Instant Coffee Versus Ground Coffee

You gotta have your coffee and you gotta have it now! If you're desperate for that hit of caffeine, maybe you need instant coffee. It's great for people so bleary they can barely remember where they put their coffee cup. However, there are some people who would sooner sit on a hot stove to wake themselves up than drink instant coffee. To have good coffee, it may be worth the wait for it to percolate. Some people might go so far as to grind the beans themselves at home. The ground coffee versus instant coffee debate boils down to the old marshmallow test. Have your coffee now or wait a bit and have a really good cup of coffee later?

Instant Coffee

Instant coffee is essentially dried coffee extract. It's coffee that has been dehydrated and sold in powdered form. It may be dehydrated through spray drying or freeze drying. Spray drying is done by spraying coffee extract into hot air and turning the droplets into fine powder when they dry. Freeze drying is done by freezing the coffee extract and cutting it into small fragments that are dried under vacuum conditions.

Pros of Using Instant Coffee:

• It makes one cup of coffee very fast.
• It has slightly less caffeine.
• It has the same antioxidants as regular coffee.
• Clean-up is easier.
• Making it overall is very easy.
• Cheaper due to using Robusta rather than Arabica beans.

Cons of Using Instant Coffee:

• It only makes one cup of coffee at a time.
• It has slightly less caffeine.
• It contains acrylamide, a carcinogen.
• It's rather bitter and watery in flavor and texture.
• Beans used are not very fresh.

Recipe for Dalgona Coffee

Here's a Korean style coffee that's sweet, fluffy and creamy. It's a little more effort than your typical instant coffee, but the flavor is well worth it. This is for people who like ice-cold coffee.

Ingredients needed:

• 2 Tablespoons of instant coffee
• 2 Tablespoons of cold water
• 2 Tablespoons of sugar
• Half a cup of milk
• Ice as desired
• Optional toppings, e.g. cookie crumbs, jimmies, coffee powder, honey, cocoa powder, chocolate coated espresso beans, etc.

Mise en place:

• Medium bowl
• Whisk or hand mixer
• Large mug

Step-by-step method.

1. Combine sugar, water and coffee in a medium bowl. Whisk until the mixture is shiny and silky smooth. Whisk more until it thickens and becomes foamy. If doing this by hand, it will take anywhere from 8 to 12 minutes to get fluffy enough.
2. Fill your mug halfway with milk and as much ice as you like. Dollop the coffee mixture on top of the milk. Garnish with a topping if desired. Can be drunk as is or stirred up.

Ground Coffee

Ground coffee is coffee beans that have been ground up and are steeped in hot water to make coffee. At first glance it may look and smell like instant coffee, but it is a very different thing altogether. Where instant coffee dissolves immediately into hot water to make your morning cup of Joe, ground coffee needs some time to steep, much like a tea bag.

There are many different grind types of coffee that will have different uses. Here are a few and their descriptions.

• Turkish:
• Espresso:
• French Press:
• Cold Brew:
• Moka:
• Drip:

Pros of Using Ground Coffee:

• It tastes better.
• It has more caffeine.
• The used grounds make good compost for acid loving plants. (Attract worms while repelling slugs as well.)
• It can make a lot of cups of coffee in one go.
• It is not overly processed.
• Beans can be very fresh, particularly if you grind them yourself.
• A better variety than with instant coffee.

Cons of Using Ground Coffee:

• It can take up to ten minutes. (Several hours for cold brew.)
• It has more caffeine.
• It takes an effort to make.
• The used grounds are a bit messy and hard to handle.
• Requires filters and a machine which requires cleaning and maintenance.

Recipe for French Press Coffee

A French press coffee maker looks intimidating, but it's actually quite easy to use. Despite the name, French press coffee actually has Italian origins. This coffee is very strong and robust but will go bitter if allowed to sit too long.

Ingredients needed:

• 14 grams (roughly 2 Tablespoons) coffee beans
• 1 cup of boiling water
• More boiling water to warm up the press.

Mise en Place:

• French press
• Long spoon
• Mug (more mugs if you double, triple, etc. the recipe.)

Step-by-step method:

1. Rinse the press out with boiling water to warm up the press. This will maintain the temperature while brewing.
2. Measure and grind your beans. They should be coarse and consistently sized.
3. Add the ground beans to the empty press. Let boiling water cool for one minute then add to the press.
4. Use a long spoon to break up the top layer using a vigorous stir.
5. Let it steep for four minutes. Next, gently push the plunger until it his the bottom. Serve immediately.

Taste Comparison

Ground coffee is more aromatic and flavorful than instant coffee, which tends to be bitter and watery with a more subtle aroma in comparison. Because ground coffee comes in more varieties, that leads to a more complex array of flavors and textures. They are equal in antioxidant levels. If you really need that caffeine boost, you're better off with the ground coffee.

Expert opinions and quotes.

“I'd rather take coffee than compliments just now.” -- Louisa May Alcott

“It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity.” -- Dave Barry

"Why, yes, I could start my day without coffee. But I like being able to remember things like how to say words and put on pants." -- Nanea Hoffman

“Even bad coffee is better than no coffee at all.” -- David Lynch

"(Coffee granita) It really is the perfect treat on a warm day - the icy texture of the granita with a strong coffee flavor paired with freshly whipped cream...it's just wonderful." -- Giada de Laurentiis

“I want to reach people who might care a little about coffee, and take them on a journey to deepen their appreciation,” -- James Hoffmann

"I have sown in the land of Martinique a coffee tree which, in a few years, will produce a harvest that will enrich those who have had the foresight to cultivate it." -- Gabriel de Clieu

"'May I get anyone some coffee?' is such a courteously collegial prelude to a meeting that Miss Manners hates to see it disappear." -- Judith Martin

Cost Comparison

Instant coffee tends to be much cheaper than ground coffee. Not only are different beans used to make instant coffee, but instant coffee requires less coffee to produce. Plus, instant coffee is often made with last year's beans, which reduces the purchase price. Because so little of instant coffee is used in comparison to ground coffee this means even the packaging coasts are lower. On average, a cup of instant coffee is only 7 cents. In comparison, a cup of ground coffee averages at 37 cents.

Breakdown of price per cup.

Price of 100g of instant coffee......$2.18

Price of 100g of ground coffee......$4.07

Price per ounce of instant coffee......$0.62

Price per ounce of ground coffee......$1.15

Convenience and Preparation Time

If you want convenience and preparation time, nothing beats instant. Just pur a spoonful or two (or more. You're alone in the kitchen.) into hot water and stir. Drip coffee and French press can take about four or five minutes to brew. Turkish coffee can take seven to ten minutes. Moka needs about two or three minutes. You may have to wait overnight for cold brew to do its thing. Espresso is made relatively quickly at just under half a minute. However, even that like all ground coffee requires a machine that must be set up. Instant coffee is stirred right into the hot water, faster even than espresso.

Environmental Impact

On the whole, instant coffee is less harmful to the environment. Instant coffee requires less packaging so that's already a considerably shrunken carbon footprint. It also doesn't require a machine to make it. Hot water from the tap is enough. If your prefer ground coffee, you can still help out the environment by using reusable cups and composting the grounds. You may also want to look for the Fair Trade Certified label. Coffee with this label is not only sustainably sourced but ethically harvested by fairly paid and well treated workers.

Summary

With all of this in mind, it is important to ask yourself what it is you look for in a cup of coffee. If you want a super dose of caffeine to hit your bloodstream now, now, NOW, go for the instant coffee. If you've got a lazy morning to savor a rich, full flavored cup of coffee, take your time with the ground coffee. If you're thinking about your carbon footprint, instant coffee could be best, but you can offset it by composting the leftover coffee grounds. Instant coffee is cheaper, but you get what you pay for. In any case, drink the coffee that suits what you want most.

FAQs

Q: Where does most coffee come from?

A: A good third of the world's coffee production comes from Brazil. Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia and Ethiopia are also major exporters of coffee.

Q: Are there any coffee growers in the United States?

A: California has recently tried their hand at gourmet coffee. The famous Kona coffee is grown on the islands of Hawaii.

Q: What country consumes the most coffee?

A: Finland has the most coffee drinkers. The average Finnish adult drinks about 27 and a half pounds of coffee per year.

Q: What is mocha?

A: Mocha is not to be confused with moka. Café mocha, also known as mocaccino, is coffee mixed with chocolate. The author experimented with making her own mocha with instant coffee and instant hot cocoa with a dash of sugar. The taste wasn't bad, but I was bouncing off the walls for a good hour. Your mileage may vary.

Q: How much coffee is too much?

A: As the typical adult shouldn't take more than 400mg of caffeine in a day, a coffee drinker should cut themselves off after or before that fourth cup. Any more than that can cause irritability, nervousness, insomnia, muscle tremors, frequent urination and more. Pregnant or nursing mothers and people taking ephedrine, theophylline or echinacea.

Q: Can coffee be used as a laxative?

A: Drinking coffee induces the gastrocolic reflex, which leads to movement in the lower GI tract. Any warm liquid can also stimulate motility. However, it is not recommended as a long term solution. Eat your fiber.