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?

OP the Brits comment you've asked about - we are technically part of Great Britain but the term Brits or British is rarely used in every day life here. You tick the box British on forms asking for your nationality but the countries are very distinct in terms of their nationality, culture, accent, government so we use those terms primarily. So for example I am English, my friend is Scottish and to ignore those national and cultural differences and refer to ourselves as British would be really quite odd. I think a lot of perceptions from abroad are that we are all one big lump of land. But throughout the pandemic for example the Welsh and Scottish governments have made different decisions to England, had different restrictions and been in lockdown at different times. The education system is different between countries, there is a Scottish and Welsh Parliament with their own elections etc. I think Northern Ireland is seen as separate due to the sea divide but somehow the land linked countries are generally seen as one.

@Minezatea

More interestingly, why do so many Americans drink so much sugary sparkling crap of the kind which is much more widely consumed by children here? I'd much rather an instant coffee! For me, I'll drink what tastes good or OK. and not worry really about what others think. I like barista coffee. I have American relatives. The coffee in America is not comparable to proper coffee here and honestly, to me, tastes more like instant coffee. It has little depth and is quite weak.

Good point. Because it’s bundled in “meals” designed to make you think you’re saving money, and put in huge cups in the hope you get a sugar addiction. Iced drinks are more popular where I live because it’s HOT, and water is sometimes handed out in small cups full of ice to encourage you to buy a full sized drink to quench your thirst in the heat. Obviously these things work, or America wouldn’t have an obesity crisis. We should drink more water with no ice, and it would solve that issue. No arguments there.

@cheeseismydownfall

*I thought the English, Scottish and Welsh were part of Great Britain? Are you not “Brits”? Is it better to say British? Genuine question, I want to get it correct because if I’ve been wrong, I’ve been saying it for a long time and need to find a floor to sink through.*

Don't worry, you've got it right, not sure what the PP was trying to imply.

English and British are not equivalent, but it sounds like you know that. I would usually refer to myself as British, not English. Or I might say that I live in the UK, which also includes Northern Ireland.

Thank you for clarifying, that makes sense!

It's just easy when you don't want to make an entire pot.
Good instant is better than most US filter coffee. Even diner coffee is watery and tasteless, I see why there's so many types of creamer available to buy there.

If anyone knows anywhere that sells the carnation mocha creamer for when I want a dirty coffee please let me know!!

I'm generally an espresso or latte drinker and have a bean to cup, but occasionally I want junk

I never drink instant. Can't abide it

How hard is it to put some ground coffee in a cafetière? Or buy a cheap coffee machine?

I'm not a fan of American coffee. The stuff I've had in restaurants, diners and cafes over there has been really tasteless. I know there'll be lots of other places where you can buy the good stuff, but the coffee that's widely available is worse than instant in my opinion.

Honestly I don’t have a clue how to make proper coffee. I’ve looked at all the cafetières and aeropresses etc and I just don’t understand it.

Buy a small cafetière and a pack of supermarket ground coffee. (They’re mostly pretty good.). Boil water. Put a slightly rounded dessert spoon of coffee into the cafetière. Pour on the water just off the boil, stir once. Leave for one minute (in fact 30 seconds will do). Press down to trap the grounds at the bottom of the cafetière. Pour into cup or mug, add milk and sugar if you like.
Keep the opened coffee in the fridge or (better) the freezer. Don’t use the hopeless seal supplied, keep the pack closed with a clip or rubber band.

The coffee thing is weird

I had a house guest this week who did not want real coffee, I had to go out and buy him Nescafé

I guess he actually preferred the taste. And it was not about being no trouble, as I actually had to go to the shop especially to buy him instant coffee (= more trouble than making real coffee)

But yes, I don’t get it either

I use it as its quick to make, I like the taste and I find ‘real’ coffee gives me a headache whereas instant doesn’t.

@ShadowsInTheDarkness

OP the Brits comment you've asked about - we are technically part of Great Britain but the term Brits or British is rarely used in every day life here. You tick the box British on forms asking for your nationality but the countries are very distinct in terms of their nationality, culture, accent, government so we use those terms primarily. So for example I am English, my friend is Scottish and to ignore those national and cultural differences and refer to ourselves as British would be really quite odd. I think a lot of perceptions from abroad are that we are all one big lump of land. But throughout the pandemic for example the Welsh and Scottish governments have made different decisions to England, had different restrictions and been in lockdown at different times. The education system is different between countries, there is a Scottish and Welsh Parliament with their own elections etc. I think Northern Ireland is seen as separate due to the sea divide but somehow the land linked countries are generally seen as one.

Understood. Thanks. That makes total sense and I will try to be more specific!

I don’t drink instant. I prefer stovetop espresso maker in the mornings then just tea after that.

I don't understand it either. I have a one-cup cafetière and make my coffee in that. It's as quick as pouring water on instant coffee though I suppose slightly messier when you come to wash up.
We drink tea here in Britain and we're happy to spend time letting that brew. Instant granulated tea was available for a brief while in the 1990s but it never took off.

It's a mystery to me why teabags are so mainstream and yet coffee bags have never taken off.

I have an elaborate morning coffee ritual. The coffee is amazing but it does take ages and is quite pricey.

So, I’d hazard a guess, the clue is in the name…

@Hotcuppatea

I'm not a fan of American coffee. The stuff I've had in restaurants, diners and cafes over there has been really tasteless. I know there'll be lots of other places where you can buy the good stuff, but the coffee that's widely available is worse than instant in my opinion.

I don’t drink coffee from diners or restaurants unless I really need caffeine. We do have several “real” coffee places in my city with locally roasted beans, and they will knock your socks off.

I'd rather have freshly made instant than filter coffee that has been sitting kept warm in a jug for hours.

Not all Brits, I only drink bean to cup coffee, but I only have 1 per day.

For me, it's cost and convenience. I love real coffee but the proper batista style machines that steam/froth the milk etc are big and really quite expensive I find. I do have a cafetiere and a percolator but tend to use them at the weekend when I might drink a couple of cups with a leisurely breakfast. On a weekday morning when dashing to work/on the school run instant coffee is a quick and easy to make hit of caffeine. It does need to be decent though, cheap instant coffee is pretty grim I think.

"Which do you prefer, tea or coffee?"
"Milk, sugar? How many spoons?"

Standard questions asked in most British and many other households when visitors come, or when you're having a break etc. etc.

Tea (since teabags) and instant coffee are quick and easy to make and don't involve pissing about with grinders, percolators, bialettis, pod machines, or other such paraphernalia. Even real tealeaves were easier than "real coffee" - just bung em in the pot and use a strainer.

Plus I prefer instant coffee.

@Marianicka

I don't understand it either. I have a one-cup cafetière and make my coffee in that. It's as quick as pouring water on instant coffee though I suppose slightly messier when you come to wash up. We drink tea here in Britain and we're happy to spend time letting that brew. Instant granulated tea was available for a brief while in the 1990s but it never took off. It's a mystery to me why teabags are so mainstream and yet coffee bags have never taken off.

I keep trying coffee bags in the vain hope they'll be nice. So weak. Got a drawer full at work

I love a strong cup of coffee first thing, from the cafetiere ideally, but a moka pot is very nice too.

Later in the day I'll have a weaker coffee made from instant. I'm not much of a tea drinker, but a quick coffee is nice in the afternoon.

I don't like the taste of ground beans too bitter for me. I just prefer instant.

I like both instant and fresh. I see them as different drinks. We have individual cafetières, so I wouldn’t say it is necessarily less of a faff to make instant, but sometimes that it just what I fancy.

@pilates

Instant coffee is just quick and easy.

On a side note, when I was in America and asked for a cup of tea, they asked me if I wanted warm milk. What a horrifying thought 😲

Ah yes, as tea isn’t a common drink here, if you ask for milk with it, it will be automatically assumed that adding cold milk to hot tea will somehow curdle the milk (yes, I know). Most hot “tea” over here is just herbal, so adding things to it isn’t really done. You might be offered honey with a lemon tea, for instance, but mostly you’ll get deer in headlights from the wait staff.

Many brits don’t actually like ‘real’ coffee as all the have is instant to real is too strong. We have a machine at home so always drink real but most people I know use instant mostly.

Boil water. Put a slightly rounded dessert spoon of coffee into the cafetière. Pour on the water just off the boil, stir once.
Please! THREE spoons of coffee and water quite a while off the boil. Leave it alone then stir madly, lots, before pressing down so you don’t cause a coffee geyser.