To ask why Brits drink instant coffee?

[mediumbrownmug]

I’m an American and am genuinely curious. Every British TV show and article I’ve seen so far seems to imply that instant coffee is far more popular than whole or ground beans. Is it too nosy to ask why?

Cafetière is a good option but I never get through a bag of coffee quick enough (got one in the fridge that is years old) and mainly use my cafetière for fresh mint tea

I have a bean to cup machine with subscription small batch, fairly traded coffee from a local roaster, the coffee is amazing. Tastes like a different drink to high street chains or the pod machine we had before. The flavours of each type are so distinct, some are fruity, some are chocolate, some are nutty. Amazing. However, I do still keep good quality decaf and normal instant in the house because I cant drink caffeinated coffee post 2pm and the caff instant is ideal for when lots of cups are needed or some people just prefer a milder flavour.

@dreamingbohemian

It's also a generational thing in the US. Everyone drank instant until the 90s when Starbucks became huge, coffee shops opened everywhere and people wanted better coffee. All my older relatives still like instant.

I'm no coffee snob but I don't think Starbucks counts as good coffee.

There's a reason why there are 11 Starbucks outlets (probably all in airports!) in Italy and 748 in the UK!

I always presumed instant coffee was a through back to our tea drinking heritage. The uk is more a nation of tea drinkers, almost every home and lots of offices will own a kettle and know how to make real tea.

For what it’s worth, we drink ‘proper’ coffee in this house but I rarely drink hot drinks. I don’t much care for tea or coffee, Please don’t judge an entire nation from tv shows

I very rarely drink coffee - I'm a tea addict - but when I do, it's instant. I don't much like the taste of ground coffee, and those pod things are far too treacly and thick. A decent quality instant coffee can hit the spot sometimes.

I agree with pps that convenience is at the root of this - in the same way tea bags are more popular than leaf tea. I do use leaf tea but only if I'm settling down for long enough to drink a whole pot of tea. If I'm grabbing a drink while I'm working, I'll use a tea bag. In the same way, I certainly wouldn't want to be faffing with ground coffee and percolators in the middle of a working day.

*throw back.

I’m American and live in UK. I drink instant because I’m the only one in the house who drinks coffee. Making a pot for one cup never worked out well so my drip coffee maker hasn’t been used in a few years now. Moved in to a cafetière for one and I just hate cleaning up all the coffee grounds, so instant works out faster and less mess. I buy douwe Egbert, tastes ok to me and I even drink it black.

@Ilikeknitting

I always presumed instant coffee was a through back to our tea drinking heritage. The uk is more a nation of tea drinkers, almost every home and lots of offices will own a kettle and know how to make real tea.

For what it’s worth, we drink ‘proper’ coffee in this house but I rarely drink hot drinks. I don’t much care for tea or coffee, Please don’t judge an entire nation from tv shows

Fair point about tv shows. I, like lots of people, have been stuck inside watching tv for quite awhile during the past year, so I admit to watching too much. It’s what I’ve had to go on, but you’re right about it nonetheless.

I think Brits got used to instant coffee because we didn't have percolators (proper wedding present) or filter jug machines widely available. It was a hot, wet, alternative for people who didn't drink tea. It was quick to make, easier than cleaning a cafetiere etc.

I don't mind american filter jug coffee (generally) but it can get a really odd stewed taste if left on the hot plate too long, so I avoid drinking it when I'm working in US offices (in a diner, the throughput means it's generally drinkable).

I enjoy a cup of properly brewed coffee, and use one cup mesh filters or my coffee machine. Not All Brits :)

@mediumbrownmug thanks for the thread. I love love love your country and can't wait to go back when we can! Reading this has made me all emotional.

Anyway, back to coffee, try a jar of Nescafé Espresso.... I find it's the nearest thing to real coffee and honestly very good. Let me know! It's on special offer in Asda at the moment for £3.

Yes, I agree @kittykarate, old jug coffee is rank, luke warm and stale,

I’ve been to England and think your food is great. Bacon chips (crisps) and bacon sandwiches?

Next time you're here, get yourself a bag of 'Frazzles' crisps (i.e. chips in US parlance although they are corn based not potato based). I think you'd be in heaven. Available from any supermarket.

@Caramellatteplease

Instant coffee in the uk is cheap, easy and tastes nice. I haven't found a pod coffee I like. I'm not a fan of filter coffee alone. I have a caffettiera, I haven't once used it where the coffee has come out drinkable and it's a pain to clean. I cant be bothered with a percolator when my instant is as good.

Can you tell me which ones taste nice. I have tried loads and they have all been vile.

Proper coffee is lovely, instant isn't

[quote ploppyface]@mediumbrownmug thanks for the thread. I love love love your country and can't wait to go back when we can! Reading this has made me all emotional.

Anyway, back to coffee, try a jar of Nescafé Espresso.... I find it's the nearest thing to real coffee and honestly very good. Let me know! It's on special offer in Asda at the moment for £3. [/quote]
Will do! I look forward to trying it! Come when you can, and stay safe! We like visitors here.

I don’t ever drink instant coffee, if I make a hot drink in a mug I make tea. DH makes a cup of coffee as he prefers it to tea. That isn’t to say he thinks that a mug of instant is equivalent to a proper cup of coffee. I think it’s that simple. We have efficient kettles and some pretty decent instant coffee brands because it’s popular here. We might similarly wonder why people from different countries or cultures think that hot water with a ‘teabag’ dunked in it is worth drinking when it invariably smells and tastes of hot water and is often scummy.

@TiddyAndFletch

I’ve been to England and think your food is great. Bacon chips (crisps) and bacon sandwiches?

Next time you're here, get yourself a bag of 'Frazzles' crisps (i.e. chips in US parlance although they are corn based not potato based). I think you'd be in heaven. Available from any supermarket.

I’ve never seen these but would love to try. I will absolutely do that!

@habibibibi I agree with you about Starbucks but when it first arrived in the US it was much better than Folgers at least. It was like a gateway drug to better coffee!

A blast from the past...

I don't drink instant coffee and of the 6 offices I've worked in, all have had a machine for making it from ground coffee.

@LongTimeMammaBear

I’m American and live in UK. I drink instant because I’m the only one in the house who drinks coffee. Making a pot for one cup never worked out well so my drip coffee maker hasn’t been used in a few years now. Moved in to a cafetière for one and I just hate cleaning up all the coffee grounds, so instant works out faster and less mess. I buy douwe Egbert, tastes ok to me and I even drink it black.

Makes total sense to me. I’d do it too in your shoes. I’m on the lookout for the Nescafé suggested by another poster!

We have some tasty things here.

Yes - I would agree from when I visited the States. I enjoyed the food a lot. The steaks over there were amazing and there always seemed to be really extensive and varied menus on offer in the restaurants, I was spoiled for choice.

@mediumbrownmug these are another excellent bacon snack, crispier than frazzles and usually only available in pubs. Magnificent with beer.

I'm not pretentious at all but I can't stand instant. It tastes completely different to ground coffee and I just don't like it. I'm the only coffee drinker at home so use a Hario V60 or aeropress and it doesn't take much longer than instant and there's no annoying cleanup job like with a cafetiere.