What am I missing from not drinking instant coffee?

O.k. I’m boiling the water and I opened the package…Wish me luck. edit yuck… I’ll add some honey. edit too hot… I’ll let it cool off. edit still too hot I will add some tap water.

O.K. the honey made it passable. Why don’t I just drink the honey with hot water?

I don’t drink coffee anymore because of a heart problem. If you are going to experiment with coffee why not use the good stuff? Most coffee drinkers will likely tell you that the taste of instant coffee is very inferior to that of fresh brewed coffee. Nevertheless some folks like my Sister only drink instant coffee. For them the convenience of instant makes the poor taste worthwhile I suppose.

I drink a cup of coffee on workdays. I’ve never had fresh brewed coffee, so I can’t comment on the difference.

If you like it, drink it. If you don’t, you’re not missing anything. It’s just coffee, not magic.

If you are just starting out try mixing it at ¼ strength. You will get the aroma but not all the intense “yuck” flavor. It will also be much cheaper and last longer.
We calculated here that a typical cup of coffee (not the fancy K-cup stuff) made at home costs about 10 cents.

If you’re limiting you Q to instant coffee, then you aren’t missing a thing.

If you ever want to experience what good coffee tastes like, go to a quality coffee shop which sells numerous different beans from different places around the world.

Do they have any Caribou coffee places in your neck of the woods?

There are a lot of nuances to the flavors of good quality coffees. Most of the stuff on grocery store shelves is hybridized junk and instant coffee is worst of all.

If someone is drinking it for the caffeine, they’d be better off just taking caffeine pills rather than drinking cheapo crap coffee.

Since this is in Social, I’m going to go off on a limb and say that you should really drink less Cola. That stuff’s like a slow-acting poison. Almost anything else would be better by comparison.

You’re right about that. I always was suspicious about drinking anything that could also be used to take the corrosion off your battery terminals.

Also, recent research has revealed the damaging effects of the stuff used to get that caramel color (both in cola and other foodstuffs as well.)

@Buttonstc Oh, and did you know that the acid in Coke is great for cleaning toilets? Only problem is, it is actually more expensive to use Coke to clean toilets than to use ordinary toilet cleaners! Coke is expensive on an ounce per ounce basis, so you’re also wasting your money drinking it.

Sure you can substitute it. A regular cup has about double the caffeine of a cola. Try the coffee with just sugar if you don’t like it black. Make the coffee a little weak at first, and then add more coffee as you go to taste. If you add milk and sugar it is like drinking hot coffee ice cream if you have ever had coffee ice cream before.

I don’t know why people worry about the acid in drinks, your stomach has a very acidic environment.

Coffee is great if you’re not a person who likes sweet foods in general. Nice, fresh coffee has a really lovely flavor all its own, that’s a bit like toast+ dark chocolate + roasted nuts.

Personally, I love the sort of “mouth-drying” qualities of coffee. It’s like wine or citrus juice, where if you have a bite of a rich food, a sip of something leaves you refreshed and wanting more food. Turkish coffee with baklava, or espresso with a rich pastry or creamy dessert, is SUCH a great contrast. On its own, foods like this are too much, but with coffee it’s the perfect balance.

Instant coffee is more like, “Ughhhhh, it’s a weekday.”

@JLeslie Yes, it’s very acidic in your stomach, but do you really need to pump even more acid into it? Plus, your blood is slightly alkaline (a pH of around 7.35, IIRC). Somehow, somewhere, all that acid needs to be neutralized. How the body does this, I don’t know, but I’ll ask this in a separate question, as now we’re getting a bit off-topic.

You’re not missing much by not drinking instant coffee but real freshly ground coffee is heavenly. Sweeten with sugar rather than honey. Also I prefer it without milk but some people find it too bitter without. Cappuccino made with soya milk is wonderful though. It stays frothy all the way through and doesn’t go flat like ordinary milk.