Instant coffee doesn’t have to be boring

You open the jar, take a spoonful, add hot water and stir. In less than a minute, you have a cup of coffee. It is simple, familiar and convenient. But instant coffee does not have to stop there.

The same spoonful can become a creamy hot coffee, a chilled layered drink, whipped foam or even a quick dessert. Without trying to replace carefully brewed speciality coffee, instant coffee gives you plenty of room to play with texture, temperature, milk, flavour and presentation.

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Instant coffee rarely gets the same attention as freshly ground beans used for espresso or pour-over coffee. But it has a different appeal. It goes from jar to cup in minutes, with little more than hot water and a spoon. It also starts its life as brewed coffee.

During production, coffee is brewed into an extract and then dehydrated. This is commonly done through spray-drying or freeze-drying. The process leaves soluble granules or powder that can be mixed with water

For Iftekhar Mahmud Hassan, founder and CEO of Bangladesh Barista Training Academy (BBTA), this simplicity is what makes instant coffee useful. It needs no grinder or professional brewing equipment. The final drink can also be adjusted to suit personal preferences for strength, sweetness and milk.

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The easiest way to make instant coffee more interesting may be to stop thinking of it as one fixed drink.

Texture alone can change the experience. Dissolve the coffee in a little water, add ice and shake it well in a sealed jar. This gives an ordinary iced coffee a layer of froth. Add cold milk afterwards for a more deliberate drink.

For a softer and creamier coffee, add milk foam to a warm coffee. Finish it with a little cocoa or cinnamon. Vanilla or a small amount of caramel can also change the flavour without making the drink complicated.

Then there is dalgona, perhaps the clearest example of how visually striking instant coffee can become.

Md Tamim Ferdous, a coffee-loving student at the Department of Criminology, University of Dhaka, remembers dalgona coffee becoming especially popular during the Covid-19 pandemic. Instant coffee, sugar and hot water were beaten, often with a hand beater, until they formed a thick foam. The foam was then spooned over milk.

The trend matched the wider lockdown phenomenon. In 2020, whipped dalgona coffee spread rapidly across social media. Its pale milk and caramel-coloured coffee foam made it well suited to photographs and short videos.

Its appeal was as much visual as culinary. Everyday ingredients could suddenly produce a drink that looked as though it belonged on a café table.

The same idea works with iced coffee. Fill a tall, clear glass with ice and milk. Then pour concentrated instant coffee slowly over it. The coffee and milk remain in layers for a short time before they mix.

You do not need specialised glassware. A clear tumbler can show off an iced drink, while a favourite ceramic mug can make a warm coffee feel cosier. A neat layer of foam or a little cocoa on top can also make the cup feel more considered.

If milk and foam feel too familiar, instant coffee can take a different direction.

Pour a small amount of concentrated coffee over sparkling water and crushed ice for a light, fizzy drink. Vanilla syrup is one option, while citrus can give the glass a mocktail-like appearance. Sparkling instant-coffee recipes use this basic combination of concentrated coffee, sparkling water and ice.

At the other end of the spectrum is dessert. Pour strong instant coffee over vanilla ice cream to create an affogato-style treat. Add chocolate shavings or crushed nuts for more texture. Instant coffee is used this way in published affogato recipes, making it an easy option when an espresso machine is not available.

Even small additions can change the drink. Condensed milk can make iced coffee richer. Cinnamon can add warmth to a milky cup. Cocoa can take it towards mocha. The aim is not to add everything at once. Instead, decide if the coffee needs more sweetness, creaminess, texture or simply a better finish.

Presentation also does not need expensive props. A tray, a good glass, neatly arranged ice or a simple garnish can improve the experience more than an overcrowded counter of coffee gadgets.

Instant coffee will not reproduce every flavour or ritual of coffee made from freshly ground beans, and it does not need to. Its appeal is its simplicity and the flexibility it offers.

Whether you prefer it hot, cold, foamy, layered or paired with dessert, a few small changes can make the familiar cup feel different. Sometimes, that is all instant coffee needs.