There’s a reason instant coffee gets such a bad rap: It usually tastes terrible. Although it’s probably not the ideal choice for your morning cup of joe, instant coffee can be a saving grace when access to fresh-brewed coffee isn’t an option.Now that more and more specialty coffee roasters are selling instant coffee, we’ve found it’s not always as bad as it used to be — in fact, we dare say it can be pretty good.In an effort to find the best instant coffee, we’ve tasted options from 19 popular brands.Considering that the bar is pretty low for instant coffee, we were surprised to find how much of a difference there was between each brand — some smelled and tasted pretty close to freshly brewed coffee, with subtle notes of chocolate or fruit, but others reeked of burnt rubber and tasted bitter, sour, or flat. Here are our favorites.