The pros: Trader Joe's Instant Coffee Packets make for some decent emergency coffee or when you only have access to hot water. This product fills a gap for those who enjoy their coffee with cream and sugar.
The cons: This product will not make black coffee drinkers happy, but if you are a cream and sugar person, then you might rejoice that someone thought of you.
The verdict: I love my coffee. Almost as much as I love Diet Coke. I don't always remember to bring K-cups to work. Sometimes I run out of creamer in my work refrigerator. For $1.99 you are getting 10 packets of instant coffee with powdered creamer and sugar already in the packets. It's a minimal investment to make sure you can keep your coffee buzz going.
Instant coffee is not known for being amazing. I know most people would rather reach for the freshly brewed stuff than instant. This is a decent product in a pinch. I'll never recommend it over real coffee. However, this also fills a market gap for those of us who don't take our coffee black.
Notice how I've used the word decent. It's not great or good. It's just decent. Trader Joe's Instant Coffee Packets is probably not even designed to give you your daily fix. It's really for when your fix isn't available. It's even labeled as "ideal for travel" to which I agree. I would not drink this at home. At $1.99 for 10 packets, it's quite affordable too. I take my coffee light with no sugar. This has sugar in it, but isn't sweet enough for me to say "yuck." It's just sweet enough. Just like it's light enough.
It's good enough to sit in my drawer at work for those just in case real coffee isn't available. I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. But when I need my fix, this is an ok substitute. If all you have is hot water, then I'd recommend Trader Joe's Pour Over Coffee Brewer in the place of this product. It made much tastier coffee. If you need sugar and creamer too, then you might need to reach for this.
While 10 packets of this will probably get me through the school year, I would consider buying this again just in case.
The box of Trader Joe's Instant Coffee Packets:
The nutritional information and the ingredients:
How to prepare:
Out of the package you get:
After adding water you get:
Would I buy this again? It's something good to keep in case you are camping or in your desk drawer when there is no more coffee around.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
judilyn says
The price is definitely right, but the additives would keep me from buying this. If there is hot water to be had, it is child's play to have a Melitta funnel, a filter, some ground coffee, powdered whole milk (not coffee lightener!), and some coconut sugar, in separate packets, and then in an airtight container.
If pour over is not your thing, then substitute some instant coffee, but keep the other ingredients pure. If you are going to use instant coffee, then you can mix everything together, and just pour over the hot water.
In either case, a small shaker of cinnamon makes either method work out more enjoyably!
I keep mine in a Lock & Lock container , but you could use any kind of screw top jar, or one of the plastic jars that Talenti gelato comes in.
Virtual hugs,
Judie
becomebetty says
Hey Judilyn! As always thanks for sharing your thoughts. This is inexpensive and clearly so are the ingredients. You have some great suggestions there. Sounds like you could almost market your system to Trader Joe's!