Instant coffee wins on convenience, no contest. Yet many coffee lovers still dismiss it as “not real coffee.” The thing is… it is coffee — just brewed, dried, and turned into a soluble powder.
Its reputation problem comes from the processing. Strip out water and you often strip out flavor and aroma too.
This quick guide shows how instant coffee is made, why some taste better than others, and whether it deserves a spot in your mug.
Is Instant Coffee Real Coffee? How It's Made
Yes, instant coffee is real coffee. It’s not artificial — it’s just brewed coffee that has been dehydrated.
Factories produce instant coffee by first brewing up a massive tank of coffee, creating a high coffee-to-water ratio since some of the flavor can be lost during the processing. Starting with a stronger flavor means you end with a better-tasting final product.
After the big batch of coffee has finished brewing, it goes through one of two processes — spray-drying or freeze-drying.
Freeze-Dried Instant Coffee
Freeze-drying is the older of the two processes and was invented shortly after the Second World War. The process is surprisingly simple — the brewed coffee is poured onto shallow trays, which are then placed into a freezer. The faster the coffee is freeze-dried, the less flavor is lost.
Once the coffee is frozen into a sheet, the “coffee ice” is dried and put into a vacuum chamber. The vacuum causes sublimation — the process by which frozen water changes into a gas and evaporates. A condenser attached to the chamber removes the water vapor from the air, drying the coffee instantly.
The final product is freeze-dried coffee granules. These are generally larger compared to spray-dried ones.
Spray-Dried Instant Coffee
Spray drying is another fairly simple process. The machines used for this process consist of a single large metal tube. This tube is filled with hot air, which is propelled forward at high speed.
A fine concentrated coffee mist is sprayed into the tube. When it hits the hot air, the coffee dries into a fine powder instantly.
While this process is much more efficient and cheaper than freeze-drying, it does produce poorer quality coffee than the freeze-drying process.
How Does Instant Compare to Freshly Brewed Coffee?
Creating instant coffee granules changes its makeup slightly. The compounds are manipulated a lot, and many of the water-soluble elements are lost through evaporation.
Here are some of the main differences:
1. Caffeine Levels
Most notably, regular instant coffee has less caffeine than a freshly brewed equivalent. One cup of instant coffee contains around 66 mg of caffeine, while one cup of drip coffee packs in roughly 100 mg [1].
2. Flavor & Aroma
Instant coffee tastes different from traditionally made coffee. A well-brewed cup bursts with aroma; instant coffee will be less charismatic than regular coffee because some of the bean’s flavor compounds are lost during processing. However, more modern processing methods dry the granules far quicker, so they lose much less flavor.
3. Convenience
Instant coffee requires far less time and effort to brew — just add a teaspoon or two to hot water. No grounds to deal with and no clean-up afterward. On top of this, it has an exceptionally long shelf life.
4. Potential Health Benefits: Antioxidants and Polyphenols
Standard coffee is generally considered to be quite healthy for you. Several different benefits have been documented in studies, with one of the most commonly cited being the antioxidant content. Having a good level of antioxidants in your diet can reduce free radicals in your body, which, otherwise, could cause oxidative stress.
Both instant and regular coffee have antioxidants in them, but there’s some evidence that the processing of instant coffee reduces the amount. Many of the antioxidants in coffee come in the form of polyphenols [2]. In a 6-oz (180 mL) portion, brewed coffee contains around 400 mg of polyphenols, while instant coffee has around 320 mg [3].
While this is a marginal difference, freshly brewed coffee may be healthier.
Does Instant Coffee Taste Like Real Coffee? Flavor Differences Explained
Instant coffee and traditionally brewed coffee do taste quite dissimilar. There are a few factors at work behind the scenes here, so let’s break them down.
Coffee Bean Choices
A lot of flavor differences between instant and regular coffee come down to the differences between arabica and robusta coffee beans. Instant coffee can often taste flat and overly bitter because it's made with low-quality robusta type of beans.
Arabica beans, on the other hand, are commonly used in western coffee (latte, espresso, cappuccino, etc) because they offer a more complex and delicate flavor. While robusta beans can be expertly roasted and brewed to coax out complexities, the beans used in instant coffee production are often poor.
If you want the best flavor from instant coffee, it’s best to opt for an arabica or a specialty robusta blend such as Cafely’s Vietnamese Instant Coffee 2.0.
Volatile Compounds
The internal chemistry of coffee beans changes during processing, which in turn leads to some flavor changes. The flavor compounds in coffee are volatile and oxidize quickly. Oxidation is what makes fresh coffee go stale.
The process of making instant coffee involves a lot of heat and air circulation. Both of these things can speed up the rate of oxidation — causing rapid flavor loss during processing.
The most volatile flavor and aroma compounds in coffee are the delicate, sweet, and floral notes commonly found in premium whole or pre-ground blends. These notes are the first that can be lost during processing. The main notes that stick around are the most intense — earthiness and bitterness.
Make Your Instant Taste Great
There’s no denying that instant coffee is more convenient and faster to brew than regular coffee. If you’re in a situation where you can’t gather all your coffee equipment (such as in the office canteen or camping), instant may be the best choice for you.
To make your experience with instant coffee as good as possible, there are two main things you can do — select great instant coffee and brew it well.
To find the best instant coffee for you, look for one that’s made from premium ingredients. The base of all instant coffee will be largely the same (freeze- or spray-dried coffee), but added extras can enhance the final experience.
A pre-blended premium option like Cafely’s Vietnamese Coffee 2.0 is a wise choice. It makes use of adaptogens like L-Theanine for mental clarity, and combines organic monkfruit for sweetness.
Brewing your instant coffee is definitely the “easy” part. The prevailing wisdom has long been that there’s really only one way to make it — add it to boiling water. In fact, a better method is to first dissolve the instant granules in cold water. Doing so reduces the bitterness of the final cup drastically by preventing scalding.
FAQs: Is Instant Coffee “Real?”
Here are some FAQs on instant coffee — let’s go through and clear up some misconceptions.
1. Can You Substitute Instant Coffee for Regular Coffee in Recipes?
Yes, it’s certainly possible to replace brewed coffee with instant coffee in recipes. When baking, instant coffee is preferred for its simple flavor and the fact that it dissolves completely with no leftover residue.
2. Which Is Better, Instant or Brewed Coffee?
Neither one is “better” than the other. However, freshly brewed coffee usually provides better flavor and aroma. However, instant coffee is far easier to make and has a far longer shelf life. Both have their benefits, so it depends on your priorities.
3. Is Specialty Instant Coffee Worth the Higher Price?
Yes. Premium instant coffee uses gentler processes and better beans. Therefore, the final instant coffee has a richer, more balanced, and more complex flavor without sacrificing convenience.
4. Can Instant Coffee Cause Digestive Problems?
People vary in their reactions to instant coffee and regular coffee. However, some find that instant coffee is more acidic and can cause more stomach issues than regular coffee.
5. What’s the Shelf Life of Instant Coffee Compared to Regular Coffee?
Instant coffee can last for 2 to 20 years, depending on how it’s packaged. However, regular coffee is best used within 2 to 4 weeks.
6. Can You Make Cold Brew With Instant Coffee?
No. Instant coffee has already been brewed. The granules are essentially concentrated, hot-brewed coffee, which you rehydrate and dilute. However, you can use instant coffee to make iced coffee.
7. Is Instant Coffee More Environmentally Friendly Than Regular Coffee?
Regular coffee beans are more environmentally friendly than instant coffee. The additional processing required to grind, brew, and dry the coffee beans to make instant coffee uses more energy and resources.
8. Does Decaf Instant Coffee Contain Any Caffeine?
Decaf coffee contains a small amount of caffeine — 2 to 5 mg per cup. This small amount is considered not to affect most people.
9. Can Instant Coffee Be Used in Espresso Machines?
No, instant coffee shouldn’t be used in espresso machines. It’s designed to be dissolved, so it won’t function properly in coffee makers and could damage equipment.
10. How Do Freeze-Dried and Spray-Dried Instant Coffees Differ?
Spray-dried coffee is more economical to produce, but since it’s made at higher temperatures, it often has a less complex flavor profile and more bitter notes. Freeze-dried coffee granules tend to have a better flavor and aroma.
References
- Gilbert, R. M., Marshman, J. A., Schwieder, M., & Berg, R. (1976). Caffeine content of beverages as consumed. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 114(3), 205.
- Ali, A., Zahid, H. F., Cottrell, J. J., & Dunshea, F. R. (2022). A Comparative Study for Nutritional and Phytochemical Profiling of Coffea arabica (C. Arabica) from Different Origins and Their Antioxidant Potential and Molecular Docking. Molecules, 27(16), 5126.
- Bonita, J. S., Mandarano, M., Shuta, D., & Vinson, J. (2007). Coffee and cardiovascular disease: In vitro, cellular, animal, and human studies. Pharmacological Research, 55(3), 187-198.
- Gosalvitr, P., Cuéllar-Franca, R. M., Smith, R., & Azapagic, A. (2024). Eco-efficiency of coffee production and consumption in the UK at the product and sectoral levels. Cleaner Environmental Systems, 15, 100231.
- Mojska, H., & Gielecińska, I. (2013). Studies of acrylamide level in coffee and coffee substitutes: influence of raw material and manufacturing conditions. Roczniki Panstwowego Zakladu Higieny, 64(3), 173–181.
- Carlström, M., & Larsson, S. C. (2018). Coffee consumption and reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Nutrition reviews, 76(6), 395–417.
- Zhang, Y., Yang, H., Li, S., Li, W. D., & Wang, Y. (2021). Consumption of coffee and tea and risk of developing stroke, dementia, and poststroke dementia: A cohort study in the UK Biobank. PLoS medicine, 18(11), e1003830.
