In Sweden, we don't call it coffee. If a dinner guest asks for coffee and you only have instant, you say, - I'm sorry we don't have coffee, only instant.
Must be nice. Here in Russia, we were pretty much raised on insta coffee, since there was no such thing as coffee centric cafés or coffee shops. All the craze for good coffee started about only 15 years ago. I legit couldn't finish a cup of nescafe recently, it tasted just awful, yet i drank that when i was a kid and thought it was the taste as it should be 🙃
Yeah I stock up on instant but not because I think it's drinkable just as a cup of coffee: I just think it can be great when you're baking and to put in drinks or milky/icy coffee if you want it to be stronger than regular bryggkaffe but don't have an espresso machine. Like I always have instant in my cupboard but it's not meant for just drinking :P
James has some seriously impressive taste buds for coffee. Imagine being able to tell that an instant coffee comes from ethiopia from a list of 32 coffees.
I had this experience today. Tasted a (notably better, though still blind to where it was) nitro cold brew from minor figures. I said this is defs a natural Ethiopian. Low and behold. After some research I found out it was.
Also in pointing out that the final two have a similar profile and them both coming from colombia, pointing out chocolate in both illy products. Really impressed!
If you taste enough different coffees every day in your line of work, this becomes second nature. (Not that it’s not impressive- just the outcome of drinking a buttload of coffee!)
Growing up in Afghanistan, we could only find the nescafe brand. Growing up I would only drink coffee during school exams time as coffee would help stay up late for studying. Always thought that the instant coffee was the coffee. I never liked the taste, but I had to take. After the 2001 when the American came to Afghanistan, I started working for an American company. I remember my boss, who was an American, had set up a little table for brewing espresso for himself in his office. There were no fresh beans in Kabul, he had a big can of the typical superstore pre ground coffee. One day he offered me a cup, for the first time I enjoyed coffee. Now when I taste freshly roasted beans that are freshly ground, I can’t belief the difference. I haven’t had instant coffee for the last 17 years.
Same for me. I always thought I just hated coffee. My parents only ever bought instant. So when I was about 16 I went and bought some real coffee, learned how to brew it, luckily my parents had a big French press (cafetiere) and I made some, and my whole world changed. Real coffee is an entirely different drink to instant. They are not even in the same league. But my first thought, I'll always remember this, my first thought was that it tasted like tea to me. Like not completely like tea. But something about it tasted more open and real, cos here in the UK nobody drinks instant tea. We always brew tea with real leaves. But for coffee a lot of people only drink instant. It seems like in the US, everyone has a drip coffee machine at home. I've never seen anyone in the UK with a drip coffee machine. Except me, when I bought one But espresso drinks are the best. But I've never been able to afford to buy a proper gold quality espresso machine. I made the mistake once kf buying the cheapest espresso machine in Argos, it was only £15, and it was god awful. I want a simple machine, bean to cup. I put the beans and the water in, I set it to automatically make coffee at 7am when I wake up, and it grinds it and brews it all automatically, and then I'd just have to steam the milk a bit and put it in the coffee to make a latte or whatever That's the dream. But those machines are like £500 for the very cheapest one. Ah well. One day, maybe But yeah people who don't like coffee have probably never had real coffee, only instant, and they don't know what they're missing
@@duffman18 James did a test a while ago whereby he bought a Gaggia Classic second hand and got it going. He was impressed by the results. Mine is 15 years old and I spent £80 refurbishing it - a bargain, given they cost £450 on Amazon brand new at the moment. This could be the way to go for you, if you're a bit handy. Just be careful to label all of the wires before you start.
Sacrifice of quality Cheap x 2 Not sure is good Easier to start with bad Harsh x 12 Woody (earthy) x7 Bitter x10 Least bad (I don’t like either) x8 A bit odd Better than that one Not a lot going on Its marmite Classic instant x3 Most unpleasant Odd x2 Artificial Not a huge fan of any Rubbery I don’t like this at all x3 Weird x7 Fake chocolate oddness Noooo x2 Vegitabley x3 Mushroomy I’m not giving up fresh coffee Fake x3 Ashtray
It's the Laurence Llewellyn Bowen (Spelling?) thing - he wears elaborate and new clothes in which to decorate the insides of properties - well, at least on tv. Me? I have a selection of curry-enhanced T-shirts! :)
James, my Mother is physically disabled due to years of Rheumatoid Arthritis. The other day she asked me what coffee options there were for people with a handicap and I honestly couldn’t make a good suggestion. This video is very welcomed to just make the best of the situation. Thank you!
Quite a few companies like Taylors and Percol make coffee in a bag. My mum has issues with her wrists and didn't like the mess of ground coffee so ground coffee in a bag is the best option for her. Nearly the same flavour as fresh ground but convenient like tea. If your mum can make a cup of tea then coffee in a bag is a possible option?
Automatic coffee machines (like DeLonghi, Jura) might be an option. Very easy to use and decent coffee. Depending on how disabled you are you might need help every now and again for cleaning and refill though.
@@jackwestern8284 thats a good recommendation rather than going for instant..though some bags can be a bit sludgy with that last mouthfull out of the cup.
"A little bit of ashtray at the end." is about the most apt description I've ever heard to describe at least half of all instants I've ever been unfortunate enough to try.
@moar cowbell I've only had 1 Nestle instant "sub-brand", but it was impressively bad. Ironically, the Folger's Golden Dusk medium dark I have now is far better. But... The Anthony's Organic Arabica is still the best so far. I just don't know how long it keeps, because it's not freeze-dried.
randommusings: I’m not seeing it here in Nova Scotia but probably can be ordered through our large grocery chains. I will try it if I see it. A friend likes only instant. I will have a cup of instant every couple years but have been taking it to the cottage where there is a Keurage (is that spelled right?). Doesn’t matter. I’m not a fan but maybe is the pads that are used. Since I use whipping cream in coffee, almost anything can be made to taste decent.
@@arddermoutcramer5695 oh yeah totally agree. It would be easy to call it out in a normal tasting but figured it was a bit more obscure with instant coffees
Worth mentioning, instant coffee can be a great cooking/baking ingredient in situations where you want the flavor without additional water. I use a ton of instant coffee and espresso powder, but never just as a drink.
@@serenafowler5500 My favorite is to make a spread for my morning toast from powdered peanut butter, powdered espresso, cocoa powder, and cream. It's like a coffee flavored Nutella. On the savory end, it sounds weird but tasted amazing, a teaspoon of instant coffee in with the flour when making a swedish meatball gravy. Saw it on some random website at some point and decided to try it on a whim, have never made it without since. I also tried a "Russian Black Bread" recipe that had coffee in it, that was pretty good, if I liked caraway seeds more I probably would have loved it.
I took my elderly father somewhere and on the way back, we stopped for a snack at one of the chains. I got us two lattes, both a fairly unremarkable medium roast Columbian bean. He took one sip and said that it didn't taste anything like coffee and asked for a cup of tea instead. It turned out that he had been drinking Nescafe for 45 years and had no idea what actual coffee tasted like.
yeah, i think people get pretty snobby about it, but it's just a different drink with the same name. Instant - especially nescafe types bare basically no resemblance to real coffee, but no reason why someone wouldn't enjoy it. i don't like many of the "fruity" coffees and would probably rather have an ashy burnt tasting instant instead. horses for courses.
@@85parrot The only instant I drink is Kenco Smooth or Rich to me that's as close to filter coffee as you can get. Obviously its not as good but any other instant tastes like soil!
Can we just take a minute to talk about how amazing this man is, that he uses his youtube fame and sponsorship to give away coffee to folks? Way to show your true passion.
The fact that he said that the two Colombian coffees were similar in profile, noticed that the Illy coffees were chocolatey, and pinpointed the Ethiopian coffee exactly is just insane to me.
Many a times I taste the ashtray aftertaste with an early morning airport filter coffee. Good to know that I am not the only person on earth making that association between caffeine and nicotine; or dit a result of the roasting?
Someone needs to put this on a cupping mug, with James' face. I would buy it. Wait even better..four cupping mugs, four unique tasting notes like, "woody, like a little chewed pencil (filter vid)", "Just tarmac! (New York Coffee soda vid)" and, "NOOO no no no! I want you to be good but you're not!! (forgot which vid)"
I love how he described one coffee as "lawful neutral" which leads me to wonder, could James taste a coffee and make a dnd character out of how it makes him feel
Back in the Middle East my grandmother makes coffee from scratch(roasting-grinding) and spices it. She then divides it up for her children, so that when you visit any one of her children you get our family's signature coffee. Our neighbor's coffee would be spiced differently as well, and so that family would have their own signature coffee too. The older generation literally do not know what instant coffee is.
Zsófia Handley I’m guessing gulf countries ? We drink it more regularly but Jordan have their own version of it too Every region in every country makes it differently but mostly it includes; cardamom, saffron and cloves but people do add or remove things here and there The coffee is roasted very differently and almost always lighter than regular filtered coffee But again every region roast it differently It’s called “Arabic coffee”
This is a valid point. But I feel like these videos (like the coffee orange juice and the La Croix, etc.) are more on the entertainment end than the learning end. Did anyone here learn anything from this video? Not really. But it was interesting. If James keeps bringing things in like coffee flavored Gatorade and coffee clam chowder, I do agree it'll get old real quick.
I don't think many people are drinking instant over bean coffee for the flavour. It's the convenience and speed. Boil a kettle, teaspoon of granules, dash of milk (maybe sugar) glug down half the cup and out the door.
for me it is simply because we have a small kitchen. With my wife's damned giant ass mixer, a toaster, and a few racks, there isn't much room left for anything. I am really trying to learn how to be a coffee drinker, but this instant coffee isn't making it any easier...
We jokingly started a half-caf at work cause we couldn't remember which jar was which and it's now it's the most popular... Edit: we also have a full size barista style coffee machine for the people who like coffee
*Timestamps (because I want them for future reference)* _All timestamps start with the Hoff slurping. Enjoy. Also, actually watch the video first._ _Edit: I realized only after completing this endeavor that there was actually timestamps in the description. Still, this is a more detailed breakdown and hopefully helps someone other than me as well_ Explanation of Methods 2:33 Criteria 3:14 *=== Three Way Ties (A vs B vs C) ===* Ocado Gold vs Kenco Millicano vs Percol Americano (Winner: Percol Americano) 3:48 Waitrose Ft Italian vs Nescafe Alta Rica vs Percol Barista Gold (Winner: Percol Barista Gold) 3:57 Nescafe Organic vs Nescafe Colombia vs Waitrose Colombia (Winner: Nescafe Colombia) 4:16 Nescafe Original vs Percol Organic Rich vs Lavazza Classico (Winner: Nescafe Original; But All Were Bad) 4:39 Nescafe Gold Smooth vs Percol Italiano vs Azera Americano (Winner: Percol Italiano; Best of the Worst) 5:05 Azera Intenso vs Percol Espresso Noir vs Percol Colombia (Winner: Percol Colombia) 5:24 *=== Head to Head (A vs B) ===* Douwe Egberts Indulgence vs Waitrose Essential (Winner: Waitrose Essential; Better than Bad) 5:47 Cafe Direct Smooth vs Little's Ethopian (Winner: Little's Ethopian) 6:00 Cafepod Intense vs Little's Colombian (Winner: Little's Colombian) 6:08 Kenco Smooth vs Clipper Organic Medium (Winner: Clipper Organic Medium; Wins for being Interesting) 6:18 Carte Noire Intense vs Kenco Rich (Winner: Carte Noire Intense) 6:29 Douwe Egberts Gold vs Illy Smooth (Winner: Illy Smooth) 6:38 L'or Classique vs Cafe Direct Macchu Picchu (Winner: Cafe Direct Macchu Picchu; Had to Pick Something) 6:49 Lavazza Intenso vs Cafepod Supercharger (Winner: Cafepod Supercharger; But Still No) 7:00 Clipper Papua New Guinea vs Illy Intense Taste (Winner: Illy Intense Taste) 7:17 Carte Noire Classique vs Lavazza Espresso (Winner: Carte Noire Classique; Less Musty, Still Bad) 7:29 *=== Head to Head Quarterfinals ===* Waitrose Essential vs Percol Americano (Winner: Percol Americano) 8:05 Little's Ethiopian vs Little's Colombian (Winner: Little's Colombian) 8:09 Percol Barista Gold vs Clipper Organic Medium (Winner: Percol Barista Gold) 8:42 Nescafe Colombia vs Carte Noire Intense (Winner: Carte Noire Intense) 8:53 Nescafe Original vs Illy Smooth (Winner: Illy Smooth) 9:03 Cafe Direct Macchu Picchu vs Cafepod Supercharger (Winner: Cafe Direct Macchu Picchu; Just a Touch More Interesting) 9:11 Percol Italiano vs Illy Intense Taste (Winner: Illy Intense Taste) 9:16 Percol Colombia vs Carte Noire Classique (Winner: Percol Colombia; Easy Win) 9:27 _Sponsor: Surfshark VPN (Offer Code in the Description)_ 10:00 *=== Head to Head Semifinals ===* Little's Colombian vs Percol Americano (Winner: Little's Colombian; Easy Win) 11:12 Percol Barista Gold vs Carte Noire Intense (Winner: Percol Barista Gold; Weird Taste) 11:21 Illy Smooth vs Cafe Direct Macchu Picchu (Winner: Illy Smooth) 11:32 Illy Intense vs Percol Colombia (Winner: Percol Colombia) 11:43 *=== Head to Head Finals ===* Little's Colombian vs Percol Barista Gold (Winner: Little's Colombian) 11:57 Illy Smooth vs Percol Colombia (Winner: Percol Colombia; Very Close. Very.) 12:04 Little's Colombian vs Percol Colombia (Winner: Little's Colombian; Slightly More Complex) 12:23 *Grand Champion Winning Analysis* 12:44
I would love to have James call a footy match but I would imagine he'd be great for any game. His voice is perfect for golf where the broadcasters usually have to whisper
When I was in Japan I was impressed by the quality of some of the instant coffees there. There was a brand called Maxim, which I remember my grandmother loving, and I really got into because I had a tiny apartment and no coffee brewing setup, and I would enjoy a cup with my friend every day and it was delightful 😊 ~Trav
Oh and there is a “cold brew” instant at Trader Joe’s here in California that I like in a pinch. I still rather have my own brewed coffee, but a little powdered is fine now and again if in a rush ~Trav
My favorite moments: 1. "One of these is an Ethiopian coffee and I think it's this one" (points to the Ethiopian coffee) 2. "This is an extremely classic instant coffee profile" (points to the Nescafe Classic) (EDIT: he said this a few times but I’m referring to the one at 9:10) It would have been interesting if there were two cups of fresh coffee in the mix as well: one properly-made one, and one with low-quality supermarket pre-ground beans.
The properly made coffee will just destroy the competition, making the bracket tournament pointless. Comparing it to cheap coffee made in a typical drip coffee machine may be interesting but not in a tournament bracket format.
I'm no coffee expert, but even I can tell the difference between the worst pre-ground coffee and instant, so James would probably spot real coffee by the look or smell alone.
I think he should'nt beacuse even the supermarket beans would win instant.. , and if you saw james book and a couple of video's you understand's that fresh properly grinded coffee will be a clear win
There are some interesting patterns emerging here: the chocolate notes of Illy, the broadly consistent superiority of Illy, Percol and Little's instant and so on. It would be good to see a follow-up, non-blind video explaining those results.
Thank you very much Mr Hoffman for this precious piece of „infotainment“. I’ve been enjoying this so much, I didn’t even skip the ad. That being said, there has always been a place for instant coffee in my heart. I’ve worked s as a barista for most of my working live, always for shops that sourced better than average coffee an had their own roasting facility.(I left the world of coffee a year before corona shook it so hard, for which I’m really grateful in retrospect.) I have an SCAE certificate lying around somewhere and I really love quality coffee. As such it guilty pleasure, like a chef secretly eating a McMuffin for breakfast, to just have a cup of instant and have a hassle free morning. Little‘s the only coffee of your bracket available in my country and I have defaulted too it as the “best” instant coffee so far. So nice to see my choice vindicated here ;)
That percol colombian has always been my go to instant coffee. I was on the absolute edge of my seat as I watched it sail into the second and third rounds. Punching the air and feeling vindicated as hell. Nearly died when it got to the final. No idea why I'm so invested but I do love that coffee.
Yes, I find it has a very pleasant too, and was equally as happy as you when it got to the final. I feel as though my choice of instant coffee has been justified by a coffee expert.
I love instant coffee. It's my favorite coffee. It's quick, easy, and it doesn't go stale in 3 seconds like beans. I rarely have the energy to baby most brewing methods as needed to make something that tastes decent. I put powder in cup, I pour water, I add milk, done.
I agree. Personally I enjoy all forms of coffee, so some days I grind my own beans, while other days I drink instant. Both types of coffee are good in their own ways, and I think that's a really good thing because it makes coffee more accessible and enjoyable to more people.
French press requires literally no babysitting - James even has a video on it. Pour-over can be obsessed upon, but honestly I got very decent results just by dumping half a cup of boiling water on top of grounds twice. It's not as hard as coffee nerds make it out to be. Also, instant can absolutely go stale. Not trying to tell you what to do with your life, but it's not as anal as the Internet might lead you to think.
Actually, instant goes stale very rapidly once you open the jar. We use little one cup packets for lightweight backpacking and canoe trips for that reason. Good roasted whole beans don’t start to degrade for a couple of weeks after roasting if kept in a dry, cool place, and will still beat the snot out of any instant a month after that.
to be honest he was able to see the stickers... so it's not 'pure scientific test' but it is fair, it will do. Don't feel like it's necessary to have him run double blind test here.
@@Cypeq I don't think he memorized all the four-digit number and taste pairs of the 38 types of coffee just so he can amaze me and fake his tasting skills.
@@Boldozofurizo you could easily memorize one that keeps standing out with 'weird chocolaty taste', it's just 4 characters, even without making conscious decision to memorize them they will imprint upon repetition, it's not like it was presented to him once. Just saying memory is a big factor, even more distinct shade. That's why it's called blind tasting, in normal situation you shouldn't get any visual reference unless that's something that will be judged as well.
I'm not saying his skills are fake, they are very much real but visiual aids to consistency in this 'blind taste' are very real as well. Test like that in front of your own camera with editing are so easily faked, I personally choose to believe that James did honest work here, I don't think anything is fake about this video.
@@tomasgasparovic9018 Ah, so that's what it means! Now I know! Thank you kind Sir! Cheers & mabuhay from tropical Philippines! May you always have a great cup of coffee wherever you are!
I oftentimes find myself coming back to this video for one distinct moment, and that's at 8:10 - when he manages to guess correctly that the coffee is Ethiopian. The cafe that I work at was the first specialty coffee shop I had ever been to, and we specialize in Ethiopian coffee. As a result, I have a pretty deep respect and love for the coffees which come out of the country, particularly how wonderfully complex and interesting they are (so very floral). The fact that James is able to guess - out of all the coffees he is tasting (with very similar taste profiles) - the exact country of origin of this one coffee speaks volumes to me about the amount of knowledge he has on the subject. I also think that it speaks volumes about the coffee coming out of Ethiopia, which I happen to think is some of the best in the world. Something about that moment just resonates with me in a deep way. Thank you James for what you've done for the coffee industry and for sharing your expansive knowledge with us.
although weirdly - as per the actual coffee I do prefer Arabica. I don't like the really sharp taste of ground Ethiopian coffee... Anyway westerners don't usually make it like they do, really strong with loads of sugar in a little cup. That works in Ethiopia actually, but milk and sugar as I make it here...no, does not work for me.
Found this 3 year old video. My comment favorite instant is Mount Hagen Fairtrade Organic. My experience is that the folks who say to brew instant in a little cold water before adding more water for a hot or cold coffee are correct.
@@joshuawaring4180 I mean, yes but considering how many get bought worldwide this is barely a drop in the sea and even then, he used the video to help make those points so a worthwhile sacrifice if it stops even 100 people buying these awfully exploitative products.
Nah, just answer this simple question: Would there be more or fewer coffee producers if instant coffee never existed? You can debate profit margins until your face goes red, the truth is some profit margin is always better than none. And if instant coffee never existed, you would see far fewer coffee producers out there than there is now. That's fewer people working, less money being invested in the coffee industry, particularly for poorer countries such as Ethiopia and to a lesser extent Colombia. The net result would be negative. Plus not all instant coffee companies are equal, I doubt a Nestle would operate in the same manner as a small boutique instant coffee company such as Little's, so if their business model it really bothers you, you can opt for a different one. Coffee producers also don't have to work with Nestle, or even work in the coffee business if they don't want to. The agricultural industry is large and diverse, those skills could be transferred to another area of agriculture.
I somehow doubt James is a chill person. I suspect he simply has strong ethical streak, excellent interpersonal skills and high intelligence and a highly developed non-chill filter. : )
There seems to be a large market for instant coffee in the Asian market, particularly for 3-in-1 (coffee/milk/sugar) packets or pseudo-cappuccinos. I honestly use those when I'd like hot caffeine quickly or another type isn't available to me. I'd love to hear what you think of those.
Im a coffee casual, but ive recently tried maxim instant coffee (one of the popular 3-in-ones) and really liked it. I'd be intrested to hear his take as well.
I was listening to this in the background of doing school work and went to look through the comments to see if anyone else was deeply bothered by the slurping noises
@@carlkamuti it’s funny you think he’s just down coffee UA-camr when he’s actually an incredibly successful businessman and well respected figure in the coffee industry
I'm rewatching this video and I just realized that the day this was uploaded last year, I had just met my future husband on a dating app two days prior; I've been following you for a while now, so I likely would have watched the video the day it aired. We're now happily married and we love your videos. Crazy!
I wanna see the worst pre-ground coffee compare to the best instant. Is there any way that instant wins? What if the beans are over roasted and ground too fine and over extracted?what if the coffee grounds are exposed to air for a few days then percolated then sits near boiling for a few hours?
I really do appreciate a good coffee but there's something special about going back to where it all started, sat at a desk at 3am drinking a mug of the cheapest black instant coffee 5 tablespoons worth because I had no idea how to make it and thought "its gotta be similar to Ovaltine"
@@JDAfrica Chicory is not bad: it seems to account for a lot of the taste of Camp Coffee. I suspect that replacing real coffee with caffeine-free chicory during WWII accounts for the issuing of benzedrine (amphetamine) to soldiers and others who needed to remain alert, and for ensuing post-war problems.
I liked the "Not a lot going on with this one to be honest, neither good not bad. It's kind of Lawful-Neutral" comment. I'm guessing he plays or has played D&D.
As an ice cream maker, instant, particularly a delicious instant, is what I need. I’d even like to use a freeze dryer to make my own. For my purposes, I kinda want overbrewed, heavily bitter coffee. But then, I really want it to be the most pleasant version of bitter, too.
That's a brilliant, informative, reply. Thank you - makes one realise "horses for courses" etc. I am off to find YT vids about coffee ice cream now. Cheers.
I have worked with Mexican and Central American construction workers who taught me how to make fairly good instant coffee. First use a rounded tablespoon per 8 ounces or so. Dissolve the granuals in a small bit of cold water while the hot water comes to temperature. Well off the boil at about 180⁰f. If you want it sweet a shave or two of raw Mexican sugar goes well. Pour in the hot water, stir, then drink. Nectar if the gods? No. But out in the boonies in 5 minutes you have a decent pick me up. Crews I worked with always seemed to have a single person who was better at making it. Sometimes they brought cinnamon sticks and crumbled it up for everybody's cup. Somebody always had a cone of sugar and everybody had sharp knives to sweeten up the coffee. This was a field expediant Red Bull.
My wife helped me with a blind tasting that spanned a few days and 20 cups of instant coffee of five different types. Little's Colombian was the clear winner there as well. Fun coincidence, given that I only had five contestants and Little's happened to be one of the brands my supermarket carried.
Hahaha I didn't even think of that. I had to shop at Asda instead of Tesco because they have an item limit of 80 and I realised how much fruit I added to my basket
@@jameshoffmann have you done a video on Mexican coffee drink called. Café de la olla. It would be interesting to see if you can give your own spin on it. Not because it needs improvement. But because your own take on it as a coffee expert is a way of getting people to know about it.
@@fijiarc2090 because some of them are better than high dollar ground coffee thats been sitting on the shelf or in a cupboard for months going rancid. If I cant grind some in the morning because of time, I'm choosing instant over pre ground, every time
Please, do yourself a favour and throw that instant coffee in the trash can. Buy grounded coffee, even better - buy coffee beans, ground them yourself, there's nothing better than real coffee. And it's easy to make, you don't need fancy espresso machines - just a regular moka pot, or you can even use an old metal cup with a handle, fill it with water and coffee and put it on the stove, just like people in old times, like the Turks and turkish coffee - a thousand times better than instant coffee
My gran hated Nestlé (she pronounced it Nes-al as in wrestle, not Nestlé as in Ness-lay). It had something to do with baby milk... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestl%C3%A9_boycott
My wife & I have found this so funny. When we have bad coffee (not by our own design) we always call it a lip curler & seeing your reactions to these coffees made us really laugh.
i love how quick and to the point the tastings were. no dawdling, no sniffing and thinking for 10 seconds. you got in, gave us your thoughts, and got out. good video.
That was flat-out impressive how he described coffees with a "classic" flavor profile, and it literally says CLASSIC on the label. Thoroughly entertaining.
Best instant I've had (both decaf and regular) was Mount Hagen Fairtrade. Hard to find a decent decaf coffee at all here, so I was really happy when I found that one, since I couldn't drink regular coffee with the medication I was on back then.
Your coffee has been in my "coffee bucket list" for a while. 👌 I bought The World Atlas of Coffee (2nd edition) and learned a lot. I am really greatful for that. Awesome, quite funny content as always! You should do a specialty instant coffee battle next!
I laughed so hard I had to leave the room because someone was having an important serious discussion and I was holding my breath not to disturb them. Thank you, dear sir. That was a good laugh. :)))
My grandfather recently passed away at age 98, and at his funeral, someone said he taught them how to drink instant coffee by saying… “Don’t think of it as coffee, it’s a different drink of its own.”
Thank you. I generally have loathed instant coffee, but I need something to take camping that is completely fuss-free. It doesn't have to be spectacular, just hot and drinkable. This helps.
Another option: try Folger's Singles. They are coffee bags (like tea bags), sealed in an aluminum foil pouch. I take these camping, and they are not terrific but waaaay better than any instant. I use 2 bags per cup, since I can't abide weak coffee. A drinkable alternative when you want a no-fuss morning brew.
@@joshuarosen6242 that's quite bulky and a bit heavy. Fine if you're car camping, but aeropress is far from a backpack/ultralight/hiker option. Good options are the Primula Brew Buddy or getting a titanium pot with a cafe press, which is what I do. Takes up a lot less space, and I need the pot anyway to heat the water!
Any coffee no matter the taste is just a win to any college/university students. Even if it was made with boiled bin juice we'd still drink it if it had caffeine in it
@@MrsMster I've always thought that was an american stereotype but maybe it's not. I've had coffee at a cafe a few times in my life and it was okay but I don't want to be addicted to it or need to function so I stay away. Although sometimes I do wonder what I'm missing out on.
@@wolfferoni It's definitely a stereotype for most students in the UK as well as the US. but honestly staying away from coffee is a good thing cause you do feel like you need it to start the day (I do sometimes drink it for the taste than the caffeine)
@@wolfferoni Honestly it depends on what you like about coffee. I drink if for the taste but the caffeine is another benefit to it. Some people just drink it for the caffeine. I think it is something that should be enjoyed and controlled.
Imagine a day in a cupping room, it can feel deafening. Especially as talking about coffees whilst cupping is often discouraged until after you have notes/scores taken because of how impressionable taste can be
*Café 3 : 16* For James so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Tongue, that whosoever believeth in him should not pollute themselves with bad coffee, but have everlasting refills and Heavenly Flavors.
Taster's Choice freeze-dried coffee is, hands down, the best instant coffee. Yes, just about any brewed cup of coffee is superior to instant, but if you are in a situation where you must drink instant, choose one that is freeze-dried rather than spray-dried. Of the freeze-dried brands, Taster's Choice is the best of the best.
In a world of thousands of comments I will add my unimportant addition. I grew up on espresso from my Dad’s fully automated Jura. We got it back in 1998 or so and it’s old and tired now. Plus it’s 220 so when we moved to the USA we used it on a now missing transformer (we moved a lot). That machine is on sabbatical and now he is a devotee of instant. So weirdly my Dad seems to have moved from understanding and appreciating some very high points of good coffee to valuing convenience above all else. Kind of an odd backwards transition. If I ever find the transformer, I do have his permission to revive the Jura though. Till then or the day I have lots of spare money for my own machine, I’ll enjoy these videos and dream of coffee elitism.
I used to be a coffee hobbyist, but I made a move to a country that also required a big cut in my income (and it’s been totally worth it). My first year I was in a rural area, not too far from a big town. More expensive finer coffee was available if I wanted it and wanted to splurge (and it was just OK coffee, neither great nor bad). I started drinking a cheap generic instant. I got used to it. Basically, I’m a caffeine addict. Instant coffee provides me with the most bang for the buck. A large jar of instant costs a little under $2.50 and lasts me 10 days. The convenience is nice. The brand I favor dissolves well in room temperature water. When I shamble into the kitchen on some mornings, I’m not quite awake and often clumsy. Gulping a cup of room temp instant gets me started. Fine coffee is a luxury. I think I appreciate it more than when I drank it often. I certainly savor it more. There’s a place nearby that does a light roast of (supposedly) organic Colombian arabica beans that I really love. But my daily “brew” is cheap instant.
Pan-roast your own. The reason I shell out more for freeze-dried, is I need efficiency for my time (just so many things I'm trying to do), and having a stockpile of things in vacuum-sealed mylar bags with O2 absorbers, is a better yearly needs-to-time ratio, than pan-roasting the coffee.
I didn't know Lavazzo made instant coffee, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I sometimes buy their ground espresso blend which comes in vacuum-sealed bricks. I find it pleasant tasting. Interesting that both their instant products got a quick dismissal!
My wife liked instant coffee before we get married. However, since I introduced her to real coffee and I brought her 2 coffee machines, she stopped drinking instant coffee. I’m kinda proud of this achievement 😅
@@notgray88 lmao I didn’t really like coffee either when I tried some nestle and it was only until a few days ago when someone had me try douwe instead that I went on and drank two more
I just married my wife in Jan and she still loves nescafe instant coffee.. with 2 sugars. I don’t drink coffee much but if I do it has to be decent stuff. Maybe I can one day concert her to non-shit
I have achieved the same result. Especially sinceI have bought the new Gaggia classic, he is now officially off the instant. Took me 12 years, but when we met he had 3 to 4 instants with milk AND sugar, now he is a morning cappuccino guy, and no more sugar!
I like the Nescafé Colombian Instant, the Mexican version does the trick with hazelnut creamer when short on time. I don’t understand all the hate with instant, I’m not a coffee enthusiast/snob though.
In Sweden, we don't call it coffee. If a dinner guest asks for coffee and you only have instant, you say, - I'm sorry we don't have coffee, only instant.
Must be nice. Here in Russia, we were pretty much raised on insta coffee, since there was no such thing as coffee centric cafés or coffee shops. All the craze for good coffee started about only 15 years ago. I legit couldn't finish a cup of nescafe recently, it tasted just awful, yet i drank that when i was a kid and thought it was the taste as it should be 🙃
Same thing in Finland.
same in croatia
Yeah I stock up on instant but not because I think it's drinkable just as a cup of coffee: I just think it can be great when you're baking and to put in drinks or milky/icy coffee if you want it to be stronger than regular bryggkaffe but don't have an espresso machine. Like I always have instant in my cupboard but it's not meant for just drinking :P
Out мне ещё его и со сгущёнкой давали 🙈😅😂
James has some seriously impressive taste buds for coffee. Imagine being able to tell that an instant coffee comes from ethiopia from a list of 32 coffees.
I had this experience today. Tasted a (notably better, though still blind to where it was) nitro cold brew from minor figures. I said this is defs a natural Ethiopian. Low and behold. After some research I found out it was.
38 even! Impressive stuff indeed
Also in pointing out that the final two have a similar profile and them both coming from colombia, pointing out chocolate in both illy products. Really impressed!
If you taste enough different coffees every day in your line of work, this becomes second nature. (Not that it’s not impressive- just the outcome of drinking a buttload of coffee!)
Well Ethiopian coffee is the most classically recognisable as 'different' in most coffee prep methods
Growing up in Afghanistan, we could only find the nescafe brand. Growing up I would only drink coffee during school exams time as coffee would help stay up late for studying. Always thought that the instant coffee was the coffee. I never liked the taste, but I had to take. After the 2001 when the American came to Afghanistan, I started working for an American company. I remember my boss, who was an American, had set up a little table for brewing espresso for himself in his office. There were no fresh beans in Kabul, he had a big can of the typical superstore pre ground coffee. One day he offered me a cup, for the first time I enjoyed coffee. Now when I taste freshly roasted beans that are freshly ground, I can’t belief the difference. I haven’t had instant coffee for the last 17 years.
This is a great story, thanks for sharing!
Same for me. I always thought I just hated coffee. My parents only ever bought instant. So when I was about 16 I went and bought some real coffee, learned how to brew it, luckily my parents had a big French press (cafetiere) and I made some, and my whole world changed. Real coffee is an entirely different drink to instant. They are not even in the same league. But my first thought, I'll always remember this, my first thought was that it tasted like tea to me. Like not completely like tea. But something about it tasted more open and real, cos here in the UK nobody drinks instant tea. We always brew tea with real leaves. But for coffee a lot of people only drink instant. It seems like in the US, everyone has a drip coffee machine at home. I've never seen anyone in the UK with a drip coffee machine. Except me, when I bought one
But espresso drinks are the best. But I've never been able to afford to buy a proper gold quality espresso machine. I made the mistake once kf buying the cheapest espresso machine in Argos, it was only £15, and it was god awful.
I want a simple machine, bean to cup. I put the beans and the water in, I set it to automatically make coffee at 7am when I wake up, and it grinds it and brews it all automatically, and then I'd just have to steam the milk a bit and put it in the coffee to make a latte or whatever
That's the dream. But those machines are like £500 for the very cheapest one. Ah well. One day, maybe
But yeah people who don't like coffee have probably never had real coffee, only instant, and they don't know what they're missing
Cool story
@@duffman18 James did a test a while ago whereby he bought a Gaggia Classic second hand and got it going. He was impressed by the results. Mine is 15 years old and I spent £80 refurbishing it - a bargain, given they cost £450 on Amazon brand new at the moment. This could be the way to go for you, if you're a bit handy. Just be careful to label all of the wires before you start.
As someone who was there, I loved you guys. I wish you well
I’m impressed at how many different ways he manages to diplomatically avoid using the word ‘disgusting’
Sacrifice of quality
Cheap x 2
Not sure is good
Easier to start with bad
Harsh x 12
Woody (earthy) x7
Bitter x10
Least bad (I don’t like either) x8
A bit odd
Better than that one
Not a lot going on
Its marmite
Classic instant x3
Most unpleasant
Odd x2
Artificial
Not a huge fan of any
Rubbery
I don’t like this at all x3
Weird x7
Fake chocolate oddness
Noooo x2
Vegitabley x3
Mushroomy
I’m not giving up fresh coffee
Fake x3
Ashtray
🤣🤣🤣🤣
very british
@@Abja123-m7v the fact that you compiled this literally made my day. Idk why I just love it. Thank you.
I would def said “fookin nasty coffees we got here” 😂
Wearing a white shirt while slurping coffee out of a spoon nearly 70 times is honestly a *very* impressive flex.
It's the Laurence Llewellyn Bowen (Spelling?) thing - he wears elaborate and new clothes in which to decorate the insides of properties - well, at least on tv. Me? I have a selection of curry-enhanced T-shirts! :)
That's only impressive for klutzs.
you can tell it was folded nicely before he decided to wear it
He's selling those shirts, so obviously he's promoting a way to ruin them. To sell more.
@@bloodqc frickin genius
James, my Mother is physically disabled due to years of Rheumatoid Arthritis. The other day she asked me what coffee options there were for people with a handicap and I honestly couldn’t make a good suggestion. This video is very welcomed to just make the best of the situation. Thank you!
Ray _ that’s a good point and something a lot of us forget when talking about ready meals and instant products in general.
Quite a few companies like Taylors and Percol make coffee in a bag. My mum has issues with her wrists and didn't like the mess of ground coffee so ground coffee in a bag is the best option for her. Nearly the same flavour as fresh ground but convenient like tea. If your mum can make a cup of tea then coffee in a bag is a possible option?
Automatic coffee machines (like DeLonghi, Jura) might be an option. Very easy to use and decent coffee. Depending on how disabled you are you might need help every now and again for cleaning and refill though.
Perhaps Nespresso coffee is something to consider as well?
@@jackwestern8284 thats a good recommendation rather than going for instant..though some bags can be a bit sludgy with that last mouthfull out of the cup.
The fact that you managed to pick out the Ethiopian is pretty astonishing to me.
Also, watching you hate-taste stuff is very enjoyable.
I think Ethiopian has a really unique flavor profile so its one of the easier ones to pick out.
It's almost like he knows his coffees 😛 but I know what you mean, I was also impressed
Ethiopian has a really distinct taste profile. I'm a home roaster and steer clear of Ethiopian, not my taste.
I’m impressed he was able to call out the Ethiopian while pointing out it’s not what you would expect from an Ethiopian. 8:30
@@griplove Meh, it would be like doing a blind taste test with thirty regular sodas and picking out the one diet mixed in.
"A little bit of ashtray at the end." is about the most apt description I've ever heard to describe at least half of all instants I've ever been unfortunate enough to try.
oh, only at the end? lucky you!
@moar cowbell
I've only had 1 Nestle instant "sub-brand", but it was impressively bad. Ironically, the Folger's Golden Dusk medium dark I have now is far better. But... The Anthony's Organic Arabica is still the best so far. I just don't know how long it keeps, because it's not freeze-dried.
"A little bit of ashtray"....yup, been there, suffered that.
Snob
What I learned: James likes Colombian coffee, Illy has chocolaty coffee, every nescafe regardless of price is trash.
"This one has that classic instant coffee taste" James Hoffmann, on Nescafe Original.
What an incredibly brave thing to say.
and bonus, Illy is easy to buy in Canada :)
It may be that Colombian makes better instant for some reason.
Only one: illy Intenso.
randommusings: I’m not seeing it here in Nova Scotia but probably can be ordered through our large grocery chains. I will try it if I see it. A friend likes only instant. I will have a cup of instant every couple years but have been taking it to the cottage where there is a Keurage (is that spelled right?). Doesn’t matter. I’m not a fan but maybe is the pads that are used. Since I use whipping cream in coffee, almost anything can be made to taste decent.
James constantly proves how much of a coffee genius he is, but calling out the Ethiopian out of a potential 38 is pretty crazy
Indeed.
oh but ethiopian coffee is quite crazy compared to other coffees
And that too among instant where things could go wrong
@@arddermoutcramer5695 oh yeah totally agree. It would be easy to call it out in a normal tasting but figured it was a bit more obscure with instant coffees
Especially as he said it doesn't taste how he expects Ethiopian coffee to taste, but still knew it was Ethiopian.
Worth mentioning, instant coffee can be a great cooking/baking ingredient in situations where you want the flavor without additional water. I use a ton of instant coffee and espresso powder, but never just as a drink.
Good to know!
What are some dishes you make with it?
@@serenafowler5500 My favorite is to make a spread for my morning toast from powdered peanut butter, powdered espresso, cocoa powder, and cream. It's like a coffee flavored Nutella.
On the savory end, it sounds weird but tasted amazing, a teaspoon of instant coffee in with the flour when making a swedish meatball gravy. Saw it on some random website at some point and decided to try it on a whim, have never made it without since.
I also tried a "Russian Black Bread" recipe that had coffee in it, that was pretty good, if I liked caraway seeds more I probably would have loved it.
@@serenafowler5500 Add it to brownies, chocolate cake, any cocoa-based dessert. It adds a lovely complexity without being overpowering
YESSSSSinstant coffee as "spice" 👍👍 instant as drink 🤮
On the rare occasion I bake I just add slightly less water and a couple espressos.
I took my elderly father somewhere and on the way back, we stopped for a snack at one of the chains. I got us two lattes, both a fairly unremarkable medium roast Columbian bean. He took one sip and said that it didn't taste anything like coffee and asked for a cup of tea instead. It turned out that he had been drinking Nescafe for 45 years and had no idea what actual coffee tasted like.
Perhaps you should have bought your father a flat white.
Nescafe should be made illegal.
yeah, i think people get pretty snobby about it, but it's just a different drink with the same name. Instant - especially nescafe types bare basically no resemblance to real coffee, but no reason why someone wouldn't enjoy it. i don't like many of the "fruity" coffees and would probably rather have an ashy burnt tasting instant instead. horses for courses.
@@85parrot The only instant I drink is Kenco Smooth or Rich to me that's as close to filter coffee as you can get. Obviously its not as good but any other instant tastes like soil!
When you mix nescafe with milk it actually not too far from latte (but not close at all). Last time I've checked two years ago
“Weird coffee person” I’m so happy that he is wearing a disclaimer.
The implicit comma/hyphen can really go anywhere too l.
@UCN6uNLF16hVXUQdfse7Ihaw link is in the description of the video
If it's merch, I want one.
Can we just take a minute to talk about how amazing this man is, that he uses his youtube fame and sponsorship to give away coffee to folks? Way to show your true passion.
You have to do Part 2: Freeze drying your own perfectly brewed coffee to see if it could ever be good
This is kind of a genius suggestion
That would be really interesting. Is it the drying process itself that leads to bad outcomes, or more to do with batch size?
I have good news
The fact that he said that the two Colombian coffees were similar in profile, noticed that the Illy coffees were chocolatey, and pinpointed the Ethiopian coffee exactly is just insane to me.
Ethiopian is very distinct
@@thingsnstuff85 cool
most Illy coffees are very chocolatey
Not "insane." "Impressive" "amazing" "ridiculous" "astounding..." etc. You have a wide vocabulary. Use it, instead of ableist terms like "insane."
@@thingsnstuff85 And I’ve had it, and I still couldn’t do that.
4:20 "Lawful Neutral" This implies the existence of a full alignment chart for Coffee, and I for one would love to watch that video.
I wholeheartedly second this!
Chaotic Evil easily goes to any of the triple caffeine coffee blends
Give this man a UA-cam channel!
James surrounded by approximately 87 containers of instant coffee: "I'm a little bit nervous."
me: is it because you've clearly lost your mind?
😂😂😂
This ☝🏻
Fantastic comment. Thank you for making me laugh today.
I really needed this comment today.
He probably films the intro after drinking the coffee.
“Chocolatey...with a bit of ashtray at the end.” Hoffman 2020
that was my favourite bit!
Many a times I taste the ashtray aftertaste with an early morning airport filter coffee. Good to know that I am not the only person on earth making that association between caffeine and nicotine; or dit a result of the roasting?
Someone needs to put this on a cupping mug, with James' face. I would buy it. Wait even better..four cupping mugs, four unique tasting notes like, "woody, like a little chewed pencil (filter vid)", "Just tarmac! (New York Coffee soda vid)" and, "NOOO no no no! I want you to be good but you're not!! (forgot which vid)"
Which might be strange in coffee but, when we start talking imperial stouts... I love me some smokey chocolaty coffee flavours
Can we have this line as merch? :D
I love how he described one coffee as "lawful neutral" which leads me to wonder, could James taste a coffee and make a dnd character out of how it makes him feel
That is an excellent idea
I would sign up to see that
He is a nerd, and as a fellow nerd, I appreciate that DnD reference
Strong, earthy, metallic: Dwarf fighter
Subtle, vegetal: Elf rogue
Fruity, nutty: Probably some sort of Wizard
@@nathangamble125 That's a bard.
Back in the Middle East my grandmother makes coffee from scratch(roasting-grinding) and spices it. She then divides it up for her children, so that when you visit any one of her children you get our family's signature coffee. Our neighbor's coffee would be spiced differently as well, and so that family would have their own signature coffee too. The older generation literally do not know what instant coffee is.
This Just sounds very adorable...I miss My grandma
That sounds awesome!!!
Ahhhh please adopt me! I'm so curious to know which country or region to find out what kind of spices 🕵️♀️
Zsófia Handley I’m guessing gulf countries ? We drink it more regularly but Jordan have their own version of it too
Every region in every country makes it differently but mostly it includes; cardamom, saffron and cloves but people do add or remove things here and there
The coffee is roasted very differently and almost always lighter than regular filtered coffee
But again every region roast it differently
It’s called “Arabic coffee”
@@IamIceQueen7 are you arabic?
i feel youve basically created a series which is "watch me taste things i hate"
"watch me go in for another sip"
I am thoroughly enjoying it though
*clear coffee flashbacks*
And I'll watch every single episode to the finish, plus maybe some of the ads too 😂
This is a valid point. But I feel like these videos (like the coffee orange juice and the La Croix, etc.) are more on the entertainment end than the learning end. Did anyone here learn anything from this video? Not really. But it was interesting. If James keeps bringing things in like coffee flavored Gatorade and coffee clam chowder, I do agree it'll get old real quick.
Wow that high speed intro slideshow was cool, you weren't bullshitting about skillshare !
I don't think many people are drinking instant over bean coffee for the flavour. It's the convenience and speed. Boil a kettle, teaspoon of granules, dash of milk (maybe sugar) glug down half the cup and out the door.
for me it is simply because we have a small kitchen. With my wife's damned giant ass mixer, a toaster, and a few racks, there isn't much room left for anything. I am really trying to learn how to be a coffee drinker, but this instant coffee isn't making it any easier...
@@jamesleason4004 just use a French press, job done
@James Leason French press coffee cup. Lol best of luck 2 you
@@stephenjones9840 Still need to clean the used equipment. With instant you have a spoon and a cup that is all.
@@stephenjones9840 i have one but genuinely prefer Nescafe gold
James choosing dating partners: "Well this one is harsh and bitter. But this one is weird and interesting. Clear winner."
Haha this is what I imagine James would be like on Bachelor.
Rofl!
"this one has a slightly sweeter taste" 🤔
Good one!
I'm pretty sure we all would rate it that way.
My mum always mixes about three types of instant coffee together in an airtight coffee jar. It's bloody awful, but never a dull moment.
Chaotic evil?!!
We jokingly started a half-caf at work cause we couldn't remember which jar was which and it's now it's the most popular...
Edit: we also have a full size barista style coffee machine for the people who like coffee
That’s like Russian Roulette Instant Coffee 🤪
I love how James talks about the Ethics of coffee making. It is such a huge issue, and I'm glad James brings it up
@fifthof Don't disregard human suffering for flavor
The chocolate situation is as bad or worse.
From an environmental standpoint though, instant coffee are much friendlier than espressos.
Same applies to tea, many foods we consume and clothes we choose to purchase
Love that James express his DnD knowledge. Now i want a video on a coffee for every alligment !
Ha ha just got to that bit 😂😂. I bet you he plays as a magic user.
@@beetooex I could definitely picture him cosplaying as a mage :D
@@BeautilufMusic ☕🧙♂maybe coffee over pipe weed.
*Timestamps (because I want them for future reference)*
_All timestamps start with the Hoff slurping. Enjoy. Also, actually watch the video first._
_Edit: I realized only after completing this endeavor that there was actually timestamps in the description. Still, this is a more detailed breakdown and hopefully helps someone other than me as well_
Explanation of Methods 2:33
Criteria 3:14
*=== Three Way Ties (A vs B vs C) ===*
Ocado Gold vs Kenco Millicano vs Percol Americano (Winner: Percol Americano) 3:48
Waitrose Ft Italian vs Nescafe Alta Rica vs Percol Barista Gold (Winner: Percol Barista Gold) 3:57
Nescafe Organic vs Nescafe Colombia vs Waitrose Colombia (Winner: Nescafe Colombia) 4:16
Nescafe Original vs Percol Organic Rich vs Lavazza Classico (Winner: Nescafe Original; But All Were Bad) 4:39
Nescafe Gold Smooth vs Percol Italiano vs Azera Americano (Winner: Percol Italiano; Best of the Worst) 5:05
Azera Intenso vs Percol Espresso Noir vs Percol Colombia (Winner: Percol Colombia) 5:24
*=== Head to Head (A vs B) ===*
Douwe Egberts Indulgence vs Waitrose Essential (Winner: Waitrose Essential; Better than Bad) 5:47
Cafe Direct Smooth vs Little's Ethopian (Winner: Little's Ethopian) 6:00
Cafepod Intense vs Little's Colombian (Winner: Little's Colombian) 6:08
Kenco Smooth vs Clipper Organic Medium (Winner: Clipper Organic Medium; Wins for being Interesting) 6:18
Carte Noire Intense vs Kenco Rich (Winner: Carte Noire Intense) 6:29
Douwe Egberts Gold vs Illy Smooth (Winner: Illy Smooth) 6:38
L'or Classique vs Cafe Direct Macchu Picchu (Winner: Cafe Direct Macchu Picchu; Had to Pick Something) 6:49
Lavazza Intenso vs Cafepod Supercharger (Winner: Cafepod Supercharger; But Still No) 7:00
Clipper Papua New Guinea vs Illy Intense Taste (Winner: Illy Intense Taste) 7:17
Carte Noire Classique vs Lavazza Espresso (Winner: Carte Noire Classique; Less Musty, Still Bad) 7:29
*=== Head to Head Quarterfinals ===*
Waitrose Essential vs Percol Americano (Winner: Percol Americano) 8:05
Little's Ethiopian vs Little's Colombian (Winner: Little's Colombian) 8:09
Percol Barista Gold vs Clipper Organic Medium (Winner: Percol Barista Gold) 8:42
Nescafe Colombia vs Carte Noire Intense (Winner: Carte Noire Intense) 8:53
Nescafe Original vs Illy Smooth (Winner: Illy Smooth) 9:03
Cafe Direct Macchu Picchu vs Cafepod Supercharger (Winner: Cafe Direct Macchu Picchu; Just a Touch More Interesting) 9:11
Percol Italiano vs Illy Intense Taste (Winner: Illy Intense Taste) 9:16
Percol Colombia vs Carte Noire Classique (Winner: Percol Colombia; Easy Win) 9:27
_Sponsor: Surfshark VPN (Offer Code in the Description)_ 10:00
*=== Head to Head Semifinals ===*
Little's Colombian vs Percol Americano (Winner: Little's Colombian; Easy Win) 11:12
Percol Barista Gold vs Carte Noire Intense (Winner: Percol Barista Gold; Weird Taste) 11:21
Illy Smooth vs Cafe Direct Macchu Picchu (Winner: Illy Smooth) 11:32
Illy Intense vs Percol Colombia (Winner: Percol Colombia) 11:43
*=== Head to Head Finals ===*
Little's Colombian vs Percol Barista Gold (Winner: Little's Colombian) 11:57
Illy Smooth vs Percol Colombia (Winner: Percol Colombia; Very Close. Very.) 12:04
Little's Colombian vs Percol Colombia (Winner: Little's Colombian; Slightly More Complex) 12:23
*Grand Champion Winning Analysis* 12:44
This is amazing. Annoyingly I can’t pin it on mobile but I will do when I get a chance later on
@@jameshoffmann My pleasure. Keep on making the great content!
Someone make a slurp mashup video please!
the hoff slurp lmao
@@mishpotat I think a 3 minutes long edit of him wincing at awful coffee would also be up there
In the current absence of professional sport, this will absolutely suffice.
I would love to have James call a footy match but I would imagine he'd be great for any game. His voice is perfect for golf where the broadcasters usually have to whisper
Marble races.
Now we need to see decent instant coffee vs bad pour over coffee
Needs commentary by Greg Woods
@@dodaexploda No such thing as "decent instant coffee".
On the other hand, pour over is the best, and if some is not good, its pure operator error.
The fact that you referred to a coffee as Lawful Neutral instantly makes me a fan.
I laughed so hard at that
Did you just say"inStAnt" ??!!
Would chaotic neutral have been a better flavour?
When I was in Japan I was impressed by the quality of some of the instant coffees there. There was a brand called Maxim, which I remember my grandmother loving, and I really got into because I had a tiny apartment and no coffee brewing setup, and I would enjoy a cup with my friend every day and it was delightful 😊
~Trav
Oh and there is a “cold brew” instant at Trader Joe’s here in California that I like in a pinch. I still rather have my own brewed coffee, but a little powdered is fine now and again if in a rush
~Trav
Maxim is Korean brand
@@Adam-jm6zsThe Maxim in Japan is actually AGF Maxim. Similar name but different company under the Ajinomoto brand with a different logo.
My favorite moments:
1. "One of these is an Ethiopian coffee and I think it's this one" (points to the Ethiopian coffee)
2. "This is an extremely classic instant coffee profile" (points to the Nescafe Classic) (EDIT: he said this a few times but I’m referring to the one at 9:10)
It would have been interesting if there were two cups of fresh coffee in the mix as well: one properly-made one, and one with low-quality supermarket pre-ground beans.
The properly made coffee will just destroy the competition, making the bracket tournament pointless. Comparing it to cheap coffee made in a typical drip coffee machine may be interesting but not in a tournament bracket format.
I'm no coffee expert, but even I can tell the difference between the worst pre-ground coffee and instant, so James would probably spot real coffee by the look or smell alone.
Would have been interesting... let him spot it and eliminate it out of the competition
does it again with the lavazza classico at 4:47 haha
I think he should'nt beacuse even the supermarket beans would win instant.. , and if you saw james book and a couple of video's you understand's that fresh properly grinded coffee will be a clear win
Petition to make him read an ebook we can listen to before bed because of his soothing voice.
He talks like he is in a room full of sleeping people xd love it
Thatd be so nice honestly
Petition to make him just record himself aggressively sipping from a spoon for an hour so that I can fall asleep
Only if it has constant slurping
Lol. I had to put my phone speaker against my ear to hear his voice because I'm carrying my sleeping baby. Right you are.
*Lavazza Classico*
James: This is very classic
Me: Good. Very good.
Came to the comment section to see if this comment is here. I'm now at peace once again.
Also 9:30: "I Just don't like it, it's very classic." - James on the Carte Noir Classique instant coffee
Classic means classic instant coffee flavour - robusta bitterness, woody, earthy, rubbery.
Further, James blindly nails the Nes Classic as "A classic instant profile" at 9:08 ...stunning.
I love the metaphor of instant coffee being a snapshot of coffee, not the whole picture. So true, so eloquently delivered.
There are some interesting patterns emerging here: the chocolate notes of Illy, the broadly consistent superiority of Illy, Percol and Little's instant and so on. It would be good to see a follow-up, non-blind video explaining those results.
Yes I agree!!
Would definitely add to the value of this video.
And a preference towards Colombian coffee which I think is because of its more classic and mimicable taste.
Yes i would like that too! Illy is probably the only one I could get a hold of so that interested me a lot
I do get a chocolaty smell from my illy beans
James Hoffman is giving us the coffee tournament arc that we deserve.
Thank you very much Mr Hoffman for this precious piece of „infotainment“. I’ve been enjoying this so much, I didn’t even skip the ad.
That being said, there has always been a place for instant coffee in my heart. I’ve worked s as a barista for most of my working live, always for shops that sourced better than average coffee an had their own roasting facility.(I left the world of coffee a year before corona shook it so hard, for which I’m really grateful in retrospect.) I have an SCAE certificate lying around somewhere and I really love quality coffee.
As such it guilty pleasure, like a chef secretly eating a McMuffin for breakfast, to just have a cup of instant and have a hassle free morning.
Little‘s the only coffee of your bracket available in my country and I have defaulted too it as the “best” instant coffee so far. So nice to see my choice vindicated here ;)
TouuuuuuuuuurnMent arccccc!!!!!
I can't wait for the redemption arc
That percol colombian has always been my go to instant coffee. I was on the absolute edge of my seat as I watched it sail into the second and third rounds. Punching the air and feeling vindicated as hell. Nearly died when it got to the final. No idea why I'm so invested but I do love that coffee.
Naturally JB Colombian*
Literally me 😂 im so proud
The Percol Columbian coffee bags are my go to at the moment, i was rooting for it in the final too 😂
Yes, I find it has a very pleasant too, and was equally as happy as you when it got to the final. I feel as though my choice of instant coffee has been justified by a coffee expert.
I love instant coffee. It's my favorite coffee. It's quick, easy, and it doesn't go stale in 3 seconds like beans. I rarely have the energy to baby most brewing methods as needed to make something that tastes decent. I put powder in cup, I pour water, I add milk, done.
I agree. Personally I enjoy all forms of coffee, so some days I grind my own beans, while other days I drink instant. Both types of coffee are good in their own ways, and I think that's a really good thing because it makes coffee more accessible and enjoyable to more people.
I'm the same. I love instant coffee. However, I put coffee powder in my cup, add some sugar, some milk and THEN add the water. 😉
French press requires literally no babysitting - James even has a video on it. Pour-over can be obsessed upon, but honestly I got very decent results just by dumping half a cup of boiling water on top of grounds twice. It's not as hard as coffee nerds make it out to be.
Also, instant can absolutely go stale. Not trying to tell you what to do with your life, but it's not as anal as the Internet might lead you to think.
Actually, instant goes stale very rapidly once you open the jar. We use little one cup packets for lightweight backpacking and canoe trips for that reason. Good roasted whole beans don’t start to degrade for a couple of weeks after roasting if kept in a dry, cool place, and will still beat the snot out of any instant a month after that.
It's incredible how consistent his tasting results are.
to be honest he was able to see the stickers... so it's not 'pure scientific test' but it is fair, it will do. Don't feel like it's necessary to have him run double blind test here.
@@Cypeq I don't think he memorized all the four-digit number and taste pairs of the 38 types of coffee just so he can amaze me and fake his tasting skills.
@@Boldozofurizo you could easily memorize one that keeps standing out with 'weird chocolaty taste', it's just 4 characters, even without making conscious decision to memorize them they will imprint upon repetition, it's not like it was presented to him once. Just saying memory is a big factor, even more distinct shade. That's why it's called blind tasting, in normal situation you shouldn't get any visual reference unless that's something that will be judged as well.
I'm not saying his skills are fake, they are very much real but visiual aids to consistency in this 'blind taste' are very real as well. Test like that in front of your own camera with editing are so easily faked, I personally choose to believe that James did honest work here, I don't think anything is fake about this video.
TL;DR - “Harsh and Bitter” versus “This Ones A Little Weird Tasting”
and “oh, the chocolatey one again”
TLDR - Actually an ASMR
@@lemon1879 Forgive my ignorance but what exactly is TLDR? Thanks mate!
@@yengsabio5315 Too Long; Didn't Read - although TL;DW would be more apt here (Didn't Watch)
@@tomasgasparovic9018 Ah, so that's what it means! Now I know! Thank you kind Sir!
Cheers & mabuhay from tropical Philippines! May you always have a great cup of coffee wherever you are!
I oftentimes find myself coming back to this video for one distinct moment, and that's at 8:10 - when he manages to guess correctly that the coffee is Ethiopian. The cafe that I work at was the first specialty coffee shop I had ever been to, and we specialize in Ethiopian coffee. As a result, I have a pretty deep respect and love for the coffees which come out of the country, particularly how wonderfully complex and interesting they are (so very floral). The fact that James is able to guess - out of all the coffees he is tasting (with very similar taste profiles) - the exact country of origin of this one coffee speaks volumes to me about the amount of knowledge he has on the subject. I also think that it speaks volumes about the coffee coming out of Ethiopia, which I happen to think is some of the best in the world.
Something about that moment just resonates with me in a deep way. Thank you James for what you've done for the coffee industry and for sharing your expansive knowledge with us.
Yes, but how much kief do you use when partaking in some fine herb?
@@pillsareyummy at least 2
@@realchiefkief I don’t think you got the joke.
I have tasted the beans from a wild coffee tree in Ethiopia when I visited...that was special. As was the food.
although weirdly - as per the actual coffee I do prefer Arabica. I don't like the really sharp taste of ground Ethiopian coffee...
Anyway westerners don't usually make it like they do, really strong with loads of sugar in a little cup. That works in Ethiopia actually, but milk and sugar as I make it here...no, does not work for me.
Found this 3 year old video. My comment favorite instant is Mount Hagen Fairtrade Organic. My experience is that the folks who say to brew instant in a little cold water before adding more water for a hot or cold coffee are correct.
I love that ‘lawful neutral’ is now in the coffee sensory lexicon
D&D alignments have found their way into many different unrelated areas.
yes
Does the Hoff ply dnd??? 😄
That comment, made me actually lol.
I would take chaotic good over it any time of day. Just saying.
Can we talk about how satisfying that intro scene was?
I almost fell off the chair when I saw it
I have the impression he already had some cups of instant coffee. Or no coffee at all and was a bit sleepy
It was as impressive as when he revealed the tasting spoons with a wave of his hand.
9:28
James: "This one I just don't like, it's very classic."
Carte Noire: "Ahem, I think you mean CLASSIQUE."
This is what coffee nerds call humor.
I would love to see a version of this with Japanese instant coffee brands like UCC or Key Coffee.
Japanese and Chinese instant is better than most grocery store coffee beans, honestly
UCC is the best instant for me [Philippines]
Man your ethical stance on coffee production was amazing. So on point.
That didn’t stop him from buying a ridiculous amount of it and then wasting them all.
@@joshuawaring4180 I mean, someone had to do it
The bar is on the fucking floor huh
@@joshuawaring4180 I mean, yes but considering how many get bought worldwide this is barely a drop in the sea and even then, he used the video to help make those points so a worthwhile sacrifice if it stops even 100 people buying these awfully exploitative products.
Nah, just answer this simple question: Would there be more or fewer coffee producers if instant coffee never existed? You can debate profit margins until your face goes red, the truth is some profit margin is always better than none. And if instant coffee never existed, you would see far fewer coffee producers out there than there is now. That's fewer people working, less money being invested in the coffee industry, particularly for poorer countries such as Ethiopia and to a lesser extent Colombia. The net result would be negative. Plus not all instant coffee companies are equal, I doubt a Nestle would operate in the same manner as a small boutique instant coffee company such as Little's, so if their business model it really bothers you, you can opt for a different one. Coffee producers also don't have to work with Nestle, or even work in the coffee business if they don't want to. The agricultural industry is large and diverse, those skills could be transferred to another area of agriculture.
James perfectly captures the energy of a chill person with too much caffeine
He's just awesomely pulls it off
"I drank some coffee!"
"So now you're not sleepy anymore?"
"I'm still sleepy but now I've also got anxiety!"
I somehow doubt James is a chill person. I suspect he simply has strong ethical streak, excellent interpersonal skills and high intelligence and a highly developed non-chill filter. : )
I think this video wins the “Most Slurps in a Single Video” award
Also the most loud and annoying slurps in a single video
@@ravenskye702 slurping like this is standard for assessing coffee around the world. it can be annoying but it's just the way it's done
@@PeetyPC good to know but still annoying especially if amplified from the mike
@@ravenskye702 *mic
Turns out slurping is how you're supposed to enjoy soup in Japan.
There seems to be a large market for instant coffee in the Asian market, particularly for 3-in-1 (coffee/milk/sugar) packets or pseudo-cappuccinos. I honestly use those when I'd like hot caffeine quickly or another type isn't available to me. I'd love to hear what you think of those.
Im a coffee casual, but ive recently tried maxim instant coffee (one of the popular 3-in-ones) and really liked it. I'd be intrested to hear his take as well.
Yes I really like the classic yellow maxim too, I always have them to save time and i also drink nescafe😂😳
I can't believe I just listened to 14 minutes of slurping sounds
Yeah, I hardly make it past 9 seconds.
Maybe ASMR for someone.
I was listening to this in the background of doing school work and went to look through the comments to see if anyone else was deeply bothered by the slurping noises
I pay extra for that
Same tbh.
alt title: British man w nice hair tortures himself for 14 minutes
British Man Really Doesn't Deserve This, but He Did it Anyway, for Us
And a good ass shirt
Hahaha
Brilliant
OK- so I'm not the only 1 that thinks he has nice hair. :)
Spot on editing for the intro (Coffee drop). Quite impressive James ☕.
I have a permanent smile watching this. Poor James !!
You know his palate is on point when he blindly calls Nescafé original the "classic instant coffee profile."
It wasn't Nescafe. It was Lavazza that he called classic instant coffee profile.
@@mau5099 He def said it about Nescafe original the second time it came up. Look here: 9:08
He did guess the Ethiopian one correctly. That's some God tongue taste buds man...
Towkeeyoh I understood that reference
I have L'Or intense. Instant coffe has less , nah?
The winner brand is not available here, although we are neighbour countries.
"This video has a coffee giveaway"
*Proceeds to give away all 38 instant coffees*
I legit thought this gonna go alongside his usual coffee giveaway lol
@@eddy8579 me too, man. And I kinda hoped it, though I think he'd be on the side of not giving the awful ones
This guy is exactly what a youtube coffee reviewer would look and sound like.
thats because every other coffee youtuber is based off of him
@@jm-bn9sy No it's because he looks like a stereotypical coffee snob who is absolutely and completely effete.
Funny enough I dont watch any coffee youtubers other than James, he’s just on another level i mean world barista champion/silver fox of youtube
he kind of reminds me of a really old Jacob Collier. think its the way he says certain words with his big teeth.
@@carlkamuti it’s funny you think he’s just down coffee UA-camr when he’s actually an incredibly successful businessman and well respected figure in the coffee industry
I've only recently found this channel and I'm glad to know I'm not alone in my Love for Coffee.
I'm rewatching this video and I just realized that the day this was uploaded last year, I had just met my future husband on a dating app two days prior; I've been following you for a while now, so I likely would have watched the video the day it aired. We're now happily married and we love your videos. Crazy!
That's awesome!!!
Would love to see a comparison of store bought coffee beans.
Seconded!
That would be amazing
I wanna see the worst pre-ground coffee compare to the best instant. Is there any way that instant wins? What if the beans are over roasted and ground too fine and over extracted?what if the coffee grounds are exposed to air for a few days then percolated then sits near boiling for a few hours?
I really do appreciate a good coffee
but there's something special about going back to where it all started, sat at a desk at 3am drinking a mug of the cheapest black instant coffee 5 tablespoons worth because I had no idea how to make it and thought "its gotta be similar to Ovaltine"
Made me chuckle...cheers.
oh my lord the vegemitey flavour must have been 100%
I come from the hometown of Illy and I'm so proud it went so far in the test
"It's the chocolatey one again with a little bit of ash tray in the end" HAHAHA!
That peeps, just about sums up instant coffee. A good taste... and ruined.
If you like to have a cigarette after coffee, it saves a lot of time.
I cant stop laughing! “With a little bit of ash tray in the end”
I have noticed that coffee sometimes has a cigarette-like taste which, as a non-smoker, is a turn-off for me.
@@faithlesshound5621 probs why all the tradies on smoke-o love it
The woody I would imagine is chicory - often used as a filler in instant blends
@@JDAfrica Chicory is not bad: it seems to account for a lot of the taste of Camp Coffee. I suspect that replacing real coffee with caffeine-free chicory during WWII accounts for the issuing of benzedrine (amphetamine) to soldiers and others who needed to remain alert, and for ensuing post-war problems.
I liked the "Not a lot going on with this one to be honest, neither good not bad. It's kind of Lawful-Neutral" comment. I'm guessing he plays or has played D&D.
As an ice cream maker, instant, particularly a delicious instant, is what I need. I’d even like to use a freeze dryer to make my own. For my purposes, I kinda want overbrewed, heavily bitter coffee. But then, I really want it to be the most pleasant version of bitter, too.
That's a brilliant, informative, reply. Thank you - makes one realise "horses for courses" etc. I am off to find YT vids about coffee ice cream now. Cheers.
I have sprinkled instant Cafe Bustello over packaged icecream at home for my own use; it's a consideration.
Yes! Instant definitely has it's place! Very interesting I never thought of how it would be needed in ice cream making
Have you tried steeping coarse coffee grinds in hot ice cream base? If yes, how did it go for flavour?
I know this is an old comment but: try espresso powder.
I have worked with Mexican and Central American construction workers who taught me how to make fairly good instant coffee. First use a rounded tablespoon per 8 ounces or so. Dissolve the granuals in a small bit of cold water while the hot water comes to temperature. Well off the boil at about 180⁰f. If you want it sweet a shave or two of raw Mexican sugar goes well. Pour in the hot water, stir, then drink.
Nectar if the gods? No. But out in the boonies in 5 minutes you have a decent pick me up. Crews I worked with always seemed to have a single person who was better at making it. Sometimes they brought cinnamon sticks and crumbled it up for everybody's cup. Somebody always had a cone of sugar and everybody had sharp knives to sweeten up the coffee. This was a field expediant Red Bull.
“With a little bit of ash tray at the end.” 😂😂😂
My wife helped me with a blind tasting that spanned a few days and 20 cups of instant coffee of five different types. Little's Colombian was the clear winner there as well. Fun coincidence, given that I only had five contestants and Little's happened to be one of the brands my supermarket carried.
Ah, I can imagine the employee nodding as they watch yet another person fall to the madness of lockdown as they pick and fill the order
The delivery guy definitely had a look of concern when he dropped the bags off.
Hahaha I didn't even think of that. I had to shop at Asda instead of Tesco because they have an item limit of 80 and I realised how much fruit I added to my basket
@@jameshoffmann so are we getting an Ultimate Dalgona video now?
Yeah I also thought that James finally lost it though I'm happy to see which instant coffee wins
@@jameshoffmann have you done a video on Mexican coffee drink called.
Café de la olla.
It would be interesting to see if you can give your own spin on it.
Not because it needs improvement.
But because your own take on it as a coffee expert is a way of getting people to know about it.
I really enjoy the way you do the blind taste test.
Keep up the good work.
I'd kill to see an American grocery version of this. Gimme those hot takes on Maxwell House, Dunkin, and Gevalia.
Seeing my regular instant coffee that I drink every morning and feeling personally attacked when he hated it 😂😭
I saw my boyfriends favorite get knocked out and laughed tremendously (if you can't tell, I can't stand his coffee)
Make yourself proper coffee. Why drink instant every morning...?
@@fijiarc2090 because some of them are better than high dollar ground coffee thats been sitting on the shelf or in a cupboard for months going rancid. If I cant grind some in the morning because of time, I'm choosing instant over pre ground, every time
Please, do yourself a favour and throw that instant coffee in the trash can. Buy grounded coffee, even better - buy coffee beans, ground them yourself, there's nothing better than real coffee. And it's easy to make, you don't need fancy espresso machines - just a regular moka pot, or you can even use an old metal cup with a handle, fill it with water and coffee and put it on the stove, just like people in old times, like the Turks and turkish coffee - a thousand times better than instant coffee
@@emilpashov1993 rancid ground coffee? No thanks, ill take instant over pre ground any day
I'm just glad no Nestle product came close to winning. Terrible company.
All my homies hate Nestle. #FuckNestle
Those Bastards!
My gran hated Nestlé (she pronounced it Nes-al as in wrestle, not Nestlé as in Ness-lay). It had something to do with baby milk... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestl%C3%A9_boycott
If Hitler was company, it would be Nestle.
Nothing wrong with Nestle. A quality established brand. Prove you aren't an sjw by buying Nestle.
My wife & I have found this so funny. When we have bad coffee (not by our own design) we always call it a lip curler & seeing your reactions to these coffees made us really laugh.
i love how quick and to the point the tastings were. no dawdling, no sniffing and thinking for 10 seconds. you got in, gave us your thoughts, and got out. good video.
This is definitely the first time I watched someone slurp coffee for 10 minutes
😂
That was flat-out impressive how he described coffees with a "classic" flavor profile, and it literally says CLASSIC on the label. Thoroughly entertaining.
Donuts and vanilla flavoured coffee is the bomb
Best instant I've had (both decaf and regular) was Mount Hagen Fairtrade. Hard to find a decent decaf coffee at all here, so I was really happy when I found that one, since I couldn't drink regular coffee with the medication I was on back then.
Your coffee has been in my "coffee bucket list" for a while. 👌 I bought The World Atlas of Coffee (2nd edition) and learned a lot. I am really greatful for that. Awesome, quite funny content as always! You should do a specialty instant coffee battle next!
I'm not sure If this guy is late 20s or 65
Roughly smack dab in the middle of those two numbers leaning slightly to the lower.
yes, he is 40
94r57ggu 0 : surely you jest! Looks about 19. Lesson: drink more coffee.
Amie in Nova Scotia Nah coffee almost certainly ages you
I laughed so hard I had to leave the room because someone was having an important serious discussion and I was holding my breath not to disturb them. Thank you, dear sir. That was a good laugh. :)))
My grandfather recently passed away at age 98, and at his funeral, someone said he taught them how to drink instant coffee by saying… “Don’t think of it as coffee, it’s a different drink of its own.”
Sorry for your loss 🙏 he sounds like a legend
I loved whenever he’d say “classic” and it was literally called “Classico” or something
Oh that intro+music pairing with the coffee "splat" at the end is absolutely sublime. I must haev watched it at least 5 times 😆
Thank you. I generally have loathed instant coffee, but I need something to take camping that is completely fuss-free. It doesn't have to be spectacular, just hot and drinkable. This helps.
Get an Aeropress. It makes good coffee (much better than any instant) and is light and portable.
Another option: try Folger's Singles. They are coffee bags (like tea bags), sealed in an aluminum foil pouch. I take these camping, and they are not terrific but waaaay better than any instant. I use 2 bags per cup, since I can't abide weak coffee. A drinkable alternative when you want a no-fuss morning brew.
@@joshuarosen6242 that's quite bulky and a bit heavy. Fine if you're car camping, but aeropress is far from a backpack/ultralight/hiker option.
Good options are the Primula Brew Buddy or getting a titanium pot with a cafe press, which is what I do. Takes up a lot less space, and I need the pot anyway to heat the water!
As a colombian, i'm very proud to find out that even in the lowest of categories, our coffe always stands out! thank you James!
In college even the most unplesant coffee taste like angel tears
Any coffee no matter the taste is just a win to any college/university students. Even if it was made with boiled bin juice we'd still drink it if it had caffeine in it
@@MrsMster I've always thought that was an american stereotype but maybe it's not. I've had coffee at a cafe a few times in my life and it was okay but I don't want to be addicted to it or need to function so I stay away. Although sometimes I do wonder what I'm missing out on.
@@wolfferoni It's definitely a stereotype for most students in the UK as well as the US. but honestly staying away from coffee is a good thing cause you do feel like you need it to start the day (I do sometimes drink it for the taste than the caffeine)
@@wolfferoni Honestly it depends on what you like about coffee. I drink if for the taste but the caffeine is another benefit to it. Some people just drink it for the caffeine. I think it is something that should be enjoyed and controlled.
Stranded on a desert island any jar of instant coffee would be a precious item.
I’m going to hear James sipping sounds all day now
shhhpp shhhpp (ding)
Imagine a day in a cupping room, it can feel deafening. Especially as talking about coffees whilst cupping is often discouraged until after you have notes/scores taken because of how impressionable taste can be
James is like coffee Jesus, sacrificing himself for us
😂😂😂 That's one nice way to put it! Cheers & mabuhay from tropical Philippines!
*Café 3 : 16*
For James so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Tongue, that whosoever believeth in him should not pollute themselves with bad coffee, but have everlasting refills and Heavenly Flavors.
@@danielseelye6005 Nearly choked myself laughing at this unique coffee verse. 🤣🤣🤣
The best commentS here, rofl!
Taster's Choice freeze-dried coffee is, hands down, the best instant coffee. Yes, just about any brewed cup of coffee is superior to instant, but if you are in a situation where you must drink instant, choose one that is freeze-dried rather than spray-dried. Of the freeze-dried brands, Taster's Choice is the best of the best.
If this is the video we get after James had to apologize for making a mistake, then please make mistakes more often
Crime and punishment
In a world of thousands of comments I will add my unimportant addition. I grew up on espresso from my Dad’s fully automated Jura. We got it back in 1998 or so and it’s old and tired now. Plus it’s 220 so when we moved to the USA we used it on a now missing transformer (we moved a lot). That machine is on sabbatical and now he is a devotee of instant. So weirdly my Dad seems to have moved from understanding and appreciating some very high points of good coffee to valuing convenience above all else. Kind of an odd backwards transition. If I ever find the transformer, I do have his permission to revive the Jura though. Till then or the day I have lots of spare money for my own machine, I’ll enjoy these videos and dream of coffee elitism.
I used to be a coffee hobbyist, but I made a move to a country that also required a big cut in my income (and it’s been totally worth it). My first year I was in a rural area, not too far from a big town. More expensive finer coffee was available if I wanted it and wanted to splurge (and it was just OK coffee, neither great nor bad). I started drinking a cheap generic instant. I got used to it. Basically, I’m a caffeine addict. Instant coffee provides me with the most bang for the buck. A large jar of instant costs a little under $2.50 and lasts me 10 days.
The convenience is nice. The brand I favor dissolves well in room temperature water. When I shamble into the kitchen on some mornings, I’m not quite awake and often clumsy. Gulping a cup of room temp instant gets me started.
Fine coffee is a luxury. I think I appreciate it more than when I drank it often. I certainly savor it more. There’s a place nearby that does a light roast of (supposedly) organic Colombian arabica beans that I really love. But my daily “brew” is cheap instant.
Pan-roast your own. The reason I shell out more for freeze-dried, is I need efficiency for my time (just so many things I'm trying to do), and having a stockpile of things in vacuum-sealed mylar bags with O2 absorbers, is a better yearly needs-to-time ratio, than pan-roasting the coffee.
If I start drinking temp brown water I will go get treatment for my addiction
I don't know why but I found your cute little short story really sweet. Hehe. Thanks for sharing.
☺️
I didn't know Lavazzo made instant coffee, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I sometimes buy their ground espresso blend which comes in vacuum-sealed bricks. I find it pleasant tasting. Interesting that both their instant products got a quick dismissal!
They are huge in Europe. If there's coffee mavhine, then it's most likely Lavazza. They might be bigger than Nescafe
I love that this channel has a "let's see what kinds of weird stuff we can bully James into doing"
great content man!
My wife liked instant coffee before we get married. However, since I introduced her to real coffee and I brought her 2 coffee machines, she stopped drinking instant coffee. I’m kinda proud of this achievement 😅
Would you mind telling me which machines do you have? I want to invest in a good but affordable coffee machine mainly for milk coffee.
That's funny. I originally didn't like coffee at first and never drank it until I found out about instant coffee.
@@notgray88 lmao I didn’t really like coffee either when I tried some nestle and it was only until a few days ago when someone had me try douwe instead that I went on and drank two more
I just married my wife in Jan and she still loves nescafe instant coffee.. with 2 sugars. I don’t drink coffee much but if I do it has to be decent stuff. Maybe I can one day concert her to non-shit
I have achieved the same result. Especially sinceI have bought the new Gaggia classic, he is now officially off the instant. Took me 12 years, but when we met he had 3 to 4 instants with milk AND sugar, now he is a morning cappuccino guy, and no more sugar!
Actual content aside, I had to go back and watch the intro jars and explosion a couple of times. It's somehow very pleasing as a sequence.
I like the Nescafé Colombian Instant, the Mexican version does the trick with hazelnut creamer when short on time. I don’t understand all the hate with instant, I’m not a coffee enthusiast/snob though.