parmnparsley July 7, 2010 . References So for example if you’re out in the woods (camping for example) and need a cup of coffee, you can always whip out an instant coffee packet, mix it into your water bottle and you’re done. Once you’ve had actual coffee brewed from ground coffee instant coffee will seem very weak and flat in comparison. So which is better instant coffee of ground coffee? Instant coffee is literally just 100 percent coffee beans that have been roasted, ground and brewed with water into a liquid, then dehydrated, so it has the same health benefits as ground coffee beans. Robusta seems to be the duct tape of the coffee industry. But when it comes down to taste, caffeine content, and flavorsome oils, regular ground coffee is the clear winner. When making ground coffee you have to wait around for it for a few minutes, clean the machine and throw away the coffee grounds, and then you can enjoy your drink. There’s also the possibility that instant coffee retains fewer antioxidants when compared to freshly ground. This translates into an earthy, bitter coffee with a much stronger kick than Arabica. Not only that, but the general consensus people seem to have about instant coffee’s flavor is that it tends to taste somehow both weak and burnt at the same time. Instant coffee with roasted ground coffee, 100% arabica beans instant coffee with with microground arabica coffee beans roasted in Italy. As discussed above, Robusta is often the kind of coffee bean used for instant coffee. This has a lot to say in their taste difference. My name is Alexandra, and this site is born from my love for tea and coffee. So, is ground coffee instant coffee? This means that after the coffee cherries have been picked and dried and then the beans have been separated from them, they’ve been roasted to a certain degree. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. When you buy via the links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Instant coffee is coffee extract that has been roasted, brewed and then dehydrated. But why are both types of coffee available ? Instant coffee actually starts its life as a regular brewed coffee. Instant coffee is cheap, and to keep the costs down manufacturers of instant tend to use low-quality Robusta coffee which is a more bitter and harsher-tasting species. This makes it a very convenient drink for extremely busy people, or in places where the coffee can’t really brew well, like on the International Space Station. Other people say they want the milder flavor of instant coffee. Instant coffee still has a coffee flavor, however it is a little bit diluted. Do you enjoy a full-bodied coffee that packs your mouth with flavor? The ground coffee is then packaged and sent to the markets. But typically you’re not going to be thrilled with a cup of instant versus a cup of freshly brewed ground coffee. – go grab an AeroPress or try using a French Press. When rehydrated with hot water, it makes a beverage that is somewhat similar to coffee brewed from ground, roasted beans. It brings a lot of caffeine to the drink, and it has a strong enough flavor. Unfortunately, a lot of these beautiful aroma compounds are lost in instant coffee. Sure there are some awesome new generation instant coffee companies that are definitely pushing the envelope with their coffee products – such as Sudden coffee. However I’ve been on camping trips where people have bothered to bring a coffee pot with them to make fresh coffee over the fire. While instant coffees will give you a faster cup of coffee with zero wastage, ground coffee will offer you much … In this article, I won’t go into the full ins-and-outs of how instant coffee is made as I have already covered that in detail over on this instant coffee article. It’s been around for a long time and it was the choice of coffee for many Australians before ground coffee and capsules were introduced and became more mainstream. Is there any potential harm to ingesting some raw coffee grounds? Ground coffee often has a higher caffeine content than instant coffee, and this has to do with two very important things that happen when brewing coffee. Instant coffee is generally the same across the board when it comes to taste. Robusta actually has double the caffeine of Arabica, 3 Good Reasons High Altitude Coffee Is Better. Their main difference lies in what they are made of. I hope I wasn’t too biased in my description of instant coffee in this article. It looks very similar, and they might even smell the same. Instant - nescafe espresso, ground - Tesco French 5. Also keep in mind that the frappe was invented in Greece at an instant coffee convention, so there is a place for instant coffee in some drinks, especially the cold or iced ones. Espresso VS Lungo VS Ristretto – Know Your Espresso Shots ! Also, it’s worth mentioning that coffee does deteriorate and lose flavor over time. Instant coffee is, essentially, ground coffee that has been freeze-dried. And it does not have to go through an intensive manufacturing process like instant coffee. The amount of caffeine extracted relies solely upon the coffee company manufacturing your instant coffee. Waka Coffee, for example, ha… Ground coffee is actual coffee beans, instant coffee is not, 3. This is always a problem for coffee drinkers, but the advantages sometimes outweigh the lack of quality. If you’re wondering if instant is real coffee, the short and sweet answer is yes. Coffee grinds are small pieces of ground coffee beans that you brew with water to extract the coffee and then filter out afterward – they won’t dissolve. As much as it pains me to say it instant coffee is as popular as ever. This is what you will find in the supermarket when you go to buy coffee most of the time. Instant coffee is the simplest, quickest and most cost-effective coffee option. "The main difference between instant coffee and ground coffee, is the amount of caffeine," explains Hardman. As you can imagine, these stale beans are not highly sort-after and are sold at significantly cheaper rates. Instant coffee has less caffeine with just 60 to 80 mg of caffeine. Arabica is what most ground coffee is made out of, sometimes blended with a bit of Robusta to a stronger kick or more caffeine. You can always try and help things out with the additional flavorings like sugar, powdered milk, vanilla or whatever else is found in many instant coffee packets. Awesome Vegan/Non-Dairy Milks For Coffee – Here’s How To Pick Them, Iced Coffee VS Cold Brew Coffee – 5 Differences In Taste And Brew, Can You Make Coffee The Night Before ? There are some coffee addicts that say there is no difference between instant coffee and coffee grounds. In many offices and company buildings you’ll find coffee machines with cups of instant coffee. Whole beans are roasted, ground and brewed before they start their journey to becoming instant. Frothed Milk vs. On the other hand, a ground or brewed coffee contains 60-120mg of caffeine per cup. But this is the very thing that makes instant coffee taste so bad, since instant Robusta is worse than brewed Robusta. The most potent aromas are always produced when the hot water hits and reacts with the fresh ground coffee. Which will not help you health at all. This happens when the bean is exposed to heat, and a liquid to draw it out. Obviously, if you load up your cup with artificial sweeteners or other lab-created creamers or additives that some instant coffee brands love to add to their sachets, you are definitely taking the unhealthy route. The way caffeine works is that is needs to be extracted from your actual coffee bean or ground. Seeing as the aroma is responsible for a major portion of the flavor of your coffee, any loss, however small, is going to have an impact on your final cup of coffee. This has a lot to do with the kind of beans used for both of these coffee types, and also with the brand that manufactures them. But there are a few other reasons for this, and they’re pretty good and logical ones. You can play around with various coffee grind sizes, water: coffee ratios, varying water temperatures, and you can have fun using any coffee brewing device available to you to create their perfect cup of coffee. I used to fetch an ounce of ground coffee from co-op for my aunt and then watch her make herself a cup. All you need is … You have so much control over how your ground coffee is brewed. However, for argument sake, I wouldn’t say that one type of coffee is better than the other. They’re then ground to a specific size, according to what the coffee company requires it to be. Advantages of instant coffee include speed of preparation (instant coffee dissolves quickly in hot water), lower shipping weight and volume than beans or ground coffee (to prepare the same amount of beverage), and long shelf life—though instant coffee can spoil if not kept dry. Most importantly: Instant coffee dissolves in water, which means that all-important and thought-out extraction process does not occur. Also, I feel that instant coffee has a somewhat artificial taste. That’s why you’ll find articles both on coffee and tea, respectively. You might like it, you might not. The brewing process is a big decider when it comes to ground coffee vs instant. Which would then need more milk or sugar to be palatable. The flavor will be much better than store-bought, but there will be some sediment in your cup. They will not disappear into your drink but simply sink to the bottom. Are your coffee beans overly bitter and you want to accentuate sweetness or acidity instead? I’ve grown up with tea, and discovered coffee only in college. Instant is okay, it has its place, but if you really love coffee you deserve the best – you’re not going to get that with instant. In fact, the statistics speak for themselves with almost 50% of the world’s population preferring instant coffee instead of freshly brewed coffee, according to a 2014 Euromonitor report (1). Try shortening the extraction and use a coarser coffee grind setting, a slightly quicker brew time, or slightly more lukewarm water. Prepare your Instant illy Coffee: Preparing an illy Instant Coffee is quick and easy, because only two ingredients are enough: coffee and water. One of the advantages of grinding your coffee is that you have a lot of room for experimentation. One of the reasons is that Robusta has such a strong flavor and can stand up to large quantities of milk and sugar and other added flavors. Ground coffee is a bunch of coffee beans that have been ground to a specific size. Often they’ll strive to make as strong a coffee powder as they can, but you’ll see this has its drawbacks in a bit. Knowing what fresh ground coffee straight from the roasters tasted like made me never want to get bags of pre-ground coffee again. Instant coffee is almost always Robusta, 6. Part of the ritual of enjoying a cup of coffee is the aroma, and nothing beats the smell of fresh ground coffee slowly dripping through a Chemex. This is the same reason decaf coffee is made out of Robusta beans and not Arabica (usually), since the process is very expensive and corners often need to be cut. I for one don’t really like this kind of coffee, but I know it’s a saving grace for other people, and I can understand that. – Unknown. Robusta is a cheaper coffee bean, but it has a much higher caffeine content than Arabica. 1) Instant Coffee: Yep, instant coffee is the only ingredient within this plastic Folgers tub. If you’d like to know how to really flavor your coffee, you should read this article on the basics. I know there might be instant coffee lovers out there who are very angry at me right now, but I’ve never been okay with instant coffee. Coffee made from ground coffee will taste entirely different from instant coffee. It comes with several health benefits and makes your day better. You may be surprised to discover that instant coffee is the better option if the overall environmental impact is your only goal. When deciding what kind of coffee to get, you’re always faced with the decision between instant coffee and ground coffee. So I guess it’s up to each person if they find instant coffee convenient or not. Mark is the owner of the popular coffee blog - Bean Ground. In short, there are stark differences between instant coffee and ground coffee. This site is owned and operated by Ciuraru Dragos PFA, and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Confused? In essence both instant coffee and ground coffee are coffee, yes. Bean Ground is completely reader-supported. Instant and ground coffee have relatively similar nutrient profiles, and they contain the same polyphenolic compounds. Well, only you can answer that – do you value convenience, flavor, and aroma over price? Still, there are uses for your used coffee grounds. Can You Reuse Coffee Grounds For A Second Cup ? BeanGround.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Ground coffee will give you an easily adjustable coffee brew and you can always tweak it as you wish. I am wondering about the safety aspect of this, though. If you want a comparison, Robusta actually has double the caffeine of Arabica, but it also has half the amount of sugars and fats that Arabica comes with. Does it really matter what kind you add to your coffee... Why would anyone want to put a chunk of fatty butter inside of their coffee? Much like trying to dissolve cinnamon in you coffee, or cocoa powder. What kind of beans are used – more on that here. "One cup of instant coffee contains 60-80mg of caffeine. Who knows what else you might find ? Steamed Milk Which is the Ultimate Coffee Companion? With the tempting low cut price, these older coffee beans often find their way into instant coffee. The main reason ground coffee is so bad is that it’s almost always made with Robusta beans. Proper waste disposal, recycling and reusing coffee grounds, and using real coffee cups instead of disposables, are just a few areas that all of us could improve on. As a result, there should be no significant differences when it comes to the health benefits they offer. This is the simplest and fastest brew method of the three and pretty much all other coffee brewing methods. Coffee is good for you, unlike soda drinks and other sugar-heavy drinks. I’m not surprised, milks milk, isn’t it? Afterwards they’re moistened a bit and tumbled in a drum, so they can clump together to form the granules we all know and recognize as instant coffee. Coffee, instant or ground, contains an exceptional number of antioxidants. I thought the same thing until out of boredom I gave this coffee concoction a try, and I’m glad I did. I know right. First, you obviously need to grind the coffee, and then brew it using one of many popular pour-over coffee makers or automated machines, and then once done, dispose of the leftover coffee grounds. Instant coffee can be found in many homes, does to commodity and price since it’s always cheaper than ground coffee, or at least on the same mark as the cheapest ground coffee. So in short, instant coffee is made of ground coffee which was already brewed. If you were to let that mixture sit for a few minutes you’d notice the powdered coffee sink to the bottom of your cup. The AeroPress is a large coffee making... “Procaffeinating: The tendency to not start anything until you’ve had a cup of coffee.” I have been a coffee lover for about 60 years. This dries the coffee particles, and they gather at the bottom of the tower. And if caffeine isn’t important for you, instant coffee often contains less caffeine even though it tends to be made with robusta beans. Still, very few people ever go on that station, so the effort of getting a cup of real coffee wouldn’t be too much for regular people. Instant coffee is flat, and often very bitter. Ground coffee hasn’t been brewed, and is just ground up coffee beans. Okay, there’s no denying that instant coffee is typically cheaper per cup and I would say it’s more convenient; after all, you simply have to boil a kettle! Ground coffee is often made from higher quality coffee beans. Another reason is that Robusta also is highly resistant to diseases and pests (thus easy and cheap to grow), which is what brought down Arabica production so many years ago and the coffee company had to improvise. But there is a big difference, and trying to make an espresso with instant coffee instead of ground coffee will be a failure. Copyright © 2020 Bean Ground | A Coffee Blog Born in 2014 and Powered by Strong Black Coffee ☕. Ground coffee is a bunch of coffee beans that have been ground to a specific size. Until then though, we need to stress that ground coffee is not instant coffee. When we talk about the quality, the coffee beans are going to be the deciding factor over anything else. Instant coffee is a lot easier than ground coffee. That doesn’t mean you can’t do your bit for the environment if you prefer freshly ground coffee. The longer the coffee stays in the water, the more caffeine gets extracted. For some this process is too cumbersome and takes too long, so instant coffee stepped in to produce, uh, instant coffee. Ground coffee is actual coffee beans, instant coffee is not. And more importantly, what are the differences between instant coffee and ground coffee ? Even if you were to blend it into oblivion and make a sort of odd smoothie, it would not be dissolved but cut into a very fine powder. 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