When it’s impossible to make coffee from scratch, instant coffee is convenient. It provides your morning caffeine boost much more quickly than drip varieties.
Many regular coffee drinkers don’t consider it real coffee, though, pointing to potential health concerns with instant types of coffee.
You may wonder if instant coffee is bad for you. Due to the presence of more chemicals in some instant coffees compared to brewed coffee, they may not be as healthy.
There’s quite a bit of variety when it comes to instant coffee, though, and if you’re a fan of convenience, instant coffee can still be good for you.
This article provides a thorough analysis of instant coffee. You will have a clear understanding of how to drink instant coffee after reading. Let’s start.
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What Is Instant Coffee?
In order to create a concentrated version of instant coffee, producers brew regular coffee beans. The powder is then dried and dehydrated after the water has been removed, and it is then dissolved in hot water for your morning brew.
Because of this, preparing instant coffee without a coffee maker is quick, simple, and ideal. When you’re traveling, camping, or just busy and on the go, instant coffee is convenient because it typically has a long shelf life.
Making instant coffee involves one of two methods:
- Spray drying, in which the coffee extract is sprayed into hot air — quickly dries the droplets into a fine powder.
- Freeze-drying involves freezing the coffee extract and cutting it into small fragments that are dried at a low temperature.
How To Make Instant Coffee?
Either the spray-drying method or the freeze-drying method is used to produce instant coffee. In the process of spray drying, liquid coffee concentrate is sprayed into hot air that is about 480 degrees Fahrenheit. Because the water has evaporated by the time the coffee reaches the ground, it will have dried into tiny crystals.
Freeze drying requires a little more work. The coffee is turned into an extract after being boiled down, and it is then cooled to about 20 degrees Fahrenheit until it resembles a coffee slushy. At a temperature of -40 degrees Fahrenheit, the slushy mixture is then further chilled using a belt, drum, or tray. This results in the formation of slabs of frozen coffee that are later broken down into granules and sent to a drying vacuum where the ice is vaporized and instant coffee granules are left behind.
Caffeine Content In Instant Coffee
Caffeine levels in instant coffee and regular coffee are contrasted. brewed coffee depends on the type of instant coffee you’re sipping.
Less caffeine is present in traditional instant coffee, or the kind you stir into a mug of water than in coffee that is brewed in a coffee maker. There is about 47 mg of caffeine in one serving of instant coffee on average.
On average, a serving of medium roast coffee has about 70 mg of caffeine. Whether you select a dark roast or an espresso shot, there will undoubtedly be variations.
Therefore, using traditional instant coffee will result in you losing some of the beneficial effects of caffeine.
The one exception to this rule is the Golden Ratio, which has about 50% more caffeine than an average cup of brewed coffee. You can make that cup lighter with a shorter steeping time if you want to cut back on the caffeine, just like with hot tea.
By extending the steeping period, you can also strengthen it.
Instant Coffee May Contain Additives
With instant brew, you frequently receive extras in addition to coffee granules. If you consume instant coffee products like flavored 3-in-1 coffee on a daily basis, ingredients like added sugar, fats, and chemicals can make them not so good for your health.
According to Banna, added sugar doesn’t provide the body with any vitamins or minerals, and if consumed in excess, the extra calories may cause weight gain. Additionally, drinking sweetened coffee will cause your blood sugar to spike, crash, and leave you craving more sugary coffee.
Banna claims that instant coffee may also contain fats like palm oil. The issue is that palm oil contains a lot of saturated fat, which, when consumed frequently, may raise your risk of heart disease. Consider it in the following manner: if you’re sipping several cups of instant coffee per day, even small amounts of saturated fats can add up.
The caution regarding added sugar, fats, and chemicals also applies to coffee drinks that have been pre-mixed. The category of instant coffee also includes ready-to-drink coffees, which come in cans or bottles and frequently have sugar and creamers added, like Starbucks’ bottled Frappuccino drinks.
Instant Coffee May Have Fewer Antioxidants
Coffee’s abundant antioxidants, which are linked to lowered risks of some cancers and other chronic diseases, may make you enjoy a cup of joe in addition to the caffeine high.
The problem is that your instant coffee might have fewer antioxidants than other types of coffee.
A May 2019 study in the Journal of Advanced Research measured the number of chlorogenic acids (CGAs), which are polyphenols with potential antioxidant activity that scavenge free radicals, are present in various coffee varieties. It turns out that the lowest CGA content was found in 100% instant coffee, while the highest CGA content was found in unblended roasted and ground coffee.
What that means is as follows: Theoretically, instant coffee offers fewer potential protective effects if it has fewer free radical fighters.
Instant Coffee May Contain More Acrylamide
The other problem with instant coffee is a substance called acrylamide that may be hazardous. It can develop during the roasting of coffee beans and is also present in smoke, household products, personal care items, and other foods.
Instant coffee may contain up to twice as much acrylamide as fresh-roasted coffee, according to 2013 research in Roczniki Panstwowego Zakladu Higieny. The highest levels of acrylamide, according to the researchers, were found in coffee substitutes, while roasted coffee had the lowest levels—roughly half of what was found in instant.
And that’s a problem because, according to Banna, acrylamide is thought to be neurotoxic and carcinogenic. Indeed, acrylamide can accumulate in your system and cause neuropathy (nerve damage or dysfunction), according to a February 2014 study in Nutritional Neuroscience. And the American Cancer Society has found a link between excessive exposure to the chemical and a higher risk of developing cancer.
The European Food Safety Authority June 2015 published a report in the EFSA Journal, noting that coffee was among the highest sources of acrylamide in food, along with fried potato products. The panel concluded, though, that the number of acrylamide people get from their diets is not enough to pose serious health concerns.
In other words, instant coffee does not contain enough acrylamide to be considered unhealthy.
Preparations Of Instant Coffee Vs. Other Coffee
Many different variations of instant coffee are available. You can mix a spoonful of instant coffee granules into a mug of hot water, stir it in cold water as a cold brew, or use K-Cup pods or other single-serving pods to create a solo cup.
Low-acid instant coffee like A single-serving pouch resembling a tea bag is how Golden Ratio is packaged. It’s just as convenient as instant coffees in other formats with all of the benefits of healthy coffee.
The most popular instant coffee is that which is stirred in, and even household names like Starbucks are getting into the single-serve game. In essence, it is coffee beans that have been finely ground.
The majority of popular brands begin the journey from bean to store shelves in a manner akin to that of whole bean or ground coffees.
First, coffee beans are roasted to the brand’s preferred level of roasting. That’s typically a medium roast. These beans are then ground. This is the point where the process ends if you are purchasing a bag of coffee grounds.
It’s only getting started with instant coffee.
Like a large French press, the coffee grounds and water are combined. The extract that remains after the water has been removed needs to go through one more step in order to become instant coffee: spray-drying or freeze-drying.
In the spray-drying process, hot air is sprayed with coffee extract. When combined with water, this powder produces an instant cup of coffee.
Freeze-drying is exactly what it sounds like. The extract is divided into smaller pieces, frozen, and then delivered to a drying vacuum. The outcome is tiny coffee granules that can be mixed with water to make your morning cup.
You are essentially putting dehydrated coffee powder into your cup using both methods. Depending on the product, the well-known instant coffee company Nescaf uses either approach. While maintaining the same antioxidant levels as brewed coffee, instant coffee typically has a longer shelf life.
Benefits Of Instant Coffee
The advantages of instant coffee are similar to those of brewed coffee. These advantages consist of, but are not restricted to:
- Improved brain function
- Boosted mood
- Lowered risk of cancer
- Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
- More efficient digestion
- Lessened Parkinson’s disease risk
- Diminished liver disease risk
- A longer, healthier life
Regular coffee consumption is safe with most diets, even if you’re intermittent fasting. But if you want to enjoy instant coffee in a healthier way that’s still simple to make, there are other options.
The Bottom Line
You might be surprised to learn that instant coffee is the most consumed beverage worldwide in a society where there is a coffee shop on every corner.
The right instant coffee can save your life. Compared to regular coffee, instant coffee has a little bit less caffeine and a little bit more acrylamide, but it also has a lot of the same antioxidants.
In general, instant coffee is a nutritious, calorie-free beverage that has the same health advantages as other varieties of coffee. Instant coffee is safe to drink as long as you select a variety without additives.