Waka Premium Instant Coffee Pouches — 100% Arabica Freeze Dried Beans — For Hot or Iced Coffee (8 Ounces, House Roast)

Lately, my husband and I have been enjoying adding coffee to our morning green smoothies—the slight bitterness adds a lovely contrast to the sweetness of our smoothie. I ran out of our regular coffee protein so I bought freeze-dried coffee to add to our smoothies. Most instant coffees are for hot drinks and would not dissolve in cold water. I was happy when I found this one. The coffee protein powder we had been using was Arabica coffee and tasted great, so I was hesitant to try a new product because I was worried it might taste too different. Since this one is also Arabica, I decided to try. It's a little lacking in depth of flavor, but the taste is not bad and it dissolves quickly in cold water with ice. The quality seems good and one teaspoon is enough for a batch of Vitamix smoothie. It lasts for several months. I'd definitely buy it again

Amazing taste! I do 1 tsp for every cup of water (I.e. 2 cups of water =2 tsp of coffee) and added a hazelnut creamer and my goodness the taste was incredible!!!! WAY better than a drive through coffee shop charging 6 dollars plus tip! Buy this instead!!!

I waited to review this until I had finished the whole package. Full disclosure: I’m not a fancy coffee connoisseur, just a casual, one-cup-in-the-morning kind of drinker. I only enjoy hot coffee, and I drink it black. My only other instant coffee consumption prior to this was Folgers, which I did have in my cupboard for comparison. I felt like the Waka was better than the Folgers in every way except for the price and the container. Folgers has a very distinct smell and taste, which I do like in a sort of nostalgia kind of way. When I compared the two, I found Waka to have more of a freshly-brewed coffee smell and taste, if that makes sense, which I enjoyed. The only thing I found problematic with Waka was the zip closure on the bag. About halfway through the coffee, the zip came loose from the bag, so I had to roll it up and zip it inside another zip bag to keep it fresh. This was inconvenient enough to drop one star for the packaging.

Taste great. Doesnt even need creamer. 2 tsp thats all the coffee is needed to last all day.

Edit: I tried a few other well-liked "premium" instant coffee brands. I particularly like one of them, which tasted lot less like instant coffee, as promised. Now, that was worth paying extra. However, Waka still gets ONE star. Waka coffee has been sitting in the corner of my cubicle, gathering resentment. I'm trying a cup again (maybe its 9th chance or something), and it's still far inferior to some other instant coffee brands. I wasn't even hoping for a freshly brewed taste, just something better than a cheap grocery store instant coffee, and Waka fails even that. I've been thinking if Waka repacks those cheap instant coffee and resells them. Might as well. -------------------------------------------- I love my coffee. However, sometimes life is just too busy (or I'm just too tired) to brew anything but instant coffee. Well, instant coffees are not great, but it's the trade off with the convenience. Now, this Waka had all these advert buzz words- "We bring the instant back," "like brewed cup"... NOT AT ALL... It tastes like other instant coffee brands, and actually worse than other cheaper brands. There's absolutely no mistaking this for a cup of non-instant coffee (whatever brew method you use.) It still has the distinct taste/flavor of instant coffee. It has acidity, but it's not brightness like a cup of fresh brewed coffee should have. If a cup of fresh brewed coffee is "citrus", Waka has more of a "vinegar." Overall, absolutely disappointing product. Contrary to some marketing blogs, Waka fails to deliver better instant coffee- it's just another instant coffee. Save money and just get a grocery store instant coffee. That's the lesson I learned. There's no secret or revolution in instant coffee here- maybe better marketing.

I have not purchased instant coffee in a long while mainly because I never could drink up an entire jar before it went stale. Recently, I decided to try individually wrapped packets because I was confident that they would stay fresh a lot longer. I did an on-line search for best instant coffees, and Waka was one of them. Waka was even at the top of a couple of lists. I wanted a sample before I ordered, but seller does not provide samples. I ordered the 8 pack and had my first cup this morning. My impressions follow. It was fresh. It tastes good but not exceptionally good. I honestly cannot tell the difference between the Waka and other instants I have used such as Folgers and Taster's Choice. The latter was my go-to instant for many years before they changed the container size. In short, you can get as good a cup of coffee from Folgers, Taster's Choice, and I presume a few others. The Waka is not worth the extra cost in my opinion, which was why I wanted to sample before I purchased. Still, I have seven more good cups of coffee left over, and I am not worried about the packets going stale before I can use them up. I am just glad I did not take the hype to heart to the extent that I purchased the 3 box size. Re strength, one packet to 8 oz of hot water makes a quite strong cup of coffee---too strong for me. I like my coffee a bit weaker. 8 oz is far less than a full size beaker, which is what I use, so I just added more water to top it up and then added a bit of half 'n half and of course a little sugar. It made a good cup of instant coffee. It would probably work well to turn into a liquid topping for desserts, too. However, if you are on a budget, just know that you can do just as well with some other brands. If you live for good morning coffee, then either brew the best you can find, or better still, if you have the freedom to do so, then go to a good coffee shop and have your morning coffee there. One aside I would mention is that the BEST coffee I have ever tasted in my life---smooth as silk, smelt heavenly, not bitter, and packed an unsuspecting wallop of caffeine, was coffee my spouse brought back from Colombia in the 1980s. We shared several of the coffee bricks with friends, and without exception, everyone and his dog absolutely raved about this coffee (it was the kind you brew in a drip coffee maker) and wanted to buy it. It was no exaggeration to say it was simply divine coffee. However, I have never seen it for sale anywhere in the U.S. in all of these years. I have no idea why. All I can tell you is if that coffee were made available here, they could sell it for several times the price of the Waka, and it would put Waka and every other coffee seller out of business. I think it could even have converted people who generally did not especially like coffee. The upshot is you can keep searching, but I doubt you are going to find anything better than the brands I listed. By all means, try Waka, but keep your expectations within a normal range. I could serve Waka blind to friends and family, and I do not think anyone of them would find it any better than most other "good" instant coffees.

Loved the two sample packets of flavored coffee you included with my last order. The Pumpkin Spice was my favorite, but I’m drinking the Vanilla this morning and really enjoying it too. Thanks!

It is pretty good actually. Testes like a strong aromatic instant sugarless coffee. 1 tea spoon is enough for 8oz cup, I add h&h.