Americans drink four-hundred million cups of coffee per day, and you’re probably one of them. When you run out of ground coffee, it’s normal to wonder if you can brew instant coffee in a coffee maker. Most of us have a backup container of those little brown crystals somewhere in the pantry, but we don’t drink them unless we’re out of the other stuff. Whichever kind you prefer, the smell of coffee is part of most people’s mornings. It wakes up our senses, and in these uncertain times, just knowing you can smell coffee is a good sign. Before you dump a pile of freeze-dried coffee flakes in your favorite coffee maker, hold on. There’s a big difference between your usual ground beans and powdered coffee. Unless you’re ready for some disappointment and a seriously messed up coffee maker, then hold on to your instant. I will explain the differences and share a lot of vital information to help you get the best cup of joe possible.
Can you brew instant coffee in a coffee maker? You cannot brew instant coffee in a coffee maker. Unfortunately, ground coffee beans are not the same as freeze-dried coffee, commonly called instant. However, you can pour the water in and use your coffee machine to make a pot of hot water for your instant crystals. Follow the directions and add a spoon or two of flakes per cup after you brew the water.
Is Instant Coffee the Same as Brewed Coffee
The reason you cannot brew instant coffee in a coffee maker is because of the differences. When you open up a container of ground coffee, that’s all it is: ground up, cooked coffee beans. However, instant coffee is very different stuff. The flavor, amount of caffeine, and your brown powder’s composition are the most significant differences.
Instant coffee is coffee. Quite literally, it is brewed and then has the water removed for long term storage. As such, it can mess with your home coffee maker and gunk up the works since it’s made to add directly to hot water. Always use coffee beans in a home machine unless the directions say otherwise, such as using pods in a Keurig.
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Flavor
Brewed coffee comes in a plethora of flavors. Not including those with additives like vanilla or mocha flavoring, regular coffee has so many variations. From intensely bitter and dark to a blonde, light roast that smells more like coffee than it tastes, you can get a bean for anyone. Depending on the soil, part of the world, and cooking times, your coffee will have a lighter or richer flavor.
Alternatively, instant coffee without additives for flavor is fairly consistent. You won’t see an instant ‘blonde roast’ or ‘medium-dark.’ Instead, this type of freeze-dried coffee relies on consistency. Often, pre-brewed coffee is sprayed into a sub-freezing area, such as a conveyor belt system. The extreme cold preserves the coffee and helps evaporate water from the brew, leaving only those crystals. Essentially, it is a just-add-water brewed coffee powder.
Caffeine
According to CoachNine, “One cup of instant coffee contains 60-80mg of caffeine. On the other hand, ground or brewed coffee contains 60-120mg of caffeine per cup. More caffeine isn’t necessarily always a good thing, however, as it will impact each individual differently.” Essentially, you may get a little more caffeine from fresh-brewed coffee.
Intriguingly, most people believe that darker coffee is higher in caffeine, but it’s not. Since the beans are cooked for longer, more caffeine, antioxidants, and minerals are lost in the process. If you want more caffeine, opt for espresso or a lighter roast.
Composition
Ground coffee of the type you put in your coffee maker is literally just coffee beans. You may even grind them yourself at home. These beans have been picked, dried, and roasted. Unless your brand has a flavor additive, you are probably getting nothing other than the coffee itself.
When you opt for instant coffee, it is essentially cups of coffee with the water taken out. The brewing process has already occurred. Other than that, the differences are negligible. However, the brewing and drying process tends to remove a small amount of caffeine and other nutritional elements such as antioxidants.
What Types of Coffee Are Best For a Coffee Maker
Since you cannot use instant coffee in a coffee maker, what types of coffee are best for brewing? Everyone loves their own kind of coffee most, and it’s not hard to start a debate about which one is ‘the best.’ Ultimately, the brand, roast, and flavor of coffee beans is a highly personal choice, and your coffee maker doesn’t care about those things as much as it cares about the grind.
Although the machine isn’t intelligent and cannot state a preference, your coffee maker is designed for medium to coarse grinds of coffee. The ultra-fine ground coffees are made for an espresso machine, which uses heated water at a higher pressure to force that super-rich small shot of caffeine out quickly. For a standard coffee pot, you want a grind that is a little larger.
Filters, especially the metal screened reusable style, are not made for espresso filtering. If you grind your coffee into dust, you will end up with sludge at the bottom of the pot. Not only is this gross, but the bean sediment will cause your coffee to become bitter as it over-steppes.
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Can Black Coffee Be Made With Instant Coffee
There are two types of so-called black coffee. The shades may vary, but you can make black coffee at home with instant coffee and no coffee maker. All you need is your chosen brand of instant coffee, heated water, and a sweetener if you prefer.
Unsweetened or traditional black coffee is the brew of coffee beans and hot water. Instant coffee is the same stuff, but you need to add the water back into it. Hence, the instant quality. Once your water is hot, you simply stir in the mix.
Otherwise, you can opt to pour the hot water over the instant coffee crystals. Both methods give the same result. Additionally, the only difference between unsweet black coffee and sweetened black coffee is the sugar or other sweetener you add.
Can You Use Instant Coffee For Cold Brew
Many people are under the mistaken impression that you need a special coffee to make cold-brew. While you can certainly buy ‘cold brew’ blends, this is not necessary. Moreover, you cannot brew cold-brew coffee in a coffeemaker, whether you use instant coffee or not.
The secret of cold brew coffee is patience and time. Using cold water, you normally steep coffee grounds. The process takes a lot longer than hot-brewed coffee, around twenty hours on average. The advantage is that cold brew tends to be less likely to upset your stomach.
However, you can always combine cold water or milk with instant coffee for a cold brew. Unfortunately, this method doesn’t reduce stomach irritation in the sensitive. Nevertheless, you get cold coffee without the need for ice. Melted ice can make a cold coffee drink too watery, so this is a great alternative. You could also home brew your coffee in advance, cool it down, and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
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Instant Coffee Vs. Ground Coffee Which Tastes The Best
Every person has their own unique tastebuds and personal likes. However, freshly brewed coffee is usually better, and unlike instant coffee, you can add it to a coffee maker, which is nice. The smell of a powder in a cup of hot water isn’t the same as the pervasive scent of a coffee brewer kicking on in the morning and filling your home with that indescribable, uplifting aroma.
Although instant coffee is consistent, it also tends to be heavy and bitter. Some people enjoy that. Additives like cream, sugar, salt, and butter are often used to negate coffee’s natural bite. Furthermore, fresh-brewed coffee retains more of its oils and other components, offering a richer flavor. However, according to Perfect Daily Grind, almost half the coffee drinking world prefers instant coffee.
The short answer to instant coffee versus fresh ground is that we may never know which is truly the better flavor.
Final Thoughts
I have always preferred fresh, hot, brewed coffee from beans ground the same day. However, many people prefer the consistent simplicity of instant coffee. Whichever you like best, always make your coffee with the recommended directions, and don’t put instant crystals in a coffee maker meant for ground, unbrewed beans.
Most people enjoy a cup in the morning. Sixty-four to over eighty percent of Americans make coffee at home regularly. This ubiquitous staple can be found worldwide, in every country, and it is one of the few truly universal commodities.
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However you drink your coffee, brewed fresh, cold-brewed, iced, instant, or fancy, we can all appreciate the caffeine rush when we need a quick boost in the morning. Best of all, coffee can help you live a longer, healthier life so long as you drink it in moderation.
