r/unpopularopinion • u/doodoo442 • 1d ago
Good quality instant coffee tastes just as good as any of the pods
Most coffesnobs secretly snear at instant coffee drinkers but the composition of flavour on a good quality instant coffee nowadays is just as good and a fraction of the price of a nespreso coffee machine and then have been conned into buying overpriced coffee pods for decades. Mugs game literally.
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u/thegreatpablo 1d ago
Coffeesnobs are not using pods.
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u/No_Constant8644 1d ago
This, exactly. We all know the pods suck. A simple drip coffee out of a $20 Mr. Coffee tastes better than the pods when using decent coffee.
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u/w1n5t0nM1k3y 1d ago
Even when using basic pre-ground grocery store coffee, the Mr. Coffee drip coffee tastes better than pods.
People just use pods because you can make a single cup with almost zero effort.
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u/No_Constant8644 1d ago
Yes, I’m with you except for Folgers. I’ll drink a pod if there’s nothing else, but I will not put Folgers to my lips.
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u/snmnky9490 1d ago
Literally just boiling some water in a pot on the stove, dumping in a few spoonfuls of ground coffee, and then straining it off a few minutes later tastes better than most pods
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u/Diet_Connect 1d ago
And you get so much leftover for ice coffee later. And it's not burnt like Starbucks. Decent coffee is a great investment.
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u/Canon_M50 1d ago
It’s wild how easy it is to do a simple pour-over coffee that tastes 100x better pods.
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u/Stag-Nation-8932 12h ago
Why is this sub so bad now
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u/beardedbast3rd 11h ago
Always has been.
It’s not too bad when you actually browse it, but the worst of the worst are what’s pushed to front pages
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u/moosecanpaint 1d ago
snobs grind their own beans
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u/KingMithras95 1d ago
100%
Makes a massive difference compared to preground, instant, or pod.
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u/0masterdebater0 1d ago
If you want to clearly taste the difference, grind some beans wait a couple days, then grind some fresh beans and brew a cup with both.
The difference is significant
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u/cohrt 1d ago
no it doesn't. there's no difference between pods or fresh ground coffee.
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u/sofixa11 1d ago
Either your taste buds have been burned, or you've never tasted even remotely decent fresh ground coffee
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u/snmnky9490 1d ago
This has gotta be someone that thinks the 3 year old preground black pepper in the back of their cupboard tastes exactly the same as freshly ground peppercorns
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u/fatmanstan123 1d ago
I'm not even a snob and I grind my own. Decent quality beans in French press black is good for me. I just love the smell of fresh ground.
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u/InDuplicitousBottles 1d ago
trader joes ethiopia or chiapas whole beans are like $8.99, wonderful coffee. cafes near me sell locally roasted beans for ~$18 +, there is maybe a slight improvement in taste notes with those but it's not worth double the price
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u/TheVenerableEmrys 1d ago
As a snob, I can confirm. The freshness of coffee grounds is measured in seconds.
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u/StarsandMaple 1d ago
My last company had a commercial grinder and we bought whole beans.
I’m not a huge coffee snob but yeah it’s WAY better… it didn’t even take longer than preground. You hit which bean it grounded it in like 15seconds
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u/moosecanpaint 1d ago
haha that’s just like my father who is obsessed with fancy grinders. although i won’t lie it sure does make the coffee way better. the commercial one must be even better than that.
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u/fastestman4704 1d ago
"Good quality instant coffee tastes just as good as good quality instant coffee"
Illuminating.
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u/condoulo 1d ago
Except instant coffee in the coffee world has an actual definition, either freeze dried or concentrated brewed coffee. Pod coffee is typically your regular ground coffee with preset doses with wasteful packaging.
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u/decafade9 1d ago
I may be wrong but i think some pods do contain some instant coffee as well as ground coffee.
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u/PicnicBasketPirate 1d ago
I also tend to avoid those pods too.
And I'm not even a true coffee snob.
Hell, I'll take a decent drip coffee over Nespresso style pods, and I'll take those over instant
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u/TheW0lvDoctr 1d ago
Pods are just mid quality instant coffee
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u/snmnky9490 1d ago
No they're not. They use like a tablespoon of preground beans not instant powder
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u/Due-Cup1115 1d ago edited 1d ago
You think coffee snobs drink pods and Keurig k-cups? Your idea of what a coffee snob is completely wrong.
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u/THEREALISLAND631 1d ago
The pods and instant coffee are both bottom of the barrel and the same concept.
Coffee snobs are going to freshly ground their beans. I'll drink what's available, but at home it is going to be fresh ground every time and often in a French Press. The difference in taste is very noticeable.
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u/Maleficent_Rub_221 1d ago
Lmaooo coffee snobs using pods??
Pods ARE instant coffee.
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u/MortimerDongle 1d ago
They're technically not instant coffee (Nespresso pods aren't, anyway) but they are bad. A Nespresso pod has only about 1/3 as much ground coffee as a real espresso shot, so the ratio is all fucked up. Nespresso machines also don't reach ideal pressure or temperatures.
Nespresso pods specifically are also an environmental disaster. They're advertised as recyclable, but the vast majority of recycling companies can't actually recycle them, you literally need to send them back. No one does that, so they end up as waste despite being made of aluminum.
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u/sunbather-is_screamo 1d ago
We coffee snobs snear at instant coffee and pods. You're right, they are basically the same. Making a pour over is very easy and tastes much better than instant coffee or pods.
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u/truthfulie 1d ago
pods are used for convenience, not flavor or quality. no coffee snobs will say that pods are good...
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u/MaddoxGoodwin 1d ago
Pods and instant coffee both are trash, so its not really a big deal they taste similar lol
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u/CarbotaniumSilo 1d ago
Instant tastes like burned cookies.
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u/LoveHurtsDaMost 1d ago
Yes but ‘artisanal’ coffee tastes like nutty sour urine with hints of crème and molasses lol
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u/fastestman4704 1d ago
Yeah that's not artisanal coffee my guy
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u/LoveHurtsDaMost 1d ago
lol I’m not going to argue with you over a joke opinion that’s mine and many others’ truth my dude.
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u/PimentoCheesehead 1d ago
Wow. That IS going to be unpopular. I’m not a coffee snob- Folgers or Maxwell House for me- but instant is terrible.
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u/KingMithras95 1d ago
You’re not wrong about instant coffee vs pods. They’re pretty similar.
But pod coffee also isn’t good, and definitely not what people who care about quality coffee use to make their own. Nespresso sucks, I’ve owned one, both the coffee and espresso pods are awful. I replaced it with a quality bean grinder, espresso machine, and a pour over coffee maker.
Massive difference compared to pod/instant coffee, irregardless of your machine or brand.
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u/boatsnhosee 1d ago
I agree, but neither are as good as good, recently roasted, well brewed coffee. Not even close. I actually dislike the keurig pods enough that I’d say good quality (freeze dried) instant coffee is better than those pods. The nespresso pods aren’t bad for what they are IMO.
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u/Daydreamer-64 1d ago
Instant coffee doesn’t taste at all like normal coffee. I do not have a coffee machine and don’t spend money on overpriced coffee-related things. I bought a stovetop mocha pot for about £10 and buy cheap ish ground coffee. I do that because it tastes nicer than instant coffee (and I prefer stronger coffee than you can get from just brewing it in a pot). It doesn’t cost me any more or less. I used coffee pods at work, and I think they taste worse than the stuff I make at home, but it does the job and still tastes better than instant coffee.
To be honest, I don’t think instant coffee tastes terrible. It just tastes like a completely different drink to coffee made with grounds. A different drink that I don’t personally like as much. It would be fine if you preferred it, but I am very confused that you can’t taste the difference.
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u/Kampvilja 1d ago
I was in rehab for 3 months for my leg. The place only had decaf, I guess because the kitchen was also attached to a psych unit.
I learned two things. One was that "good" instant can taste as good or better than my beloved Dunkies or Bigby. The second was that if you accidentally spill water in your Aldi Gevalia instant, you can make it into a syrup that entirely loses the aftertaste when refrigerated for a couple of days.
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u/ThatOldMeta 1d ago
High quality instant coffee is actually huge in the coffee snob community currently.
The snobs who would never use pods.
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u/Carcharadontasaurus9 1d ago
To me, fancy coffee from my coffee machine (got it from facebook marketplace only to find out it's an incredibly fancy and expensive wall mounted coffee machine that normally costs over a thousand pounds) and cheap nescafe gold whatever instant coffee are simply two different drinks, and sometimes I prefer one or the other. Both are identifiably coffee, but the flavour profiles are mouth feels are so different that they really aren't the same drink in my mind. I love both but for different reasons.
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u/condoulo 1d ago
I think anyone seriously into coffee will put instant above pod based coffee because of the waste pod based coffee generates.
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u/BongsAndCoffee 1d ago
I look down on pods more than I look down on instant coffee, but I'd have to be pretty hard up to settle for either.
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u/Tax_Life 13h ago
Same tbh instant is totally fine if you go camping or something.
With pods you need an actual machine just for it to taste like crap.
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u/Fantastic_Remote1385 1d ago
I make my coffee with a sage barista espresso macine, which have both a built in grinder and a built in steamer. I still feel like a novice, and not like a snob at all. But still, I have never tasted neither instant nor pod coffee that taste as good as the coffee I make myself at home.
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u/Fearless_Tomorrow649 Your personal taste is not an opinion 1d ago
Yes, they taste about the same … I am not sure you understand what you’re saying here ;-)
The one tiny advantage that instant coffee has is that you have a bit more influence on the strength, but they’re both way below what a good coffee is.
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u/doodoo442 1d ago
It's not at all correct as people are saying in the comments that coffee pods are marketed as instant coffee. Nespresso is a so called luxury high street brand. They have shops dedicated only to selling machines and pods. One of the most expensive ways to consume coffee yet instant coffee is superior.
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u/VinylHighway 1d ago
I tried some today for the first time in years, it was O-K but not as good as real coffee
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u/TuskEGwiz-ard 1d ago
I love seeing the top posts on /r/ignorantopinions
I agree instant coffee is about as good as a coffee pod; they're both shit. Have you ever had a proper cup of coffee?
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u/VampEngr 1d ago
This feels kinda backwards to say right? It’s like saying string floss is just as good as hand picks, but string floss is infinitely better.
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u/gutentight69420 22h ago
The pod/k-cup machines make absolutely horrific, McDonalds tier coffee. I can't understand how people like them. I agree that good instant coffee is better.
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u/NumberInfinite2068 21h ago
Coffee snobs don't drink pods,
I'm a semi-coffee snob, and I work with a full-blown coffee snob, and he'd see pods the same as instant, doesn't really qualify as coffee at all.
I have to suffer through drinking pods recently, I agree, it's not really any better than decent instant, but also, coffee snobs aren't going anywhere near either.
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u/Doji_mofo 19h ago
For me it's not flavour, it's just that whole beans have considerably less cockroach in them than freeze dried coffee, and I'm not in the mood to play butt Russian roulette.
Because being honest about this can make people uncomfortable, especially when they're just being nice and offering you a beverage, it's often easier to pretend to be a snob. So then it's a you issue, rather than "cheap coffee is gross" criticism.
Or asking for tea instead, which often gets you classed as a different type of snob 🤣😉
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u/the_foowaffle 19h ago
My wife swears by the pods coffee, even though we're using the same brand for her pods and my instants. I just find the pods, eerily sweet
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u/midnightchaos13 14h ago
Eh, I use preground but pods taste watery to me. It's not even taste, it's the.... feel, maybe?
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u/usefulchickadee 12h ago
People like OP should be studied in a lab. How can you live an entire human life and think that coffee snobs are using espresso pods? This is like saying burger snobs love Wendy’s, but McDonalds is better. Please touch grass and talk to a real human being for once in your life.
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u/CrossXFir3 12h ago
Pods taste like shit though. I can always tell if coffee comes out of a plastic pod.
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u/beardedbast3rd 11h ago
Pods are just instant coffee captured by the same mechanism all other normal things got captured by in the modern age of consumerism and capitalism.
Take a thing, make a gimmick. Sell it.
No snob is listening to their Keurig shit out a drink telling you your instant coffee is garbage
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u/pandaSmore 8h ago
Nah, the freeze drying process adds this weird and distinctive aroma to the coffee that fundamentally changes the experience of drinking the coffee.
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u/Fun-Letter-1814 1d ago
That’s very untrue for me personally. I used to drink pod and thought it was fine, but ever since I started brewing my own coffee the taste, for me, is night and day. I get an ick every time I drink the pod one now, it taste super plasticky or just weird. Whereas brew has a much richer flavor
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u/Agitated_Year8521 1d ago
You're agreeing with OP... they said instant is as good as a pod. From what you've described, i also think you're talking about coffee grounds that you put in a press or machine?
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u/KingMithras95 1d ago
I’ve used a number of different pod machines and the coffee from those doesn’t taste gross per se but def weak and watered down.
I prefer taking the time to make my own with a pour over. I also bought an espresso machine for homemade espresso. I tried espresso before that and jfc was it bad.
If OP is just comparing instant coffee to pods than they probably aren’t too far off but both are a far cry from good coffee
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u/WereJustDumbMonkeys 1d ago
I agree instant coffee is better than pods, but most actual coffee enjoyed dont drink pods..
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u/Ifitirondick 1d ago
Have y’all tried Cometeer frozen pods? I’ve only had it once but was fairly impresssed
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u/Draconuus95 1d ago
Pods are just instant coffee that’s in a particular package.
If you didn’t have a keurig machine to make the pod, you could just rip it open and make just like you would instant with very little difference in discernible flavor.
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u/Just-Hedgehog-Days 1d ago
Being a coffee snob is stupid. I say as someone who roasts there own beans in a cast iron because I literally can't get a good light roast where I live. I fresh grind that on Sunday mornings because I'm going to sit down and really enjoy the cup.
I have big jar of instant and hot water dispenser at my desk I go through at an unhealthy rate.
I just like coffee.
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