't like it.
There's a lovely cafe near here that sells a lovely big mug of coffee for £1. I presume it's instant. I'd far rather pay £1 than £2-£3 for a mug of non-instant. The cafe is always fairly full with friends meeting up for a chat, even though it's not in a High Street, so you'd have to go there specially IYSWIM. You have the option - should you choose - to get a cappaucino, or latte, etc., if you want to.

I haven't drunk instant coffee for about 10 years. I would drink tea if the only coffee is instant and would have told them I didn't want it and to tell people their standard coffee is instant coffee on the menu as most people i know expect ground coffee in a cafe.
I prefer cafetiere coffee as it's less strong than coffee machine stuff so i can drink more of it.

I don't like cappuccinos or lattes as I don't like milky coffee. To me in the 21st century no coffee in cafes and restaurants should be instant unless labelled as such for the minority of people who prefer instant.

Thing being 2Rebecca - the only person on here who has actually said they run a cafe (and therefore likely to have more than just their own opinion), is GoldenSunnyDays at 10.30, who says about 50% prefer instant, so how do you make that out as being "the minority"?

I dislike the ubiquitousnessness of chain coffee shops, so I try independents when I can, but sometimes the coffee from there is vile. So back to Caffe nero (or whatever, but anything but Costa generally) I go.