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Whether it's for the flavor or for an energy boost, coffee has become an indispensable part of people's daily lives. As a result, there are now various coffee products on the market, which can be divided into three main categories: instant coffee, pour over, and freshly ground. Each category caters to different consumers, so how do you choose the right coffee for yourself? Read on for a basic understanding.
First, it’s important to understand the coffee production process, which is how coffee is extracted:
Now that the specifics of the process are clear, let’s break down the different coffee types:
Instant Coffee
Instant coffee has quite a long history, dating back to 1890. It then began mass production to resolve a coffee bean surplus at the time. This spray dried product was well-received for its small size, transport convenience upon hitting the market. Instant doesn’t require extra steps beyond direct mixing with water, making it slightly more convenient than pour over.
The production process involves grinding roasted beans then extracting the key components into water under set temperature and pressure.Vacuum concentration facilitates the drying process. Spray drying shapes the instant coffee powder, having the greatest impact on quality. Most use spray drying now, but coffee’s heat-sensitive aromatic substances can easily evaporate under high heat, causing significant flavor loss. With repeated high-temp operations, virtually no aroma remains, which is why instant lacks the rich fragrance of freshly ground.
However, coffee aroma is a major reason people enjoy coffee today. So how do manufacturers compensate? With artificial flavoring. Different brands add flavoring agents (varying across companies) during extraction, concentration, or drying. In fact, the base coffee beans for most instant coffee are the cheapest commodity grade, too low to be retailed as standalone beans. Only usable for instant.
Nonetheless, thanks to ongoing R&D, new techniques like “low temperature freeze drying” can achieve benefits like 0 trans fats. By vacuum concentrating and freezing extracted, ground beans, they better preserve the original aroma compared to damaging high heat, bringing the final product much closer to the coffee’s natural fragrance.
Understanding the production process makes it clear that instant coffee contains pure coffee beans as the raw ingredient. However, some common supermarket varieties also add ingredients like creamer, vegetable fats, white sugar — these aren’t actually real coffee, but rather “coffee flavored solid beverages.” Notably, trans fats in creamers and vegetable fats pose health risks potentially increasing chances of heart disease and diabetes.
Tips: carefully read the label when purchasing instant coffee. If the ingredients list contains only coffee beans, then it’s safe to buy.
Pour Over Coffee
Invented by the Japanese, pour over coffee delivers freshly ground coffee instantly. Called “drip coffee” in Japanese, it works by containing preground coffee in a filter pouch of nonwoven fabric or cotton paper. The two paper “ears” on either side attach over a cup. After pouring hot water through, simply remove the pouch and enjoy full-bodied coffee. Thanks to easy portability and simple preparation resulting in a more authentic, richer taste than instant, pour over has won over many coffee lovers since its debut. 
That said, choosing pour over still takes some savvy:
1.Check the production date. Since pour over uses freshly ground beans, flavor gradually declines over time. So it has an optimal tasting window — generally 2 weeks from production.
2.Assess preservation method. Some brands inject inert nitrogen gas to slow flavor loss, extending peak taste from 2 weeks to 1 month. Thicker aluminum foil packaging also better preserves compared to paper.
3.Note the origin. Like wine, the beans determine ultimate flavor. Coffee regions include Sumatra, Guatemala, Yunnan.
4.Consider processing method. After harvest, beans require flesh removal before becoming true beans. Most common methods are “sun dried” and “water washed.” Sun-dried typically retains more flavor, while water washed is cleaner. Cater to personal preference.
Freshly Ground Coffee
Freshly ground means grinding roasted beans into grounds right before brewing to maximize freshness and original aroma. Aside from bean quality itself, grind size is the top factor influencing good coffee. Appropriately sized grounds suit the brewing device to yield great coffee. In other words, coarseness depends on preferences and tools - not universally finer or chunkier.
In essence, whether you lean towards the immediacy of instant coffee, the elegance of pour over, or the unparalleled freshness of grinding your beans, the key is to align your choice with your health and enjoyment preferences. Coffee is not just a beverage; it's a journey of flavors waiting to be explored. Happy brewing!
Post time: Nov-24-2023