The Best On-the-Go Instant Coffees

Need a quick java fix? These instant coffees designed for on-the-go lifestyles will save you money and time. So, forget the expense of going through a coffee shop drive-through, and the time it takes to brew your own at home. With these instant single serve coffees, you’ll be ready and amped up in no time.

1. Starbucks Via, Colombia
2. Nescafé Clasicó, Original
3. Taster’s Choice, Original



In blindly conducted taste tests, tasters consistently chose Nescafé Clasicó, Original as their favorite, and Taster's Choice, Original as their least favorite. Tasters commented that the Starbucks Via tasted like a true Americano, but several thought it was too harsh.

Cost
Which instant coffee offers the most bang for your buck? On average, the samples cost:

Starbucks Via $7.99 for 8 packets
Nescafé Clasicó $ 1.09 ON SALE for 8 packets
Taster’s Choice $2.99 for 22 packets



Clearly, the Taster’s Choice is the least expensive, at only .135 cents per packet. The Nescafé Clasicó on sale is only one tenth of a penny more. However, average retail price on this item is a dollar more, or around $2.09, which puts each packet at .26 cents. Starbucks Via is clearly the most expensive, costing close to a dollar per packet.

Other Choices
In addition to the three samples tested, the supermarket where they were purchased also carried varieties of the same brands.

Starbucks Via offers Italian Roast, Decaf Italian Roast, and Iced, in addition to the Colombia flavor.

Nescafé Clasicó comes in Decaf as well as regular.

Taster’s Choice has Columbian, Decaf, Vanilla, and Hazelnut, as well as their Original version.

Other brands exist as well, but were not found in the small town market. Research online shows that this type of instant, on-the-go, single-serve packages are also made by:

Mount Hagan Organic
Folgers (offers a teabag style only)
Otherwise, instant coffee can be purchased in non single-serve containers from many brands in all sorts of flavors.