No Normal Coffee isn't instant coffee

What exactly is the definition of instant coffee? And does No Normal Coffee really fall into that category? Let's clear things up.

Can No Normal Coffee be considered as your typical instant coffee?

What exactly is Instant Coffee?

Instant coffee is often regarded as a low-quality, mass-produced product and is generally dismissed by coffee connoisseurs. Essentially, it is a dehydrated coffee extract that is rehydrated with hot water to create a filter coffee-like beverage — without the need for a filter or coffee machine.

Some common synonymes used for "instant coffee" that you've probably also heard would be:

➤ Soluble coffee

➤ Powdered coffee

➤ Granulated coffee

The first instant coffee was invented in 1890 in New Zealand, marketed under the name "Strang Coffee," after its creator, David Strang. During World War I, instant coffee became popular due to its long shelf life and resistance to spoilage, making it an attractive alternative in difficult conditions.

However, instant coffee truly gained widespread recognition in 1938 thanks to Nestlé. The company advanced the industrial production process and introduced recipes like the Café Frappé. Today, Nestlé is one of the most well-known brands of instant coffee, though it may not be the top choice for true coffee enthusiasts.

The evolvement of instant coffee

According to a study by Nestlé in 2022, instant coffee accounts for 25% of the total coffee market revenue, following closely behind ground roasted coffee, which makes up 28%. Furthermore, demand for instant coffee is expected to continue growing in the coming years. But why?

The instant coffee category has evolved significantly in recent years and has since gained popularity. Just like roasted coffee, there are now noticeable differences in quality and taste when it comes to instant coffee: at the lower end, you have the mass-market products, while at the higher end, there’s specialty instant coffee.

With inexpensive industrial instant coffee, you can never be entirely sure what beans are being used. Often, low-quality beans are blended in, resulting in a less desirable taste. Specialty instant coffee, on the other hand, offers a fresh take on soluble coffee. It emphasizes close relationships with coffee farmers, improving bean quality and sorting processes. Additionally, various bean varieties and cultivation methods are being experimented with, offering flavors that are now truly impressive, while also saving water in the processing stage.

Instant coffee examples on the market:

So, the range of instant coffee today spans from basic mass-produced products to high-quality, sustainable specialties.

To give you an idea of the different existing instant alternatives on the market, we put together a selection of five dark roast coffee instant products, that range from mass-production to specialty instant coffee.

Nescafé Gold - The Original

Here we have the OG - the original prionieer - of instant coffee: Nescafé by Nestlé. This brand revolutionized instant coffee and remains a timeless classic that almost everyone recognizes. Nescafé is made from a blend of Arabica and Robusta beans and comes in the form of soluble granules.

The OG regarding instant coffee.

Jot - Ultra Coffee Original

Jot represents a more modern take on instant coffee. The highly concentrated coffee comes in liquid form, packaged in a glass bottle. The brand claims to taste as good as freshly brewed coffee. Fun fact: Jot is an acronym for "just a tablespoon," serving as a handy reminder.

The coffee that comes as liquid.

TryMoin – Pure Original

TryMoin, like Jot, comes in the form of liquid coffee concentrate in a glass bottle. They too promote the high quality and sustainability of their product, as well as its value for money. Affordable and delicious!

30 coffees in one 200ml glass bottle.

Alpine Start

This instant coffee is conveniently packaged in single-serve sachets and offers more than just a caffeine boost. Branded as "Coffee with Benefits," it’s infused with vitamins, MCT oil to enhance focus, and organic Reishi mushrooms to support immunity. The brand emphasizes helping consumers perform at their best during outdoor activities.

The healthy coffee option.

Cometeer – Houseplant (get roasted)

This one is a true innovation: cometeer's flash-frozen coffee pods. Those capsules you simply need to dilute to create a cup of coffee. Next to their frozen coffee format, the quality and taste of the coffee definitely stands out.

The coffee that comes in frozen capsules.

No Normal Coffee

The first coffee that comes in a tube! No Normal Coffee aims to make the convenience of great coffee more accessible for all types of outdoor activities. The lightweight aluminum tube is easy to carry and preserves the full, rich flavor of the coffee for an extended period. A fun twist is that you can actually eat the coffee paste straight from the tube as well.

The coffee in a tube.

What these coffees all have in common is their goal to simplify and speed up the preparation process for the end consumer. However, the key differences lie in the quality and selection of the roasted beans, as well as in the technology used for flavor extraction and taste. The final form also varies: as powder in a jar, liquid concentrate, frozen, or – in our case – as a paste.

Not all brands listed consider their products as "instant" coffee. Even if you could make your coffee with them "in an instant". So what DOES make instant coffee instant coffee?

Can No Normal Coffee be considered as instant coffee?

When considering the traditional definition, No Normal Coffee is not instant coffee, as it is not made from dehydrated coffee extract, which often loses the flavors and aromas that define a good coffee during the production process. Additionally, No Normal Coffee does not comply with the purity regulations that dictate only coffee extract may be included in the product. Instead, our coffee is a concentrate sweetened with organic Swiss beet sugar – you can read more about our production process in this blog post.

However, if we look at the definition of "instant" as a quick, simple way to prepare coffee, our product could indeed fall into this category. In that sense, we could say that we represent a newer form of instant coffee, one that stands apart from conventional instant coffee like the Nestlé Gold product.

We see this distinction of our product to traditional instant coffee as important because as mentioned, instant coffee is associated with very specific written down characteristics, which we do not meet with our product.

No Normal in comparison to other "bizzarre" instant alternatives

The YouTuber and World Champion Barista, Morgan Eckroth, just released a video where she compares the most bizarre instant coffees on the market and no normal coffee made the cut. In her expert review, she dives into price, quality, and of course, taste. Curious to see how we stacked up? Check out the video!