Juan Valdez and Freeze-Dried Coffee
I bought a jar of Juan Valdez freeze-dried coffee at Walmart yesterday. It all began with a simple question. What is the best quality of instant coffee?
I’ve always assumed instant coffee was something you drank when there was no other option. It was convenient, but convenience at the expense of flavor. I remembered bitter granules, flat taste, and the knowledge that certainly this was settling for less than the best.
But yesterday, I discovered that instant coffee has undergone a transformation.
It’s important to know that the difference between traditional spray-dried coffee and the newer freeze-dried varieties is enormous. Freeze-drying preserves much more of the coffee's aroma and flavor. What I brewed yesterday was smooth, full-bodied, and genuinely pleasant.
The freeze-drying process, which removes water through sublimation rather than heat, preserves the coffee's aromatics in a way the old spray-dried methods couldn't. Who knew that science has been improving things while I wasn't looking.
But the real entertainment came when I mentioned the purchase to Travis.
He immediately launched into an appreciative monologue about Juan Valdez, the hardworking Colombian farmer, the mountain slopes, the dedication to growing the finest beans. Travis delivered this with complete authority. Then, because I can't leave well enough alone, I looked it up.
Juan Valdez, it turns out, is fictional. He's been fictional since 1958, when the Doyle Dane Bernbach advertising agency created him for the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. The mustache is real, on the actors who've played him, that is. There have been three of them. The mule, Conchita, is a recurring character. The sacks of coffee beans are props.
The campaign was one of the most successful in advertising history. Within five months of the first television commercial, the number of Americans identifying Colombian coffee as excellent had jumped by 300%. Travis was simply proof that it's still working, sixty-some years later.
And then, because one discovery tends to pull another behind it like a mule on a mountain path, we learned that Juan Valdez is also a chain of coffee shops. A real one, with nearly 300 locations worldwide, in places like South Korea, Malaysia, and Kuwait. Colombia's answer to Starbucks, more or less, built on the back of an advertising character who never existed.
We started with a jar of instant coffee from Walmart. We ended with a small education in marketing, mythology, and the particular pleasure of following a thread wherever it leads.
Juan Valdez Freeze-Dried Coffee is Columbian. It is rich, and claims to be the closest thing to an excellent cup of freshly roasted and ground coffee. It is often available at Walmart and other retailers at a reasonable price.
What I find most appealing is not simply the convenience, but the freedom. A spoonful of coffee, hot water, and a favorite mug are all that's required. There is no machine to clean, no filters to buy, and no complicated process standing between me and my coffee.
Sometimes excellence is not about adding more. Sometimes it is about finding the simplest version of something and choosing the best quality available.
Mount Hagen is another freeze-dried brand that is ranked highly as a favorite. It is made from organic, fair-trade Arabica beans and reportedly offers a balanced flavor with very little bitterness. It has become something of a gold standard for people who want an excellent everyday cup without the fuss of brewing equipment. Mount Hagen has been added to my Amazon Subscribe and Save list.
If you are willing to splurge, Blue Bottle's Craft Instant Espresso is described as the closest thing to café-quality coffee in instant form. The claims are that it is rich, complex, and remarkably smooth. Let me know if you try it and if you agree that convenience and quality can coexist.
A good cup of coffee, a comfortable chair, a few minutes of peace. What a way to start the day!
Janis @ Maison Tranquille
Still Curious. Still Growing. Still Grateful.
