A blind taste test conducted by culinary and sensory scientists at Drexel University's Food Lab has found that instant coffee can outperform premium drip coffee. The study pitted eight top-rated instant coffees against three drip coffees—Folgers, Stumptown, and La Colombe—and asked 44 participants to rank them on acidity, bitterness, texture, coffee flavour, aftertaste and overall liking.
Seventy-seven per cent of tasters chose an instant coffee as their favourite, while only 23 per cent preferred drip coffee. Among the instant winners was Illy Intenso Bold Roast, which scored highly for texture, coffee flavour and bitterness. One taster described its bitterness as 'just right', while another noted a 'complex body'.
The test also revealed that some household names like Starbucks, Whole Foods and Illy impressed, while newer brands such as Chamberlain Coffee, Verve and Café Grumpy failed to stand out once their branding was removed.
Researchers first identified the best instant coffees from 24 varieties across five categories—powdered, freeze-dried, steeped bags, concentrates and pastes—before pitting them against drip coffee. Each coffee was brewed according to package instructions and served blind in cups labelled with random three-digit codes.
The findings challenge the assumption that instant coffee is inferior to brewed coffee, suggesting that modern instant products—including pastes, liquid concentrates and freeze-dried options—can deliver a comparable or even superior taste experience.
