Is Ground Coffee Instant Coffee | 4 Interesting Facts
There is no doubt that coffee is one of the most popular drinks across the world. Each day, particularly during the mornings, perhaps billions of cups of coffee must be entering the digestive system of people across the world.
Coffee is considered as an invigorating way of beginning the day. It also helps people to stay alert and active.
For example, if there is a need for some urgent work that requires burning of midnight oil, coffee often becomes a companion during late nights.
In this article we will try and look at coffee from a different angle and perspective. We will try to answer the question is ground coffee instant coffee so that the readers are able to get a better insight and perspective about these two forms of coffee.
Is Ground Coffee Instant Coffee?
To cut right to the chase, ground coffee is not instant coffee but before we are able to answer this question in much detail, it would be a good idea to know the basic scope and definition of ground coffee and instant coffee.
To put in plain and simple words, ground coffee is what brewed coffee is essentially made of. It is made by grinding coffee beans and it is the same way as making flour out of wheat and so on.
Ground coffee comes in different sizes and it also has different aroma. You can choose ground coffee of different aromas and types depending on specific needs and requirements.
What is instant coffee? Instant coffee is the most popular drink for those who are trying out coffee for the first time or those who are looking for something fresh and invigorating in the morning.
Instant coffee also has ground coffee as the main ingredients but it also has some more ingredients that make it ready to drink.
On the other hand ground coffee has to be filtered and a decoction has to be made and the same must be added to milk and sugar before it becomes ready for drinking.
In effect, both ground coffee and instant coffee serve the same purpose but the manner in which they are used could be different.
If you are a pure coffee lover, then perhaps you may have reasons to choose ground coffee over instant coffee. This is perhaps because instant coffee often comes blended with chicory powder and other ingredients.
This may make the job of preparing coffee easy, but for purists, instant coffee may not be as satisfying and fulfilling as ground coffee.
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Can You Use Ground Coffee as Instant Coffee?
Ground coffee cannot be used as instant coffee for reasons I'm about to explain! When you use instant coffee, as mentioned above, it is almost ready to brew and drink. All that you have to do is add milk or water to it as you wish and perhaps add some sugar again depending on your taste and preference.
This is because instant coffee is made by brewing coffee powder, and it is then dried and frozen. It is then packed in bottles or other containers and it comes almost in a ready-to-use condition.
However, as far as ground coffee is concerned, you cannot use it the same way as instant coffee. The fried coffee beans have to be ground in a machine.
There are many machines that are suitable for use in homes. You can grind a handful of coffee beans. Alternatively, you also can buy raw ground coffee from the stores.
However, you cannot straightaway mix ground coffee with milk because you will not get the required flavor, consistency and taste.
Furthermore, you will have the ground coffee powder floating all over the place. Therefore, there is a method to be followed if you wish to drink ground coffee.
Coffee powder has to be filtered and there are hand-operated as well automated filters that help form what is referred to as decoction.
This liquid is concentrated coffee and milk has to be added to it along with sugar depending on individual taste and preference.
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What is the Difference between Instant Coffee & Ground Coffee?
The basic difference between the two is quite interesting. Both ground coffee and instant coffee have coffee as the main ingredients. They are available in all types of roasts and varieties.
However, instant coffee is a coffee that has already gone through the brewing process. It also has been processed and it also is persevered for packaging. It has a longer shelf life than ground coffee.
On the other hand ground coffee is just washed and roasted and then it is then packed and shipped. The quality of ground coffee may deteriorate over time and therefore it comes with a limited shelf life.
Instant coffee is for those who are keen on getting that instant cup of hot and invigorating drink while ground coffee takes some more time and it calls for a bit more patience.
Which Has More Caffeine Instant or Ground Coffee?
Ground coffee without any doubt is a purer form of coffee, and contains more caffeine in it than instant, because no other ingredients are added to it. On the other hand, instant coffee goes through a lot of processing and many ingredients are added to it.
In some cases chicory powder is also added to increase the flavor. However, when it comes to caffeine content, there is no doubt that it will be more in ground coffee because it is purer and if you may call so, it is not adulterated. On average, one cup of instant coffee will have around 60 to 80 mg of caffeine.
One cup of ground coffee could have between 80 to 120 mg of caffeine depending on the strength, quantity and other such things.
If you are a regular drinker of coffee and would need around four or five cups per day, it may be better to go in for instant coffee.
On the other hand if you are a connoisseur of pure coffee and would be happy with two cups a day, then obviously ground coffee would be a much better choice.
At the end of the day, there is no doubt that both instant and ground coffee are healthy drinks, provided you know where to draw the line.
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Final Thoughts
If you are a busy person not having the time to go through the process of brewing the drink and then making coffee out of it, it would be a better option to go in for instant coffee.
Having said this, though the end use of both instant coffee and ground coffee is the same, the way in which they are made is quite different.
Ground coffee takes time but this is what purists choose while instant coffee is for the go-getters who would like to drink a good cup of hot and stimulating coffee and then rush to their work.
