The Flavored Instant Coffee You Should Avoid At All Costs

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Instant coffee is instant gratification, dissolving immediately into hot water for the quickest caffeine fix. Flavored instant coffee not only gives you a cup of coffee, but it adds sweetener, cream, and often flavored ingredients all in one powdered mix. Tasting Table tasted and ranked 12 flavored instant coffees and found a range of flavors along with a range of qualities. The worst quality, last-place flavored instant coffee you should avoid at all costs is Maxwell House iced latte with foam hazelnut.

While the pairing of hazelnut and coffee is delicious and a hazelnut foam topping is a decadent final touch, Maxwell House instant hazelnut latte doesn't live up to the expectations its label generates. The foam did form, and the caramel coloring of the coffee, cream, and hazelnut flavoring looked promising, but all hope was shattered by the first sip. In fact, the weird aroma that emanated from the drink was the first sign something was off. Not only was there no hint of hazelnut, but there was no coffee flavor at all. Instead, this instant coffee drink overwhelmed the palate with an intense chemical sweetness. Hot, artificial sugar water is the best descriptor of this instant coffee drink.

And, since the ranking was based solely on taste, Maxwell House was a clear loser. If you're looking for another Hazelnut flavored instant coffee, Nescafe Taster's Choice ranked considerably higher on the list.

Maxwell hazelnut instant coffee and foam missed the mark entirely, leading us to think up other ways to use it besides as a morning pick-me-up. While it may not be the intended use, instant coffee is a great addition to many desserts, and this one is the perfect choice. As a water soluble ingredient, you can dissolve instant coffee into countless baked good batters, ice creams, and even marinades. Coffee is also a famous dry rub, with robust flavors that'll stand up to the umami richness of a cut of steak. Perhaps adding a scoop or two of a hazelnut flavored instant coffee to these ultimate fudgy brownies will give them a nutella-like twist.

A sweet, nutty instant coffee would also bring depth to a milk or yogurt-based smoothie. It'd also make for a major upgrade to a banana-based smoothie with rich natural peanut butter like Laura Scudder's. You can stir it into your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk to make a caffeinated, coffee-filled batch of overnight oats or chia pudding. If a coffee drink is still what you crave, you can use instant coffee to create the viral Korean dalgona coffee by simply whipping it with hot water. It's sweet enough, so you wouldn't need added sugar, and you can use this water bottle tip to whip it with ease.