In short
Peruvian instant coffee in a 170 g jar: pure soluble coffee, around 85 cups, in a recyclable glass jar that, according to the seller, carries an environmental packaging seal. It’s the everyday instant from Altomayo, a Peruvian coffee brand: no additives, no sugar, no chicory, and less expensive than the freeze-dried tier.
What is instant coffee?
It’s coffee that has been brewed, concentrated and dried back into a soluble solid. Add hot water and it reconstitutes. The whole category exists because it’s fast, keeps for a long time, and needs no equipment.
Instant coffee is dried in one of two ways, spray-drying with hot air or freeze-drying under vacuum, and the method determines how much aroma survives. Spray-dried coffee is the standard, cheaper route.
What makes this coffee different
Pure coffee, and it says so
Some instant coffees are extended with chicory or contain added sugar. This one declares pure coffee.
A recyclable glass jar with a stated environmental seal
Glass is the best material for instant coffee. It’s completely airtight and odor-proof, which matters for a product that clumps at the first hint of humidity, and it can be recycled again and again.
The value tier
Around 85 cups for less than the freeze-dried version. If instant coffee is your everyday coffee rather than your backup, that’s the relevant comparison.
Taste profile
Clean and mild, with light roasted notes. It’s instant coffee and tastes like it, but pure, unsweetened and without the harsh burnt edge of the cheapest tier. It takes milk and sugar well.
How to make it
Standard serving
2 g (1 rounded teaspoon) per 200 ml of hot water at around 90 °C (194 °F). 170 g gives about 85 cups.
Ways to use it
| Use | How |
|---|---|
| Black coffee | 2 g in 200 ml hot water |
| Café con leche | 2–3 g in hot milk |
| Iced coffee | Dissolve in a little hot water, then add cold milk and ice |
| Dalgona (whipped coffee) | Equal parts coffee, sugar and hot water, whipped |
| Office or travel | From the jar, or decanted into a tin |
| Baking | 1 tsp dissolved into batter |
Where it comes from
Altomayo is a Peruvian coffee brand, named after the Alto Mayo valley in San Martín. The seller’s listing doesn’t state where the beans for this jar are grown. Peru’s own coffee comes almost entirely from smallholder farms on the eastern Andean slope.
Who it’s for
A good fit if you drink instant every day, need coffee at the office or on the road, or want a spare jar in the cupboard for when the beans run out.
Look elsewhere if you want the aroma of brewed coffee: the freeze-dried tier gets closer, and ground coffee closer still.
Nutrition
Reference values for instant coffee, per 100 g. The label on the pack may differ slightly. At 2 g per cup, that’s about 7 kcal.
| Energy | 347 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 5.55 g |
| Carbohydrate | 65.1 g |
| of which sugars | 0.78 g |
| Fat | Less than 0.12 g |
| Sodium | 19 mg |
Specifications
| Format | Instant (soluble) |
|---|---|
| Pure coffee | Yes |
| Added sugar | None |
| Organic | No |
| Decaffeinated | No |
| Net weight | 170 g / 6 oz |
| Packaging | Recyclable glass jar |
| Servings | About 85 × 2 g |
Instant and ground coffee compared
| Value instant (this jar) | Freeze-dried instant | Ground coffee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aroma | Modest | Good | Best |
| Cost per cup | Lowest | Moderate | Higher |
| Equipment needed | None | None | A brewer |
| Prep time | 30 seconds | 30 seconds | 4+ minutes |
| Shelf life once open | Very long | Very long | 3–4 weeks |
Storage
Close the jar right after every use and never put a wet spoon in it. Instant coffee absorbs moisture quickly and will set into a solid block. Store it cool and dry, out of sunlight.
Questions
How many cups in a 170 g jar of instant coffee?
About 85 at 2 g per cup, or around 57 if you use a heaped 3 g spoon.
Does instant coffee have less caffeine?
Usually a little: roughly 60–80 mg per 2 g serving, against 95–120 mg for a brewed cup. You can close the gap by using more.
Does instant coffee expire?
It has a long shelf life and doesn’t spoil easily, but its aroma fades over time and it will clump if it takes on moisture. Sealed and dry, a jar stays good for a long time.
Why does instant coffee taste different from brewed?
Because drying removes most of the volatile aromatic compounds. Freeze-drying keeps more of them than spray-drying, but no instant reproduces the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
Is glass better than a plastic jar for instant coffee?
Yes. Glass is a complete barrier to moisture and odors, transfers nothing to the contents, and can be recycled again and again.
Can I make iced coffee with instant?
Yes, and it’s one of the best uses for it. Dissolve the coffee in a small splash of hot water first, since cold water won’t dissolve it properly, then add cold milk and ice.
Is instant coffee real coffee?
Yes. It’s brewed coffee with the water removed. Nothing else is added in a pure instant coffee.