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According to the 2014 Global Consumer Survey, nearly 50% of consumers prefer to drink instant coffee, and from 2000 to 2014, instant coffee sales grew threefold.
Because of the impact of the third wave of coffee, more and more people choose to buy raw beans, but it is undeniable that there is still a large market for instant coffee.
What is the difference between instant coffee and raw bean coffee that needs to be ground? How did instant coffee come about? Which one should I drink? Let's take a cup of coffee and drink it before we discuss it
Is instant coffee really made of coffee? How do coffee beans come about?
First of all, instant coffee is indeed what coffee does. But coffee beans are not actually "beans", but seeds.
Coffee is a fruit that is often referred to as a "coffee cherry" because of its round, reddish appearance. Usually a fruit has two seeds, and a small number of seeds with only one seed are called round bean Peaberry. After the coffee farmers have harvested the fruit, they undergo a series of treatments, and the difference in treatment depends on how the outer layer of the seed pulp is removed. Different treatments can affect the flavor of the coffee. This is followed by drying and roasting before a cup of coffee can be brewed.
At this stage, instant coffee is different from raw coffee beans.
How did instant coffee come about?
Whether you drink two-in-one or three-in-one instant coffee, they are the products of science.
When we come to the instant coffee factory, we will see a large vat of coffee liquid that is boiled to be prepared to be made into instant powder, and the process is very simple, it is just dehydration. When the water in the coffee liquid is extracted, it is the instant powder that everyone scoops out of the coffee pot. Instant powder retains a water-soluble coffee substance.
The dehydration procedure can be divided into the following two types: freeze drying method and spray drying method.
It should be noted that the processing process will lose some of the substances in the coffee, especially the caffeine and aroma molecules. Even the quality of the ground coffee has a lot to do with the drying process. Some manufacturers will even add substances to fill in these lost flavors.
Differences in brewing methods
Instant coffee is simple, as long as you fuse instant powder with water, you can drink it.
If it is raw bean coffee, there are different preparation procedures. You need to grind the beans and brew them (usually filtered with a filter media) before discarding the coffee grounds. These brewing processes have attracted many coffee lovers, who can experiment with different brewing methods, different powder-to-water ratios, water temperature, etc., to brew a cup of coffee they like.
If you want a full-bodied coffee, you may be able to use a French press pot or Philharmonic press instead of a V60 filter cup. To reduce the bitterness, sweetness or acidity of coffee, you can reduce the extraction rate and brew it through coarser grinding, shorter brew times or lower water temperatures.
The same instant coffee always tastes the same way. In contrast, grinding coffee can taste the technique of the brewer.
So which is better?
Is that all there is to coffee? Is there really anyone with a better outcome?
Let's take a look at the comparison between instant coffee and raw bean coffee:
Cost and convenience
Admittedly, instant coffee is usually cheaper, and you can drink it as long as you add hot water, which is convenient again.
However, while instant coffee is cheap, is it worth the money? It depends on the characteristics you value: convenience? flavor? aroma?
Quality and flavor
When it comes to quality and flavor, raw bean coffee will definitely be better, here are a few reasons:
1. Difference in coffee bean quality
The most critical focus of coffee quality is to return to the quality of the coffee beans themselves. Obviously, the advantage of instant coffee is usually that it is cheap, so it will use lower-quality Robusta commercial beans, which are usually bitter and irritating.
In addition, since coffee is a crop, it loses 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. This old bean will be sold at a lower price, so it has become the first choice for instant coffee raw materials.
While it is also possible to make instant coffee using high-quality coffee beans, the reality is that few people do. Similarly, there are inferior raw coffees, but high-quality raw coffees are always available on the market.
2. Differences in brewing process
The coffee brewing process combines physical and chemical variations and can be done in many details. The most important of these is the brewing process, when to extract the different flavors. If the coffee is brewed for too long, it can be bitter. While it is also possible to use perfectly extracted coffee to make instant powder, it is unlikely to be done.
As mentioned above by the author, consumers can control the flavor of coffee when brewing raw bean coffee.
3. Aroma and flavor
Finally, we still have to face in advance what we call aroma and flavor, something that will be lost in the instant coffee process. The most intense aroma of coffee is when the hot water is in contact with the coffee powder, and the instant powder has been in contact with the coffee as early as the process of consumers drinking it a few months or even years ago.
And the flavor has a great influence from the aroma, representing 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? Not really. While some claims accuse instant coffee of causing cancer, they are all unconfirmed rumors. There is no clear evidence that instant coffee has a more positive or negative effect on the human body than raw bean coffee.
Of course, if you drink 3-in-1 instant coffee with added sugar, there will be health concerns, but the instant coffee process itself does not have a positive or negative impact on health.
The extent to which it affects the environment
Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, the 2015 British coffee master champion, wrote "The Coffee Dictionary, told us last year", which mentions that "instant coffee will be your best choice if environmental factors are the only considerations".
Are you surprised by this saying decree? Generally speaking, we recognize that the instant coffee process is more arduous and affects the environment to a greater extent, as long as you do not use small packages of instant powder, the garbage produced by each cup of coffee is much lower. The large amount of coffee residue produced by making instant coffee will also be more environmentally friendly after proper waste disposal by the factory.
These statements do not mean that consumers who buy raw bean coffee cannot focus on environmental protection, as long as the waste is properly used, whether it is the reuse of coffee grounds or the use of paper cups. There are many ways to minimize environmental impact.
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 creating health problems, and instant coffee has a low environmental impact.
Translated from Perfect Daily Grind
Translated by Cheng Zhen Coffee
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