Instant Vs Ground Coffee: What's The Difference?

While the choice between instant and ground coffee is simple for some, it's not for others, especially when you take into account the convenience of the former. To be clear, convenience is the major distinguishing factor of all the differences between instant and ground coffee. Instant coffee is made from the hardier, cheaper, and more bitter robusta coffee bean; ground coffee generally uses arabica, which has a higher proportion of acidity, oils, and sugars that give a cuppa all its nuanced flavors and aromas. While instant coffee is simply ground coffee, its multi-step process turns it into water-soluble granules or powder. Thus, instant coffee simply needs to be stirred into water for a cup of coffee, while ground beans need to be brewed in one of several ways, which generally require an additional apparatus or coffee machine.

While the question of which one is better as a morning cup of joe is a complicated one, if you need grounds for a recipe, instant coffee is the one to reach for. Baking with instant coffee is particularly popular because of how easy it is to mix it into liquid ingredients and the rich flavor it adds. Unfortunately, when drunk as a beverage, it has a prominent bitter taste and lacks ground coffee's complexity and caffeine content. However, the best instant coffee brands on the market today offer flavorful instant powders with higher caffeine levels, longer shelf life, and lower price compared to ground coffee.

Although the first versions of instant coffee date back to the 1800s, it really took off during World War 1 in the 1900s for the boost it gave soldiers. Now, instant coffee has made its way to space to be enjoyed by astronauts. The process of making instant coffee starts with brewing a concentrated batch of robusta coffee grounds. This brewed decoction is then dehydrated by either freeze-drying or spray-drying. Both methods result in soluble granules of instant coffee, which is basically dehydrated, water-soluble brewed coffee. Freeze-drying occurs at very low temperatures of about 40 degrees below zero, while spray-drying occurs rapidly, both of which help retain the coffee's flavor and aroma. Some loss of aromatic oils is inevitable, which results in lost flavor complexity in instant coffee. Considering how many ways there are to enjoy coffee, the bold flavor of instant coffee is a viable option for several beverages, especially ones that contain other flavoring substances. Creamy iced coffees are particularly suited to instant coffee since they balance robusta's bitterness and add rich texture to the otherwise watery consistency of dissolved instant coffee. You can also spice up your coffee with various flavor and aroma boosters like cinnamon, cloves, and more.

Ground beans are where the nuances of coffee really start to bloom (pun intended for coffee nerds). Its complex flavor depends on a mind-boggling variety of factors, starting from how the coffee bean — a seed — is extracted from the fruit by either naturally drying or being "washed" with water. Naturally sundried coffee beans tend to have a sweeter, fruitier flavor profile, while the washed variety, which is more common, has more acidic and nutty notes. The next stage, roasting, is an even more nuanced process and affects ground coffee's most prominent flavor and aroma aspects. The beans can develop up to a thousand aromatic compounds during this stage. There are light, medium, and dark roast coffees at its most basic. A darker roast coffee has punchier bitter, caramel, and toasty flavors, while light and medium roasts have a wider flavor profile with more prominent acidic and fruity notes.

There is no particular best roast level, depending on personal preference and how one enjoys drinking their coffee. Coffee companies often blend beans with different roast levels to get a specific balance of flavors. Some also make similar bean blends for their instant coffee.

How your cuppa made with ground coffee tastes also heavily depends on your brew method. Various methods use different levels of grind. Espresso coffee is finely ground, resulting in a velvety consistency and more bitter notes. A medium or medium-dark roast is ideal for espresso. A pour-over, which uses coarsely ground beans, preserves more acidic and fruity notes and, therefore, works well with light roast coffees.