My Hack for Cheap Iced Lattes Is This Instant Coffee

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Instant coffee is having a moment, and Blue Bottle's offering is worth the spend.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a beverage girlie. A little canned non-alcoholic aperitif, afternoon La Croix, or bottle of artisanal iced tea are all up my alley. But the drink I love the most, the one that I cannot (and have not, in several years) gone a day without, is coffee. On a hot Saturday morning, you can find me patiently waiting in line for a six dollar iced latte, or grinding locally sourced beans at home. . In my never-ending search for the unicorn of coffee — something that’s easy, affordable, and delicious — I’ve turned to an often misunderstood option: instant coffee. While instant coffees are known for being and for decades have been), a poor substitute for the real deal, we’ve entered a new era full of craft instant coffees that will satisfy even the most skeptical of critics.

Iced coffee is sacred to me in the summertime. Unless I’m indoors with AC (a rarity in New York), I strongly prefer a cold coffee over a hot one, and I love sipping a little iced americano or latte while I take my hot girl walks through Brooklyn. Enter my new hack for easy iced lattes that doesn’t require me to own an espresso machine or spend a small fortune: Blue Bottle’s Instant Espresso.

$25

Buy on bluebottlecoffee.com

I know the name implies that it’s easy to use, but I was shocked at just how simple this instant espresso makes whipping up a latte—a drink that seems a little more involved—at home. I add a teaspoon of the grounds to my mug or glass, mix with a little hot water, then pour in either warm or cold milk and ice. Both the hot and cold lattes I’ve made with this instant coffee have been creamy, caffeinating, and yummy, but the ease of not having to heat up milk combined with the sense of luxury I feel when sipping an iced latte have me making the chilled version on repeat. The math also makes sense; at twenty-five dollars for a jar that contains at least twelve servings, you’re looking at spending roughly two dollars per latte, far less than the average cost at coffee shops across most major cities. It’s worth noting that this instant espresso also has a fairly mild flavor, so if you’re looking for the same depth of bitter richness that traditional espresso is known to have, this won’t quite measure up. However, the upside is that Blue Bottle’s product avoids the kind of sour bitterness that’s characteristic of many instant coffees.

Related: How to Make 6 Barista-Quality Espresso Drinks at Home

Once I discovered my new favorite instant espresso, I became curious about other high-end instant coffees. There are a lot of beautifully-branded and thoughtfully-crafted choices on the market nowadays, and similar to traditional brewed coffee, you might not like every roast. I’ve found myself leaning towards instant coffees that are more smooth and rich. I’m fairly averse to the overly acidic notes that plague many instant coffees, and I prefer to drink my hot coffee black, so I need something that doesn’t require milk and sugar to make it palatable. After trying a selection of the best-reviewed options there, the instant coffees from Verve and Canyon stood out to me the most, both of which are flavorful and not too bitter (they’re also traditional roasters that sell whole beans, if you’re curious to try those too). The smooth and complex flavor of Canyon coffee was striking to me; I’m convinced you wouldn’t know it was instant coffee unless someone told you. The greatest advantage to drinking Verve is that the brand has so many varieties to choose from — like the Bronson, Vancouver, and Streetlevel — so you can cater the roast to your taste. Their All Purpose Blend can even be brewed with cold water for immediate pouring over ice, although I haven’t tried this out yet for myself.

Related: 13 Coffee Cocktails to Keep You Going This Summer

There’s an entire world of actually good instant coffee for you to explore, so before you judge this oft-maligned drink, pour yourself a two dollar iced latte or order a few different brands to find out if there’s one you like. The words “instant coffee” might not spark immediate excitement in your heart, but once you realize that there’s an equally delicious but even easier source of your morning caffeine, you’ll be just as thrilled as I am.

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