Should I drink instant coffee or whole coffee? Is instant coffee really useless?

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According to a 2014 global consumer market survey, nearly 50% of consumers prefer instant coffee, and the sales volume of instant coffee has tripled from 2000 to 2014.

Because of the influence of the third wave of coffee, more and more people choose to buy raw beans, but it is undeniable that instant coffee still has a large market.

What is the difference between instant coffee and ground coffee beans? Where does instant coffee come from? Which one should I drink? Let's have a cup of coffee and experience it before we discuss it~

Is instant coffee made from real coffee? Where do coffee beans come from?

First of all, instant coffee is indeed made from coffee. But coffee beans are not actually "beans", but seeds.

Coffee is a fruit, often called "coffee cherry" because of its round red appearance. Usually one fruit has two seeds, and a small number of fruits with only one seed are called round beans Peaberry. After the coffee farmers harvest the fruits, they will carry out a series of processing methods. The difference in the processing method depends on how to remove the outer layer of the seed pulp. Different processing methods will affect the flavor of the coffee. Then it will be dried and roasted before a cup of coffee can be brewed.

At this stage, there is a difference between instant coffee and coffee beans.

Where does instant coffee come from?

Whether you drink two-in-one or three-in-one instant coffee, they are all products of science.

When we come to the instant coffee factory, we will see a large tank of coffee liquid that is ready to be made into instant powder. The process is very simple, just dehydration. When the water in the coffee liquid is extracted, it becomes the instant powder that everyone scoops out of the coffee can. The instant powder retains the coffee substance that is soluble in water.

Dehydration procedures can be mainly divided into the following two types: freeze drying and spray drying.

It should be noted that the processing will lose some substances in coffee, especially caffeine and aroma molecules. Even the quality of coffee powder has a lot to do with the drying process. Some manufacturers even add some substances to make up for these lost flavors.

Differences in Brewing Methods

Instant coffee is very simple, just mix the instant powder with water and you can drink it.

If it is raw coffee beans, there is a different preparation process. You need to grind the coffee beans and brew (usually using a filter), and then discard the coffee grounds. These brewing processes have deeply attracted many coffee lovers, who can experiment with different brewing methods, different coffee powder and water ratios, water temperatures, etc., to brew a cup of coffee they like.

If you want a full-bodied, full-bodied coffee, you might want to use a French press or AeroPress instead of a V60. To reduce bitterness, increase sweetness, or acidity, you can reduce extraction by using a coarser grind, shorter brewing time, or lower water temperature.

The same instant coffee always tastes the same, whereas ground coffee can be tasted by the brewer’s skill.

So which one is better?

Is that all there is to coffee? Is there really anyone who has better results?

Let's take a look at the comparison between instant coffee and whole bean coffee:

Cost and convenience

It’s undeniable that instant coffee is usually cheaper, and you can drink it just by adding hot water, which makes it convenient.

However, although instant coffee is cheap, is it worth the money? It depends on what features you value: convenience? flavor? aroma?

Quality and flavor

When it comes to quality and flavor, whole bean coffee is definitely better. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Differences in coffee bean quality

The most important point of coffee quality is the quality of the coffee beans themselves. Obviously, the advantage of instant coffee is usually its low price, so lower-quality Robusta commercial beans are used, which are usually bitter and irritating.

In addition, since coffee is a crop, it will lose its flavor as long as it is stored for a period of time. Some traders often use old beans or old beans, which have been stored for more than a year and have lost their flavor and aroma. Such old beans are sold at a lower price and therefore become the first choice for instant coffee raw materials.

Although it is possible to make instant coffee from high-quality coffee beans, few people do this in reality. Similarly, there are also low-quality raw coffee beans, but high-quality raw coffee beans can always be bought on the market.

2. Differences in the brewing process

The coffee brewing process combines physical and chemical changes, and there are many details to pay attention to. The most important one is the brewing process, and at what point in time to extract different flavors. If the coffee is brewed for too long, it may be bitter. Although it is possible to use perfectly extracted coffee to make instant powder, it is unlikely to be done.

As the author mentioned above, consumers can better control the flavor of the coffee when brewing whole bean coffee.

3. Aroma and flavor

Finally, we still need to mention the aroma and flavor mentioned above, which will be lost in the instant coffee production process. The aroma of coffee is strongest when hot water comes into contact with coffee powder, while instant powder has already been in contact with hot water in the production process months or even years before consumers drink it.

The flavor is greatly influenced by the aroma, which means that the loss of aroma will affect the taste of the drink (note: this is why you need to open the lid when drinking coffee, to enhance the tasting experience).

healthy

Does instant coffee affect health? Actually, it does not. Although some claims accuse instant coffee of causing cancer, they are just unconfirmed rumors. There is no clear evidence to show that instant coffee has a more positive or negative effect on the human body than raw coffee beans.

Of course, if you drink three-in-one instant coffee with added sugar, there will be health concerns, but the instant coffee process itself does not have any positive or negative effects on health.

The degree of impact on the environment

Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, the 2015 British Coffee Master Champion, wrote a book called "The Coffee Dictionary, told us last year", in which he mentioned that "if environmental factors are the only consideration, instant coffee would be your best choice."

Are you surprised by this statement? Generally speaking, we know that the production process of instant coffee is more complicated and has a greater impact on the environment. As long as you don't use small packages of instant powder, the amount of garbage produced by each cup of coffee is much lower. The large amount of coffee grounds produced by making instant coffee will be more environmentally friendly if they are properly disposed of by the factory.

These statements do not mean that consumers who buy raw coffee beans cannot work on environmental protection. As long as the waste is properly utilized, whether it is reusing coffee grounds or not using paper cups, there are many ways to minimize the impact on the environment.

So what does this mean for you as a consumer?

To sum up, if you value the flavor and aroma of coffee, you should buy raw coffee beans.

If you buy instant coffee, don't worry about causing cancer or health problems, and instant coffee also has a lower impact on the environment.

Translated from Perfect Daily Grind

Translated by Cheng Zhen Coffee

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