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Cheap SpeedWhat is instant coffee? |
What is instant coffee? Does it come from the same plant as regular coffee?
Although some might say that instant coffee is a nightmare that happens when you visit your grandma’s house, it’s actually the result of a multistep process the beans go through to turn them into water-soluble crystals.
First, they’re roasted, ground, and brewed with powerful extraction equipment: The beans are passed through pressurized cells to get the most carbohydrates and flavor compounds out of them. Next, the brewed coffee is filtered and treated to create a concentrated extract. Then one of three things happens: The coffee is put through a centrifuge to pull out the water from the extract; the water is allowed to evaporate out before the hot, brewed extract is cooled; or the coffee is cooled until the water freezes, and the ice crystals are then extracted from the concentrate. Finally, the coffee concentrate is dehydrated through either spray drying or freeze drying, and some volatile aromatic elements that have been lost in the process are reintroduced.
The coffee industry is dominated by two species of beans: Coffea arabica and Coffea robusta, also known as canephora. The mild and aromatic arabica is grown at higher altitudes in Latin America, India, and Indonesia; takes longer to come to fruit than robusta varieties; and is more expensive. It’s generally used for fresh-brewed, higher-quality coffee. Robusta beans are grown in Africa, India, and Indonesia; and have a harsher flavor. But they’re hardier, more disease-resistant, and cheaper to grow. They’re often used to make less expensive coffees, including instant.
Chicago-based Japanese chemist Satori Kato was the unwitting inventor of instant coffee when, in 1901, he invented a process for making instant tea. Nestlé later applied it to java, bringing us that delicious late-night study tool known affectionately as instant.
I think instant coffee - or better, instant espresso - is very nice for adding to chocolate recipes. Adds more tannic backbone, cuts down on the sweet. Love it.
Drinking it, though... nah.
Greek instant coffee (spray dried I believe) is key to making proper Greek frappes! Yum!
You can get instant in Japan, UCC brand, that is actually pretty good, though not up to the highest standards. Foreign stuff like coffee and chocolate are moderate luxuries there, not everyday foodstuffs like here, and tend to be higher quality.
Just a small correction; the author says that coffea arabica grows in Latin America, India, and Indonesia. Actually, arabica is indigenous to East Africa (Ethiopia) and much more great arabica is grown in Africa than in Indonesia.
most (but not all) is made from the cheaper robusta beans as opposed to the more exp arabica beans
i find instant coffee to be UNDRINKABLE
used dish water is better flavored
but..... it is very good to add to baking ie; brownies,dipping sponge cake or ladyfingers in for making tarimisu etc.
On study abroad in New Zealand for several months and later traveling in Germany, I drank Nescafe Espresso instant and think it is good. A lot of people I knew in N.Z. drank instant at home. It was a staple of the "hot drinks" offerings at peoples houses when they'd turn on the electric kettle. Can a whole country be wrong? (About a food item, that is!)
Does anyone know what might be different about the instant coffee in the U.S. and instant elsewhere? I've had instant coffee on Air France that was also quite good and very similar to the stuff I drank in N.Z. and Germany. I'm puzzled.
can a whole country be wrong (about food)
well a few countries eat raw whale blubber aaaaaahhh yuk
I also drank nice Nescafe instant coffee in New Zealand. When I tried what I thought was the same thing in the U.S., it wasn't anywhere near as good. Instant coffee is a tradition in N.Z., but in the last couple of decades many kiwis (particularly city-dwellers) have become obsessed with proper coffee. That means lovingly created with an expresso machine, certainly not drip coffee, and absolutely no flavorings. It's outstanding.
In the UK people will keep instant coffee around to offer to guests. In some circles it would even be seen as a compliment to offer it, especially if it was a more "expensive brand". You know, one that cost more than a pound or two for the jar.
Of course, serving that junk to us Americans would be a slap in the face!
But they are starting to sell whole beans in supermarkets and real coffee makers in stores. The trouble is that you can't find filters anywhere! And the coffee shops don't sell brewed coffee either!!!
But instant espresso is terrific in recipes. Although drinking it would be gross. And instant coffee in general? It's like weakened regular coffee that's been filtered through dirty underwear.
I am definitely not a fan of instant coffee, but it's great to take backpacking, because then you don't have to worry about the grounds.
As far as just drinking instant coffee is concerned, I always found the somewhat scuzzy foam that you get right after mixing it in. Mmmm...
Instant coffee sounds cheap and tasteless to me before, but after trying it (gift from family), I thought it's not bad at all.
I always put some in my office as the office coffee sucks! :-)
I also take some with me during my business trip. It is easy to carry and will pass the safety inspection as it is dry, powdery and compact.
As far as the brands, some Southeast Asian coffee (Indo-Malaysia) are my top picks. eg: GreenHill, O-town, etc...
Instant coffees maybe fine for recipes but I don't recommend them for consumption by the cup.