Office Drinks
Behold the electric water kettle. It is a staple of all Japanese homes and offices, and with them, hot water is always available at the touch of a button. Used most commonly to make tea, instant ramen, or…
Instant coffee. Another staple of the Japanese office. It appears to be rare that drip coffee is ever brewed outside of cafes in Japan. In the US though, most people view instant coffee as cheap and artificial, and wouldn’t touch the stuff even if they didn’t have an alternative. In many parts of the world though (perhaps most), the quality of this coffee isn’t regarded as any lower than that of drip coffee, and in Japan, is even sold in luxury packages to be presented to bosses and co-workers on special occasions. Strange world.
Growing up in the states and having a roommate in college that knew how to find quality beans prepare the drink properly, I don’t see myself ever coming to view instant on the same level as brew coffee. I have taken a liking to the idea of being able to stir ten times more coffee into a cup than you are supposed to though. You can fit 100 cups of coffee into one. My co-workers are probably wondering where all the coffee powder is going. I hope my bulging veins and pingpong ball eyes aren’t too revealing.
EDIT: I see from the stats that there are people reading these posts from all over the world. I’m curious–how is instant coffee viewed in your home country?
totorobaga 