A Coffee Review

I recently had an unexpected WOW moment. As many who listen to me know, I’m not a easy, quick brew coffee person. I always want my coffee fresh roasted and ground on the spot.

I’ve tried many of the quick and easy methods I don’t approve of, and some I’ve “liked” enough to make do with them if I need to. They may need some tweaking with sugary and creamy ingredients.

This time was different. Way different.

David of Waka Coffee asked me to review their instant coffees. Normally, I would say no to something like this, knowing I don’t like instant coffee. Something made me jump at the chance this time. Maybe because I’ve heard that there’s been advancements in the method to making instant coffee.

I was not disappointed.

Trust me. This is instant coffee that does not smell or taste like instant coffee!

I promised to use three test subjects I got four. The comments from each are below.

1. Coffee tester one: Wow! This does not taste like instant coffee. This is nice and smooth and sweet. (Favorite is India)
2. Coffee tester two: Really good. Doesn’t taste like instant. If a good hotel served this, I’d return just because of the coffee.
3. Coffee tester three: Very good. Very smooth. Not like other instant coffees.
4. Coffee tester four: I really like this. I could use this on my busy work days to snatch in my caffeine breaks when I normally have to skip them.

Overwhelmingly, we all loved the coffees. Once I’m able to travel again Waka Coffee is going with me.  I am a person who has to have some flavoring and cream in my coffee, when I’m not cupping for profile tests.

The India coffee is perfect for me on a trip. It has a very smooth, sweet smell and taste to it. If I’m stuck somewhere I cannot get to milk and flavoring or sugar, I can drink this straight.

The Columbia and decaf Columbia are very good and smooth too. For my preference they need a little cream and flavoring added, but they pair really well to it.

This week I made two recipe tests with them.

The first was an affogoto. For an evening treat I used the decaf Columbia and created a Rocky Road Affogoto Coffee.

I made the instant decaf coffee with half the amount of water.  While it was still hot, I mixed in some homemade caramel sauce. Once that was thoroughly mixed, I poured it over a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Then, I topped it off with whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate sauce, and slivered almonds. This was a very delightful evening treat. The coffee replaced espresso nicely with its own unique bitter coffee flavor.

Bitter in a good coffee way because I made it with half the amount of water. That bitterness meshed well with the super sweetness of the rest of the affagoto ingredients. In these type of recipes you strive for balance.

It’s sweltering hot here this week!

In addition, I went with the obvious way to test these coffees during the days of sweltering heat we have this week: Iced Coffee. For this, I’ve only used the India so far. As the week goes on, I’ll test the others and maybe come up with more ways to use them.

For the iced coffee I heated up a little bit of water to mix the coffee in first, then I topped it off to 10 ounces worth with cold water. Filtered water, as always with coffee.

The only thing I’d do different with a little bit of planning is to make Waka coffee ice cubes to use with the iced coffee to maintain coffee strength as the ice cubes melt.

Iced Coffee test with India Waka Instant Coffee:

Black iced coffee – very easy to drink, smooth, sweet, a very good experience. I’m sensitive to drinking coffee black, but this coffee did not upset my stomach as most do.

Iced Coffee with a JavaMelt – As good as the India is by itself, I needed a little something more, so I tossed in a mocha java melt at same time as I mixed the coffee in the heated water. This was very good!

Iced Latte – For this, I just took the iced coffee with JavaMelt and added a bit of 2% milk to it. It made a very good, smooth latte. Very easy to drink so becareful you don’t drink too much on hot days and overdo it on your caffeine count!

Personal notes on pairings with this coffee:

The India coffee’s sweetness has a lot to do with the floral and fruity notes that I taste coming through. This tells me that you will need to be careful with milk substitutes if you make a latte with it. Choose as if you’re choosing for an Ethiopian coffee. Some almond and coconut milks may be too many flavor clashes. I use Califia Farms – Almond Milk, Unsweetened Barista Blend at home when I use a milk alternative because it has the most subtle flavor of almond milks for latte recipes.

I would expect the Columbia and decaf Columbia to have the same results as the India. Smooth and very easy to drink as an iced coffee. If you prefer more flavor from your alternate milks to come through, I would suggest using those for your latte. For more almond flavor, I like Silk, as it tends to taste like almond ice cream to me.

If you want a nice coffee experience without going overboard on calories, I suggest getting JavaMelts to use with this coffee. The few times I popped a mocha or caramel in, it partnered very well.

I’ll add to this page as I do more with the rest of the coffee sent to me.

Overall, I can’t find anything negative to say about this coffee. That’s a new one for me!

Okay, maybe one thing.  More like a warning on storage for you and a request for the future for David. I will send him a note on this.

Not all the packets say which coffee is inside them. Be aware of this if you’re a person who tosses the packets into a dish or container to pull from as needed. In my samples the Columbia was marked, but not the other two.

There you have it. The first instant coffee I definitely recommend for casual coffee drinking and recipe making both.

Now, go buy your Waka Coffee here. 

You can find JavaMelts here.

Enjoy!