For most people, coffee is a huge part of getting their day started.
In addition to being a great morning beverage, regular coffee consumption is linked to various health benefits. (1)
But what happens if you don’t have the time to brew your own cup every single morning? Or you simply don’t own a coffee maker?
Well then it’s a good thing there’s instant coffee.
What is Instant Coffee?
Simply put, instant coffee is dried-out coffee extract.
With instant coffee powder, all you have to do is add some hot water or hot milk, depending on how you like it, and voilà, you’re good to go. (2)
For most people, they worry that instant coffee may not have all the health benefits that regular coffee has.
But before we can quell their concerns, first we have to know how instant coffee is made.
How is Instant Coffee Made?
Making instant coffee involves roasting and grinding coffee beans exactly like regular coffee.
The ground coffee beans are then dissolved with hot water to extract the flavor and aroma.
The coffee solution is dried to retrieve what we now refer to as instant coffee.
What makes the difference between different types of instant coffee is how the coffee extract is dried.
Based on the drying method, there are two major types of instant coffee.
Two Types of Instant Coffee
1. Spray Dried Instant Coffee
Spray dried coffee is the quickest and most cost effective type of instant coffee to produce.
In this method, the coffee extract solution is sprayed into a chamber containing very hot air.
Immediately the droplets are exposed to the hot air, the water instantly evaporates and the coffee powder falls to the bottom of the chamber.
Due to how quickly the coffee extract evaporates, it loses most of its flavor through the spray-drying method.
Also, with spray dried coffee, the texture of the powder produced is usually too fine for most consumers.
The coffee powder usually has to go through an extra production process to fuse the grains to form coffee granules.
2. Freeze Dried Instant Coffee
Currently, freeze-dried coffee is the highest quality of instant coffee.
Unlike spray-dried coffee, freeze-dried coffee retains all of its flavor and aroma.
The only downside to producing instant coffee with this method is how much more complex and expensive the process is.
In this method, the coffee extract solution is frozen until it’s completely solid.
The now frozen coffee extract is then broken into smaller granules.
The smaller frozen granules are dried in a mid-temperature vacuum.
As the frozen coffee granules warm up, the frozen water rapidly expands into a gas in a process called sublimation.
Once all the water molecules have successfully sublimed, what is left are dried coffee granules.
Instant Coffee vs Regular Coffee
Quality instant coffee can taste exactly like a homemade pot of coffee.
One minor difference is that instant coffee can contain less caffeine than regular coffee but that’s not always the case.
While one gram of regular coffee contains about ninety-two milligrams of caffeine, one gram of instant coffee can contain just about sixty-three milligrams. (4,5)
Advantages of Instant Coffee
While some people love their slow drip coffee, here are some reasons why people will choose instant coffee over brewing their coffee.
Instant Coffee Is More Time Efficient
As a regular coffee consumer, you already know how long it takes you to grind your coffee beans, brew your coffee and properly dispose the coffee grounds.
Some people might even argue that brewing coffee from scratch requires a certain level of skill.
Now imagine cutting that time in half.
Imagine coffee that requires little to no skill to prepare.
All you need is a cup of hot water and some coffee powder and you’re good to go.
This works perfectly for people who are always busy or always on the move.
Instant Coffee Is More Pocket Friendly
If you’re on a budget or you’re just someone who isn’t interested in spending a fortune on coffee, then instant coffee is a great option for you.
Also, if you’re someone who is always on the move, instant coffee is a better option in terms of weight and ease of transport.
Instant Coffee Is More Durable
Generally, instant coffee has a longer shelf life than regular coffee.
Once coffee beans are ground, if they are not consumed immediately, they begin to go stale and lose their flavor.
On the other hand, as long as you store instant coffee in a cool dry place, it can last for up to two years before it begins to deteriorate.
Instant Coffee Contains Less Caffeine
For people living with anxiety, or people who just want a simple morning coffee, the less caffeine they consume, the better.
Instant Coffee Contains More Phenols And Flavonoids
Phenols and Flavonoids are antioxidants that help with managing blood pressure and blood sugar.
The content of these antioxidants in coffee depends largely on how it is produced.
Most manufacturers of instant coffee focus on concentrating these antioxidants during production. (6)
Instant Coffee May Help With Blood Sugar Management
Some research has shown that instant coffee may help reduce blood sugar. (7)
In a 2012 study, a group of overweight men were instructed to drink five cups of instant coffee daily while another group drank no coffee at all.
The researchers monitored their blood sugar levels closely.
At the end of the trial, they confirmed that compared to the group that didn’t drink any coffee, the group that consumed instant coffee showed moderate improvements in their blood sugar levels.
In addition to all these great advantages, instant coffee possesses all the health benefits that regular coffee contains.
Best Instant Coffee Options
So what are the best instant coffee options?
What are the healthiest instant coffee options?
Are some coffee brands better than others in overall quality?
Well, the answer is yes.
In today’s market, there are many instant coffee options to choose from.
Being biased, we’d suggest the brain-healthiest instant coffee.
Try our Super Brain Blend.
It addition to it being the best tasting coffee on the market, it also contains six brain healthy ingredients
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Black Pepper
- Lions’ Mane
- Chaga
- L-Theanine
It’s the only instant coffee on the market that doesn’t taste like instant coffee.
Our coffee tastes exactly like real coffee and better.
The secret is in the quality of our bean, roasting, and processing.
The flavor of our instant coffee is unrivaled but don’t take our word it. Try some yourself.
If you’re looking to save time spent on brewing without compromising on quality, instant coffee is a good place to start.
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