Why do people spend so much extra money on coffee from coffee shops when instant coffee tastes the same?

it could be that:
a) they dont want to do it themselves
b) they dont know how
c) they have too much money
d) it’s the brand they want to carry around for other people to see…

I don’t think instant coffee tastes the same at all, but I brew my own at home.

If instant tastes the same to you then drink intant, to me, instant and regular coffee aren’t even the same species. However, I rarely buy coffee house coffee, I have Kona Blend sent to the house. :~D Makes me smile!!

I imagine it is convenience.
My coffee does not taste all that great.,,,neither does Starbucks,IMO….much too strong.
The best coffee I have had has been on road trips at little diners.:)

I would argue you need to get a good coffee maker, bean grinder and some good Hawaiian coffee beans, brew a pot and you will never drink instant OR Starbucks ever again!

…because to some people, they do not taste the same.

Instant coffee is awful to me, but I also don’t buy coffee shop coffee. I work at home, so I have my fav brand I make in my french press. When I do leave the house and I need coffee where I’m going, I make some and stick it in a thermos, because coffee shop coffee here is hit and miss.

If instant coffee tastes the same to you and you like it, go for it. Take a thermos around with you and save the money.

I guess those people like the coffee and it’s worth the money to them for the convenience and taste.

I’m by no means a coffee connoisseur, but yuck, I never tasted instant coffee in my life that tasted the same or anywhere near as good as freshly brewed.

I don’t think instant coffee tastes the same at all! For me, I find it leaves a gross after taste. I like the blended ice coffee drinks from Starbucks, but find the hot coffee is a little strong. The taste and convenience of coffee shops such as, Tim Hortons, or Caffé Artigiano are worth the extra money! All this talk is making me want one right now.

Instant coffee tastes like shit.

“Instant coffee tastes the same to me as coffee shop coffee”

Honestly, I think there’s something wrong with your taste buds. Instant coffee, to most people, is a poor substitute for the real thing only used as a last resort. Its disgusting, but it does have caffeine and a vaguely coffee taste. That’s the only reason that people are willing to use it, but then again its usually only when they can’t get their hands on the far superior real thing.

What’s instant coffee?

Everyone has their own opinion about instant coffee. I have never had an instant cup of coffee that even came close to a cup of brewed Colombian coffee. I did have a cup of instant coffee in Italy that was just okay. right a way, you can tell if its instant coffee. it has a smell all its own.

For a coffee lover, instant most likely does not taste anything like fresh brewed. Some people don’t have time to make their own coffee in the mornings, or they want to enjoy their cup in peace after they’ve dropped the kids off at school, or the local coffee shop has a variation of coffee that they just can’t stay away from.

Folgers has a product that works like the tea bag, but it’s coffee and it taste pretty good.

The only instant coffee I’ve had that doesn’t taste like motor oil are the microground Starbucks sachets. I will drink those if I don’t have time to set up the machine in the morning.

Plus, if you are out or working and you want coffee – most likely you don’t have access to a coffee machine. Where else are you going to get a cup of coffee?!

I do not care for instant coffee at all.

I like the blended ice drinks at Starbucks. There is also the convenience factor, the fact that I drink it often, and my lack of ability to make a decent pot of coffee.

It seems that most people go to coffee shops not for coffee, but for giant sugar and fat laden drinks with a hint of coffee. It’s not very feasible to make this at home, so people have to go to a coffee shop. I think you’ll find that most people who drink regular ol’ black coffee make theirs at home (but never, ever make instant, yuck).

You couldn’t pay me enough to drink instant coffee.

Unless you are totally okay with the way instant coffee tastes because you’ve been drinking it, it is not even close to real coffee. I can’t pinpoint it, because I’ve only had instant coffee a few times (those occassions have always followed by the remark “why do people buy this?”) but good coffee beans used in a french press are not anything like instant coffee. It’s a much tastier, richer flavor.

The only coffee I drink is the ridiculously sugary stuff with all sorts of flavors, creme and chocolate and only once a week or so. It would cost me more to buy all of the ingredients for these ridiculous coffee drinks than it does for me to spend three or four bucks a week.

Plus, I’m friends with a lot of the hot-drink servers in my mall so I like to visit them. :)

Instant coffee is much-loved by old people.. it’s economical, plus after a lifetime of drinking scalding coffee*, they have no remaining taste buds, anyway.

Instant coffee tastes nothing like good, freshly-brewed coffee. Not all coffee is created equal, either, even if it’s expensive. It takes trial-and-error to figure out which ones taste best. Around here, it’s Peet’s, then Starbucks, then Archer Farms (Target brand) will do in a pinch, but not my favorite.

* If you’ve ever waited on old people, there’s an invariable refrain: ‘And I want my coffee hot. You make sure it’s really, really hot.’

For the opposite reason, I actually like instant coffee better. I don’t like brewed coffee. It tastes different to me in a bad way (stronger and much more bitter).

So the real answer is that instant and brewed coffee do taste different and it’s just a matter of taste preference.

I will echo many others here: instant coffee tastes nothing like brewed coffee. Did you by chance mean homemade, rather than instant?

That said, most of my coffee is brewed at home. I only get coffee out if I’m going to a meeting at a coffee shop, or I didn’t have time to make it at home while on the way to work/errands/etc.

If I could make an iced chai tea latte, I would….but I can’t so I go to starbucks.

If instant “coffee” tastes the same to you as a good, freshly ground Sumatra then your taste buds are far less sensitive than many people’s. In fact, that degree of sensory deficiency just screams dysomia .

To me, instant coffee tastes like it was mixed with pool cleaning chemicals. There are very few things I cannot drink even though some of them make me wince, but instant “coffee” is one of those things and I’ve drank some pretty disgusting stuff in my life. Even the coolant we use in our CNC machines at work tastes better than instant “coffee” as far as I am concerned.

Whether instant “coffee” is better-tasting is a matter of opinion (and I think I’ve made mine clear) but if you honestly can’t tell the difference then I suspect that you have medical issues. No joking; see a doctor about that!

However, if you actually can taste the difference but just don’t find it worth the extra cost then all that means is that you are more frugal than many people. I would rather pay more for a cup of coffee than drink the stagnant dishwater that some people think is coffee, but that’s me.

(For the record, I prefer home-brewed, freshly ground coffee, usually a darker roast. It tastes good (often better than a coffee shop’s) and isn’t nearly as expensive as a drip coffee at Starbucks.)

I haven’t yet found any instant coffee that tastes as good as freshly ground and brewed coffee. But I would still prefer my own home-brewed coffee rather than Starbucks.

It’s all a matter of personal taste. Not everyones taste is in their mouth.
It’s like asking the differences to various wines.
If you love coffee, you know the answer to the question.
There is a difference and that is why it cost more.
i guess if you drink instant and like it, then that works for you.
I do taste a difference, but thats me. I too would prefer to make my own that pay whatever for a starbuck, seattles best, etc, etc, etc.
Get a good coffee maker (french press, whatever) and explore, enjoy and open your taste buds up my friend.

@cheebdragon You’ll want some Oregon Chai. You can get this at Walmart or higher end groceries and you can make iced chai at home. The concentrate is the same stuff they use.

if instant coffee tastes the same to you as the high dollar stuff, consider yourself blessed! to me instant to coffee is flat cola to champagne!

@klutzaroo I will have to look for that…...now i just need to find someone to make me a cinnamon swirl coffee cake and ill be set for life….........

@cheebdragon Again, higher end groceries. Even if they don’t make it regularly (and they might), the bakeries might just make you one if you request it. :)