Does really good specialty instant coffee actually exist? We'd argue…yes, and that's because we spent over a year figuring out how to make it ourselves, and after rigorous taste testing, we think you'll like it too.
Specialty instant coffee has come a long way, especially here in Canada where the third wave coffee movement has pushed roasters to think differently about convenience without compromise. We wanted to explore what that actually means. So we're diving into how it's made, how it's evolving, and why we decided it was time for Eclipse to release our own (soon!).
Why Does Instant Coffee Normally Taste Bitter?
We've all been there. You boil your water, carefully tear open the sachet, already bracing yourself for the gritty watery flavour of the instant coffee you're about to drink. "Maybe the caffeine content will be worth it," you think. But this doesn't have to be your experience, if you know what to look for.
What to look for to find the best instant coffee
Most instant coffee is built around cost rather than flavour, and once you understand why, the difference between a good cup and a bad one starts to make a lot more sense.
Large scale commodity brands typically prioritize low costs and high yields, which usually means starting with Robusta beans. Robusta is higher in caffeine than Arabica (and caffeine is itself a bitter molecule), which gives commodity instant its characteristic sharpness. Combined with other harsh compounds naturally present in Robusta, the result is a cup that leans bitter before you’ve even added the water.
The processing method plays a big role too. Most commodity instant coffee is spray dried. This is a fast and cost efficient process that involves shooting concentrated liquid coffee into an extremely hot chamber. The heat does its job quickly, but it also destroys the delicate aromatic compounds responsible for the fruity, floral, and sweet notes that make specialty coffee worth drinking.
Dark roasts are also common in commodity instant, partly because they dissolve more easily in water and maximize yield. But roasting that dark burns away the flavour and origin character that specialty roasters spend so much time trying to preserve.
Now that you know what to look for, finding a genuinely good instant coffee is a lot more straightforward than it used to be.
What Makes Specialty Instant Coffee Different from Regular Instant?
Specialty instant coffee is very different from its commodity cousin for a few reasons.
Like all specialty coffee, there's an emphasis on balance, tasting notes, traceability, and overall flavour. It's about caring where the coffee comes from, how it tastes, and all the little details that turn a quick caffeine fix into a genuinely wonderful cup of coffee. This kind of instant coffee is made from specialty rated Arabica beans that are prized for their complexity and smoothness.
With roasters coming out with more premium grade instant, the choice between speed and flavour is a no brainer. Now, you can have both.
But the differences don't stop there.
Two ways to make instant coffee: Spray-Dried vs. Freeze-Dried
Spray drying involves shooting a mist of concentrated liquid coffee into an extremely hot chamber. Liquid evaporates rapidly, leaving behind a fine, uniform coffee powder. This process is faster, more cost-efficient, and results in a product that dissolves more quickly.
But spray-dried instant coffee ends up being more bitter. The high heat destroys the sweet, delicate flavour compounds responsible for tasting notes like orange, raisin, and cherry. So if you've ever wondered "why does this instant coffee taste bitter?" Well, there's your answer.
To learn more about reading coffee tasting notes, check out our full guide →
Specialty instant coffee, in contrast, uses freeze drying. The coffee is brewed as a concentrate, frozen into slabs, and placed into a vacuum chamber. The liquid is instantly vaporized. Since the coffee never gets hot, the fragile aromatics are preserved in the residual coffee granules.
Specialty Beans vs. Commodity Beans
In addition to being freeze dried, specialty instant coffee uses different beans. As with brewed specialty coffee, the beans meet strict SCA standards for flavour, aroma, balance, and more. Beans must score a minimum of 80 points.
The roast level of the beans used in specialty instant tends to be lesser as well, and is typically more of a light to medium-dark roast to preserve acidity, tasting notes, and origin character.
Commodity beans, on the other hand, are often roasted dark. We're talking…very dark. Lower grade beans are also used because the cost to yield ratio at scale, is just more efficient. But without a focus on traceability and sourcing, the ethics behind these beans are dubious at best.
Single Origin, Specialty Blends, or Mass-Market Blends
Origin is incredibly important in the world of specialty coffee. Not only does it reveal characteristics like tasting notes, acidity, body, and aroma, but it's crucial for traceability. Who grew the beans, where, how, and at what altitude? You can learn more about this in our post on Coffee Chain Transparency.
In specialty coffee, we talk a lot about single origin. The beans come from a single farm and information about the growers is readily available. But specialty coffee blends still do exist. In fact, our Balanced coffee (which is our take on a 'medium roast') is a blend.
Commodity instant coffee on the other hand, is made from mass-market blends, with almost zero focus on traceability and transparency. Everything gets jumbled together in the pot, with a focus on distributing the product at scale, rather than small batch with a focus on quality and sourcing. Trust us, we checked.
If you're interested in learning more about how to choose coffee beans, you can read our post on understanding Single Origin, Blends, Decaf & More →
Eclipse's Story: Why We Made a Specialty Instant Coffee
And that leads us to the part of the specialty coffee story where we come in with our take. For context, we've been thinking about adding a premium instant coffee to our line of specialty coffee products (all roasted here in Canada!) for quite some time.
We know our Canmore community is full of adventurers and go-getters, and people who value making the most out of every minute. An instant coffee fits perfectly into this lifestyle. We knew there was a need…we just had to figure out how to do it.
It took almost a year of learning, designing, and redesigned to get the recipe right.
When we finally release it, it will be made from the same beans used in our cafés and sold on our website for both our bright and balanced coffees. We stayed away from bold because as you know, most instant coffees naturally tend to taste darker in the roasting process. They meet the same high quality and ethical standards that we're proud to be known for.
But whether you're based in Canada or ordering from abroad, Eclipse instant coffee was built for people who refuse to compromise on flavour, wherever life, or their next adventure takes them.
Instant Coffee vs Brewed Coffee: How Does Eclipse Instant Compare?
Honestly, it's pretty close!
Even the best instant coffee can't go toe-to-toe with a pour over…but we're proud to say that our freeze dried instant coffee can hold its own against other brew methods.
Instant coffee is actually becoming a respectable brew category, rather than just a source of shame hidden in the back of your cupboard (we know, it feels weird to answer with 'instant' when someone asks what your favourite type of coffee is). But the good news is, times are changing.
A high quality, specialty grade instant crafted with quality in mind can pack more flavour and enjoyment in a cup than an inattentively brewed drip made from a mass-market blend. So to sum things up, premium instant coffee is just another way to enjoy your coffee. It's not lesser or worse, just different.
When we decided to create our own instant coffee, we refused to sacrifice flavour for convenience. It took a lot of R&D, but we think we did it. Every cup of Eclipse instant specialty coffee has the same commitment to quality and taste as both our espresso and pour-over beans.
How to Make the Perfect Cup of Specialty Instant Coffee
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Step One:Bring your water to 80 °C.
Step Two:Add 240 - 300 ml to a cup.
Step Three:Tear open the pouch and add the entire packet of your instant coffee to the cup of hot water.
Step Four:Stir until the coffee is completely dissolved.
Step Five:Enjoy black or with a bit of milk.
Pro Tip: Add the hot water before the coffee. Otherwise, steam can rise into the packet and make the coffee clump together, causing some of it to stick inside instead of making it into your cup. The result? A weaker brew.
Who Is Specialty Instant Coffee Best Suited For?
Campers, adventurers, and travellers are the most obvious answer. If you need caffeine quickly but don't want to sacrifice flavour, specialty instant coffee is a natural choice. You can't exactly pack your espresso machine into your camping bag, your overnight pack, or your suitcase.
So whether you're brewing on a campsite, making a cup on top of a mountain, grabbing something quick before dashing out the door for your next adventure, or wanting to bring a taste of home overseas, our instant coffee was made for all of the above.
Maybe your morning routine looks more like sitting at a desk than scaling a peak? That's fine too. Our premium instant will help power you through your work day without compromising on taste.
It also makes a genuinely great gift. Perfect as a stocking stuffer for your favourite specialty coffee aficionado, and compact enough to tuck into a Christmas card for faraway loved ones.
And if you love café quality coffee but lack the equipment or expertise to brew it at home, specialty instant is probably for you.
Does Eclipse Sell Instant Coffee?
We're putting the finishing touches on our first ever specialty instant coffee. Stay tuned!
Conclusion
So, does really good instant coffee exist? Absolutely.
The best instant coffee, in Canada and beyond, starts with the same things that make great brewed coffee: quality beans, careful roasting, traceable sourcing, and attention to flavour. The difference is that specialty coffee can now be enjoyed without the grinder, scale, or coffee maker.
Whether you're looking for instant coffee for camping, packing for a trip, have a gift to give, or simply want a better cup at your desk, Eclipse makes specialty coffee easy to take anywhere.
The best instant coffee doesn't ask you to choose between convenience and flavour. Enjoying what ends up in your cup, simply starts with a little more intentionality in the beans.
FAQ
Does specialty instant coffee actually taste good?
Yes. Specialty instant coffee can be surprisingly close to brewed coffee in flavour, especially when it's made with high-quality beans and freeze-dried to preserve delicate aromas.
What is the difference between freeze-dried and spray-dried instant coffee?
Spray drying uses high heat, which can diminish delicate flavour compounds. Freeze drying uses lower temperatures and better preserves the coffee's natural aromas and tasting notes.
Can instant coffee be specialty grade?
Yes it can! and this is probably the most important thing to understand about the specialty instant coffee category. The grade of the coffee comes down to the beans, not the format. If the beans score 80 points or above on the SCA’s 100-point cupping scale and are processed carefully using freeze drying to preserve their character, the result can be genuinely specialty grade. The format doesn’t disqualify the coffee. Instead, the sourcing and processing do all the work.
How to find the best instant coffee?
Look for instant coffee that has been freeze-dried from specialty-grade Arabica beans. That’s the standard that separates genuinely good instant coffee from the commodity versions you’ll find at the grocery store.
Is instant coffee good for travel?
Instant coffee is one of the best options for travel. It’s lightweight, requires no equipment, and a specialty freeze-dried version means you don’t have to sacrifice flavour for a hotel room or campsite cup.
What makes a good instant coffee gift?
Look for specialty instant coffee that’s freeze-dried, single origin or carefully blended, and comes in individual sachets. It’s practical, lightweight, easy to ship, and the kind of thing a coffee lover will actually use.
