SO apparently if you add enough instant coffee to make it taste like a "strong" cup of coffee... its gonna contain way more caffiene than you expected. Didn't realize it until my hands wouldn't stop jittering.
It actually tastes pretty good but yeah. Don't be like me. Looks like I'm definitely staying up until midnight.
This may seem extremely elitist, but having had espresso, American drip coffee, and instant before, a bad espresso is better than a good American drip, which is better than instant coffee.
I get not everyone will have the resources to procure an espresso machine but a thicker/less watery 30mL shot of espresso is very good. There's like a nutty, oily flavour and aroma that kind of blunts the bitterness of the coffee itself. It's still butter but it's somehow more pleasant?
I wish I had that same opinion, I hate bad espresso. good espresso is definitely the best, but you basically need to spend like $5k to get a good espresso setup at home. that's why I mostly just drink light roast drip coffee.
Moka pots are also somewhat popular where I am, and it similarly uses pressure, and generally costs less than $40.