Instant has recently expanded their remit to coffee makers and I have to say, I’m pretty happy about it. The Instant Infusion Brew is a perfect example of how the brand is putting a simple spin on your daily brew.
This takes all the features of the best, most premium drip coffee makers out there: it has an integrated grinder, pre-sets, and delicious flavors. Then, Instant combines these features with a user-friendly interface and speedy controls. It doesn’t get better than that.
If you want evidence of how wonderful this is, I tested the Instant months ago and I’ve been using it daily ever since. It’s right up there with the Instant Cold Brew and the AeroPress in my list of coffee maker favorites. Here’s why.
Specifications
Unboxing
Unboxing the Instant Infusion Brew was easy, because it comes almost completely assembled. You’ll have the main brewer body; the water reservoir taped in place (just for the sake of transport); and then a neat carafe. Put together, these look sleek and simple. The whole machine is smart, appealing, and easy on the eye. No complaints here.
As I had a little play around with the machine, I spotted that there are some plastic finishes that make it feel a little less premium than other drip coffee makers I’ve tested. However, considering the price of the Infusion Brew, it's expected.
Who would it suit?
Thanks to the reasonable price tag, the Instant Infusion Brew has a broad appeal. For starters, the reusable filter means you can add freshly ground coffee to the basket and enjoy a cup full of fresh flavors. You'll need a good grinder, but it's worth investing in.
Whilst that sounds more like an appeal to experts, the Instant is designed to be easy to use, so it’s perfect for beginners too. All you have to do is tap the screen and the machine will brew as much coffee as you want. You can even set it to brew ahead, so a fresh cup or coffee can be ready in the morning before you even wake up.
The only people who might not like the Instant are those who are short on space. Whilst this isn’t the biggest machine on the market, it’s still relatively demanding. If you know you’ll only be drinking one or two cups of coffee, you could easily downsize to another model, such as the Zwilling Enfinigy. Also, as I mentioned earlier, some of the plastic parts could be off-putting for those seeking to cultivate an ultra-premium kitchen. You’ll have to pay a lot more money for the luxuries of glass and stainless steel, but for some, it’s worth it.
What is it like to use?
I can’t overstate how easy the Instant is to set up. All you have to do is fill the removable reservoir with water, set the time on your machine (this is for pre-brewing), pour your ground coffee into the basket, and you’re ready to go.
I wanted to see how this would cope with a range of different brew sizes, so I started small. Using the scoop that Instant provided, I added approximately four scoops of coffee to the basket. I shut the lid, hit go, and the rest is history.
Within just three and a half minutes, I could see that the Instant had brewed four cups of coffee. It's not really a surprise that the Instant can't brew any less than four cups. The nature of drip coffee requires you to brew slightly bigger batches to get a more consistent flavor.
Three and a half minutes is a little quicker than average, which is good if you’re in a hurry, but it might not give you the most rounded flavors. I poured a cup of coffee from the carafe (which was neat, easy to hold, and it didn’t dribble either). At first sip, the coffee was quite light and I was surprised to find a little more acidity there than is normal for the average filter coffee. However, I put this down to beginner's bad luck, since (spoiler alert) the more I brewed, the better the coffee got.
To get a full 12 cup carafe, the machine was running for just over 11 minutes which is, again, surprisingly speedy. However, the coffee was really nice. Again, it wasn’t perfect, there wasn’t complete clarity to the flavors, but it was an enjoyable cup.
Cleaning, storage, and maintenance
The whole cleanup process was easy. All the parts that will be washed are removable and dishwasher safe, so I could slot them in, set it running, and we were away.
The rest of the machine needed a light wipe down. For example, you could see fingerprint marks on the screen, but that was it. The rest of the machine was clean and tidy.
As I said, this is a pretty big machine, so you don't have many storage options. Either, you devote a whole cupboard to keeping this out of sight, or you put it on your countertop. It's sleek and simple enough to keep on display, but just keep in mind that it'll demand space on your countertop.
How does it rate online?
Even though this is relatively new to the market, there are already a range of customer and expert reviews of the Instant Infusion Brew. I think everyone, like me, is quite excited by the price-point and performance of the Instant.
On Google Reviews, this averages 4.7 stars, which is pretty good for a well-known critical forum. People love the simple style, reasonable price tag, and easy controls of the Instant. Lots of people liked the controls that let you heat up the warm plate and brew ahead as well as more subtle touches, such as the removable coffee maker. If you want an idea of just how much people liked it, one person bought it twice, so she could have it in both her main home and her holiday home.
I have to admit, I think the reviews that brought the average score down were a little unfair. One person gave it two stars because they felt the coffee was weak. This is easily remedied by adjusting the ratio of how much ground coffee you add to your basket. The only other non-five star rating was as a result of a faulty product, again, an issue that is easily overcome with a replacement.
How does it compare?
I'm really impressed with the Instant: it's a good price, easy to control, and you get a reusable filter basket for your coffee. That puts it in direct competition with the Bodum Bistro. Both models sit around the same price point, so they're both great if you want a drip coffee maker that won't break the bank.
Space-wise, the Bodum is more compact. It also looks a little more premium, so if you're in a smaller kitchen, it's the model that I would opt for. However, practically, I think the Instant is much easier to use. The controls are more straightforward and much more beginner-friendly (although these might be too basic for some).
Similarly, the 40-minute hotplate is quite short, but I wouldn't recommend leaving your coffee on a hotplate for any more time than that since it will taste stale and burnt. So, whilst the Bodum is a better insulator, that might not be in the interests of your flavors. So, if you want a basic coffee maker and you need capacity, the Instant is a better option. However, if you're short on space, you'll want the Bodum.
Throwing a third option into the mix, the KitchenAid Drip Coffee Maker is a little more money and a little bigger, but it makes coffee that's leagues ahead of both of these models. It feels like a much more premium machine; the controls are equally simple and they offer more nuances with quantities and strength; and it makes incredible coffee. It's actually one of my favorite drip coffee makers overall.
Should you buy it?
If you want to save some money and you're not a coffee snob, this is a great investment. The Instant makes a good brew, quickly, and simply. It's the best budget model on the market. However, if you're willing to spend a few more dollars, you can upgrade to the KitchenAid.
How we test
When we're looking at coffee makers, we have a set process for how we decide which ones are worth your time. Our experts are always researching the drip coffee maker market, looking for models that would suit you and your lifestyle. Once we've found one that we think you'll like, we call it into our test kitchen.
In our test kitchen, we have a team of experts who have a list of notes to make. We look at everything from unboxing, packaging, first impressions, and setting up before we even make any coffee. Once we're happy that we've assessed all our initial impressions, we make a small amount of coffee with the drip coffee maker. Then we make a big batch. This gives a good sense of how versatile the coffee maker is. We'll listen for how noisy it is, run a taste test, and time the coffee. That way, we can give you a holistic idea of what the coffee maker is like.
After we've drunk copious amounts of coffee, we'll give the machine a clean. We make notes on whether it's dishwasher safe, easy to clean, simple to store, and low maintenance. Then, we'll compare it to similar models on the market and summarize what other customers and reviewers are saying so that you have a good sense of where the coffee maker sits in the market.
After all that, we'll let you know whether we think you should invest in the coffee maker. If you want to find out more, you can read all the details on our page for how we test coffee makers.
