We recently compiled a report on the 15 Best Instant Coffees of 2024 and in this article we will list the best instant coffee of this year.
An Economic Commodity
Coffee is a globally consumed beverage, known for its distinct bitter taste. It’s a great antioxidant for improving metabolism and blood sugar regulation. Most people use it for its caffeine content, which enhances mental alertness and energy levels. However, some people like to drink their coffee decaffeinated as well. Generally, consuming 3 to 4 cups of hot or cold coffee is considered safe and healthy. Excess consumption can cause issues like anxiety, insomnia, and increased heart rate.
Coffee is not just a popular cultural beverage but an economic commodity. As of 2024, Finland consumes the highest levels of coffee, going at 12 kilograms per capita annually. According to Etonomics, over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide daily. This comes from more than 2.25 billion kilograms of global annual coffee production by millions of farmers in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. 90% of this happens in developing countries of South America. Over 100 million people are employed in the coffee industry at the growth stage.
Brazil’s Geographic Advantage
Many developing countries have successfully improved their economies through the coffee industry. Brazil is a great example. In 2009 and 2011, it was the largest producer of unroasted coffee beans, with 2.7 million metric tons produced in a year. It’s still the largest producer of coffee in 2024, responsible for 40% of the world’s production. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the success of coffee plantations in Brazil led to a surplus of income for the economy.
If you’re a coffee enthusiast, you must know the difference between Arabica and Robusta beans. Arabica beans are larger, oval, and darker. Robusta beans are smaller, round, and paler.
Arabica beans are considered higher quality, expensive beans with a superior, sweeter taste because they’re not as easy to grow as Robusta beans. The latter is easier to cultivate, has twice as much caffeine content, and is cheaper, but at the cost of a harsher, bitter taste.
This is because Arabica requires high altitudes of around 600 to 2000 meters, with consistently cool temperatures of 15 to 25°C and high humidity to grow properly. Robusta can be cultivated at lower altitudes of 300 to 800 meters, tolerate warmer temperatures up to 26°C, and is much more pest-resistant.
Brazil not only produces most of the world’s coffee but is also geographically favored to produce Arabica. Brazil, along with Vietnam and Columbia, is placed near the earth’s equator, which has the right altitude, stable temperatures, and abundant seasonal rainfall conditions to grow superior coffee beans. Brazil’s mountainous regions of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Espírito meet these conditions perfectly.
The Coffee Market
Since 70% of the world’s coffee supply comes from Brazil, Vietnam, and Columbia, the price of coffee is very volatile. Many unforeseen circumstances can disrupt the supply of coffee, especially at the growth stage. For instance, Etonomics reported that a devastating frost in Brazil in 1975 – characterized by snow in the city of Paraña, which very rarely happened – wiped out over 1.5 billion coffee trees. This caused a global coffee shortage and soaring prices. This happened again in 2022, with another frost nearly doubling coffee costs within a year.
The example of Brazil suggests that climate change has a lot to do with coffee growth. Small changes in weather patterns, temperature, and rainfall can have a big impact on production, and impact the global coffee supply.
As coffee supply becomes more unpredictable, prices also become more volatile. In the past few years, the prices have been hitting record highs.
In April, Forbes reported that Shawn Hackett – in the Hackett Money Flow Commodities Report – said that coffee prices are going to be higher than ever. Today’s price is $2.29 per pound. This is much higher than the $3.11 price in 1977. Hackett thinks prices will go even higher than the record high of 1977.
In May, Bloomberg reported that the prices of robusta coffee beans had surged. In the past year, prices jumped by about 50%. In the last week of May, they increased by 7%, the highest jump since 2010.
Robusta beans are mainly grown in Vietnam. The country has been dealing with severe droughts, hurting coffee harvests. Poor rainfall in the region has further fed the unstable dynamic caused by climate change. Farmers have started harvesting other plants, mainly durian, at the cost of coffee.
While price volatility for coffee barely ever happens because of demand changes, the demand for coffee has increased globally. Markets in North America and Europe have expanded further and places that primarily drink tea, like China, have seen increases of 10% per year in supply. In June, GourmetPro reported that the global coffee market is valued at $132.1 billion and is expected to reach $166.4 billion by 2029, registering a compound annual growth rate of 4.72%.
Commodity or Specialty?
Before going out into the market looking for coffee, it’s important to distinguish between commodity and specialty coffee.
Specialty coffee is typically luxurious. This is the coffee you find in coffee shops. These coffee franchises are looking to fulfill their customers’ needs by providing a wide range of high-quality coffee. Naturally, it’s sold in lesser quantities and is harder to produce.
Commodity coffee is cheap and is often sold in bulk. You will find this at your nearest grocery store. Any two boxes of commodity coffee with similar quality are priced the same. The cost of consuming commodities over specialty is that it’s hard to find too many distinct varieties in flavors. Instant coffee is one instance of this.
Ease of Consuming Instant Coffee
Coffee can be prepared in many ways, including espresso, French press, and drip brewing. Essentially, all preparation methods involve grinding the roasted beans and then steeping them in hot water to allow flavors to extract just the right amount. Additions include sugar, milk, and cream but they’re secondary ingredients.
Instant coffee is a dried form of coffee. It’s made by brewing regular coffee, then removing the water, and leaving behind a concentrated powder. This powder, known as instant coffee, is turned back into a drink by adding hot water. The taste of this preserved form of coffee is slightly different from freshly brewed coffee but is much more convenient to make.
Brewing coffee requires proper equipment. On the contrary, for instant coffee, all you have to do is add hot water to it and you’ll have yourself a cup of coffee. Unlike green or roasted beans, or even ground coffee – which can be both commodity or specialty – instant coffee is only a commodity. This is why it’s also cheaper than other coffee options.
Instant coffee accounts for about 25% of the coffee consumed globally and is expected to rise, particularly in markets outside the United States, where instant coffee remains a staple choice for many consumers.
A Swiss-based food giant, Nestlé S.A. (OTC:NSRGY), is the largest instant coffee company globally. Their brand, Nescafé, is synonymous with instant coffee worldwide. According to CNBC, Nescafé had annual sales of $11.6 billion by December 2023. The company sells in 188 countries and has over 2000 brands of coffee, cereals, water, dairy, drinks, and sweets, among others.
Nestlé S.A. (OTC:NSRGY) serves as the world’s largest coffee buyer and owns some of the most iconic coffee brands including Nescafé and Nespresso. About 3 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide daily and 1 in 7 cups is a Nescafé. This translates to over 6,100 cups of Nescafé every second. The company works with over 100,000 farmers, and two dozen factories, and buys more than 13 million bags of green coffee annually.
The company’s powdered and liquid beverages category is its largest segment. Coffee-related sales – including soluble coffee and coffee systems – witnessed high single-digit growth in 2023 with positive sales developments.
In the past 5 years, revenue of the company’s coffee business has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 12.3%. The powdered and liquid beverages category recorded CHF 24.8 billion ($29 billion) in sales while coffee accounted for 67.2% of the total sales. Overall, the company had CHF 93.0 billion ($109 billion) in group sales with organic growth of 7.2%.
Nestlé S.A. (OTC:NSRGY) has also managed to capture markets outside of North America and Europe, introducing coffee to 10 million Indian households in 2023, a country where tea is the staple beverage. You can also take a look at the 7 Best Coffee Stocks to Buy Now.
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Our Methodology
To compile our list, we first searched through different internet lists and Reddit threads on the best instant coffees for consensus. We then used reviews and ratings from Walmart and Amazon to form an opinion. We used the number of reviews as our primary determinant and then made a final call based on the rating of the product. We have only included coffees with at least 500 reviews and a rating of at least 4 out of 5. The best instant coffees of 2024 are listed in ascending order of the number of reviews.
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The Best Instant Coffee of 2024
1. Nescafé Clasico Dark Roast Instant Coffee
Number of Reviews: 6,348
Rating: 4.7 / 5
Nescafé is known for its wide variety of coffee products designed for diverse consumer preferences. Most of the brand’s popularity comes from instant coffee products. Nescafé emphasizes quality by sourcing coffee beans from various regions, including Brazil, Colombia, and Vietnam.
Nescafé Clasico Dark Roast Instant Coffee is a premium instant coffee option that offers a rich and bold flavor. This dark roast coffee delivers an intense flavor from a blend of high-quality Arabica and Robusta beans. The careful roasting process enhances its rich aroma and bold taste.
Nescafé offers a wide range of instant coffee options. Some of the variants include Nescafé Clasico Dark Roast, Medium Roast, Brazil, and Decaf. There’s also the Nescafé Gold Original, Gold Espresso, 3-in-1 Original, and Sweet & Creamy. If you enjoy brewing coffee yourself, Nescafé has you covered with Gold Ground Coffee, Gold Whole-Bean Coffee, Espresso Capsules, and Dolce Gusto coffee pods.
Curious to learn about other top rated instant coffees of 2024? Check out our detailed report on the 15 Best Instant Coffees of 2024.
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