If you’re a caffeine head or a coffee connoisseur, you generally want to stay away from either instant or decaf coffee.
However, not everyone has the time to brew themselves a quality espresso every morning, and some people simply want to taste their coffee without feeling overly-stimulated.
And that’s where instant decaf coffee comes in. This is a coffee that’s easy to make, relatively affordable, tastes good, and it doesn’t have the kick that you’d usually associate with coffee.
But with all the brands and options out there, figuring out which is the best tasting instant coffee can be tough, if not outright impossible.
That’s where we come in. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the 6 best instant decaf coffees out there, and we also have a buying guide to help you figure out which coffee is the best for you.
See also:
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- Top 6 Best Commercial Espresso Machines 2020: Comparisons, Reviews and Buyer’s Guide
Best Instant Decaf Coffees: Quick Sammary
Top 6 Best Instant Decaf Coffees in 2020
#1, Trung Nguyen G7 3-In-1 Instant Coffee – The Best Vietnamese Coffee
- INSTANT 3 IN 1 BLEND: Each sachet is filled with a blend of coffee powder, nondairy creamer, and sugar that allows you to instantly blend a flavorful and aromatic cup of coffee in seconds
- FLAVORFUL & AROMATIC: The coffee powder is made using a combination of beans from Jamaica, Brazil, Ethiopia and Vietnam to create a delicious, fragrant and smooth cup of coffee that you’ll love
- QUICK & EASY TO BREW: This strong instant coffee blend can quickly and effortlessly be made by mixing with 75ml of hot water anytime you want to instantly enjoy coffee
- ENJOY ON THE GO: Our 3 in 1 instant coffee packets are perfect for use at home and when traveling giving you the freedom to enjoy full-bodied coffee anytime and anywhere you want
- MAKE LIFE SIMPLE: With these instant coffee packs, you’ll never have to worry about brewing coffee again! Make flavorful and aromatic coffee without any hassle with Trung Nguyen coffee sachet and Enjoy
If you enjoy the taste of Vietnamese drip coffee with a touch of condensed milk, this brand might just be the one for you. It has a subtly sweet taste and a strong coffee flavor that can be what we all need in the morning.
This pack of coffee comes with 100 individual packets, and some people recommend using two packets for a cup of coffee, as only using one can result in it being a bit watered down.
This is all a matter of your personal tastes, however. But if you’ve been looking for a sweet and creamy instant decaf coffee, this one is well worth your consideration.
#2, Starbucks Via Instant Coffee – The Best Premium Option
- Made only with high-quality arabica coffee beans
- Starbucks via instant Italian Roast coffee is roast and sweet with a rich, deep flavor and notes of caramelized sugar
- Just tear open a packet of Starbucks via instant Italian Roast coffee, add hot water, wait 10 seconds and stir. No coffee machine or grinder needed
- Create great-tasting beverages with these single-serve, ready-to-brew packets. Enjoy them anytime, anywhere— in an instant
- Includes One box of 50 packets
Starbucks is one of the most popular coffee chains at the moment, and the reason for that is they consistently brew great-tasting coffee. But what a lot of people don’t know is that they also offer instant decaffeinated coffee that tastes almost as good as their house brews.
This coffee will cost you more than almost any other brand out there, but if you’re looking for great-tasting coffee, it’s a price worth paying.
They use Arabica coffee beans to make this product, which is considered to be an Italian Dark Roast coffee. This results in a very deep and dark flavor, with a bit of sweetness to it.
You can also pick up a big of this instant decaf coffee at just about any Starbucks, which can make things very convenient for you.
#3, Maxwell House French Vanilla Iced Latte – The Best Flavored Instant Coffee
- Eight 6 ct. 3.42 oz. boxes of Maxwell House International French Vanilla Iced Latte Cafe-Style Beverage Mix
- Maxwell House International French Vanilla Iced Latte Beverage Mix has a consistently great taste
- Creamy, sweet French vanilla flavor
- Perfect for use on the go without a brewer
- Mix with cold water or milk for easy preparation
If you’re looking at instant and decaf coffee, you probably aren’t a purist, so there’s nothing wrong with getting a flavored instant coffee.
This is one of the most popular instant coffees out there, and it’s available in a decaf version for those who aren’t looking for a kick in their coffee.
Fair warning though, this drink only has a hint of coffee flavor and the cream and vanilla flavors are much more prominent. But sometimes, that’s exactly what a person is looking for.
#4, Nescafe Instant Coffee Taster’s Choice Light Roast – The Best Budget Option
- NESCAFE Taster's Choice House Blend Coffee Stick Packs are a smooth and mild roasted coffee made from 100% pure, responsibly sourced coffee beans
- Master Coffee Crafters roast and brew our special blend of premium quality coffee beans. They then flash freeze the coffee to lock in the signature smooth and well-balanced flavor
- Easily prepare fresh-tasting, consistent coffee without the hassle of roasting and grinding
- Make a quick, fresh-tasting cup of single serve coffee
- We believe the choices we make matter. That’s why we use responsibly sourced beans from the finest coffee growing regions around the world
Nescafe has been the go-to instant coffee brand for a while now, and this light roast decaffeinated coffee is a great example of why.
The beans used to make this coffee are pure, responsibly sourced, and masterfully roasted to produce a great tasting instant coffee.
After the beans are roasted, they are flash-frozen. This results in the flavors and subtleties of the coffee being saved and tasted in every cup. Though it should be said that it lacks some of the punch that you usually get with dark-roasts, but it still makes for a quality cup of coffee in the morning.
#5, Mount Hagen Organic Fair Trade Coffee – The Best Organic Instant Decaf Coffee
- MOUNT HAGEN: The trailblazer of organic Fair Trade coffee production, the conscience of the global coffee industry
- AWARD-WINNING: Mount Hagen consistently tops lists of best instant organic coffees
- SINGLE ORIGIN: Our favorite single-origin coffee boasts the velvety mildness and complex, sophisticated flavor unique to Papua New Guinea
- MASTERS OF OUR CRAFT: A sip of our rich, smooth coffee is a taste of its pampered history in the paradise of Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea
- VALUE PACK: Pack of 3 jars, 3.53 ounces each, approx. 50 servings in every jar
This entry on our list is arguably one of the best tasting instant decaf coffees out there. It has a balanced flavor, which can be attributed to the fact that the beans used in this coffee are all organic and fair trade.
Mount Hagen is commonly considered one of the best brands for instant coffee and consistently finds itself at the top of a lot of people’s list. This coffee has a very distinct flavor with nutty and fruity notes with a subtle hint of spice.
This coffee is also considered to be one of the best decaf options out there as the decaffeination process of Mount Hagen results in 99.99% of the caffeine being eliminated.
This is a great pick for just about any coffee out there.
#6, Maxim Mocha Gold Mild Coffee Mix – The Best Mocha Flavored Instant Decaf Coffee
- Product Name: Maxim Mocha Gold Mild Coffee Mix
- Ingredients: Coffee, Sugar, Non-Dairy Creamer
- NET WT.: 1.2Kg (12G x 100 pks)
- Product of Korea
If you’ve been looking for a mocha-flavored instant coffee, this may be the best option out there. You won’t need to add anything to it as it already contains coffee, sugar, and cream.
This is a very well-respected coffee amongst those who drink instant coffee, and the balanced flavor speaks for itself sometimes.
Some people have said that this coffee can be too sweet for some, but that’s because they don’t know how to control the sugar in the packet.
There is a text in Korean written on the side of the packet that translates to “sugar control”, and that means that you can hold the packet a certain way to control how much sugar goes into your drink. It takes some effort and practice to get right, but once you do, you’ll have a cup of coffee with just the right amount of sweetness every time.
What To Look For When Buying Instant Decaf Coffee
Ease Of Use
If you’re looking at instant coffee, you definitely don’t want to be putting in too much effort into making a drink. Good instant coffee doesn’t require anything aside from water or milk.
If you stumble across an instant coffee that needs more ingredients than that, you might want to stay away from that, as it can defeat the purpose.
Taste
Everyone has different tastes, especially when it comes to instant coffee. Some people want something closer to standard coffee that’s strong and bitter, while others may prefer something on the sweeter or creamier side.
Before you go out looking for the right coffee for you, it’s important to know the kind of taste you’re looking for so you don’t waste your time looking at products that won’t suit your preferences.
Decaffeination
Not all “decaf” coffee out there is fully decaffeinated. Some brands claim to remove 99.99% of the caffeine in their coffee, while some only remove around 80%-90%.
If you really don’t want the coffee kick, it’s important to check this out, else you might end up getting stimulated when you don’t want to.
Portability
One of the best things about instant coffee is that you don’t need to do too much to brew it. That means you can bring the coffee just about anywhere and all you’ll need is hot water to enjoy it.
Because of this, it might be beneficial to get a coffee that you can bring around. Ideally, this means getting coffee that comes in packets that you can put in your bag when you’re out and about.
FAQs
Is Instant Decaf Coffee Bad For You?
The only difference between decaf coffee and regular coffee is caffeine. There is no conclusive evidence out there that suggests that there are negative health benefits to drinking it.
In fact, some studies even suggest that decaf coffee shares some of the same health benefits that you can find in regular coffee.
Is Decaf OK For Anxiety?
Caffeine has a tendency to make people anxious. So those who have anxiety aren’t recommended to drink regular coffee.
However, since decaf doesn’t have caffeine in it, it doesn’t share that tendency. So if you’re dealing with anxiety and still want to enjoy the taste of coffee, decaffeinated coffee can be a great alternative for you.
Can I Drink Decaf With Acid Reflux?
Caffeine tends to aggravate GERD symptoms, which is why those with acid reflux tend to stay away from coffee and tea. However, decaf coffee can be a great alternative for those who love the taste of coffee as it doesn’t aggravate the symptoms commonly associated with GERD.
Will Decaf Coffee Keep Me Awake?
While most decaf coffees out there will have a tiny bit of caffeine in them, the effects of that will barely be felt. So you can easily drink decaf coffee at any time without worrying about it keeping you awake at night.
Which Is The Best Instant Decaf Coffee?
Everyone has a different opinion on this, but our choice for the best instant decaf coffee is the Starbucks VIA instant coffee.
This is because it is well made, well-roasted, and can even be comparable to the house brews of Starbucks. On top of that, you can easily grab a bag in almost any Starbucks branch you find yourself in.
It may be more on the expensive side, but it can be well worth it if you want a quality cup of decaf coffee that’s also very easy to make.
Conclusion
And that concludes our list of the best tasting instant decaf coffee reviews. Some of the coffees on this list are sweeter, some have a closer resemblance to a regular cup of brewed coffee, and some items are flavored.
Either way, each of these products is designed for a specific type of coffee drinker, which is why the list is so varied. So if you’ve found the right instant decaf coffee for you in this list, then the only thing left to do is head out and buy a batch for yourself.
And once that’s done, you’ll find yourself enjoying a nice cup of decaffeinated coffee every morning, and if you choose one that comes in packets, you can even bring that coffee with you everywhere you go!
I am Ralph Mason and I am a passionate coffee drinker. I worked as a barista for a few years and since 2012 I have been trying to convince as many people as possible of good coffee.
I started writing on the barista blog on RepublikCoffeeBar in 2018. It was a pure hobby site and I tested coffee products like coffee machines, beans, mug, and other accessories. After the first year, my blog is becoming a well-known coffee site with about 100 thousand visits per month.
In 2019 I decided to focus on RepublikCoffeeBar only. I became a full-time coffee blogger and was declared crazy by many.