MY INSTANT JOURNEY

After spending 22 years in the Fintech Industry, I recently began a new adventure in the Instant, Soluble Coffee & Tea World.  The following are the 7 most common questions people have asked since I made the move.

How is Instant Coffee made?

Instant coffee is made at massive industrial scale in equally massive processing plants.  It's important to note that instant coffee begins in the same way as ground coffee – as coffee beans.  Along the way those beans go through a series of processes which transform those beans into their final form.  For simplicity sake, I'll focus on the 3 main steps.

Extraction – After the beans are roasted and ground, they're put through an extraction process inside a series of large tanks.  The process is akin to brewing coffee - albeit hundreds of thousands of cups at a time.  I can't overestimate the scale involved.  Inside those tanks, tremendous amounts of heat and pressure are applied to produce a solution.

Concentration – This extracted solution is then concentrated through either an evaporation or a freezing method.  The freezing method coverts the extract into a semi-frozen form.  Water crystals are then removed.

De-hydration – Also known as drying, is the conversion of the concentrated extract into a solid form.  There are three primary drying methods – Spray, Agglomerated, and Freeze.

  • Spray – This involves using a nozzle and intense pressure to spray the concentrated extract through very hot air in order to evaporate water.  As the coffee cools, it falls to the bottom of the spray drying tower and transforms into a fine powder.  This is the fastest and most cost effective way to create instant coffee.
  • Agglomerated – An add-on process to the spray drying method, agglomeration is performed to enhance solubility and aesthetics.  This process applies steam to get the fine particles to cluster together.
  • Freeze – In freeze-drying low pressure and temperature conditions are created to induce sublimation of the concentrated extract.  It’s a highly controlled, complex, multi-step process done to preserve flavors, aromas, colors, and nutrients.

Each brand and manufacturer may use further refinements and apply additional steps during processing.  However, extraction, concentration, and de-hydration are essential to the creation of instant coffee.

 

Why does Instant Coffee taste (…)?

The adjectives used are, let’s just say, less than flattering.
The perception is anchored in the history of instant coffee.  Admittedly, it had merit.  In its beginnings instant coffee was made up of lower quality beans deemed unsuitable for use as ground coffee.  When viewed on a quality spectrum, it largely meant that instant coffee picked up where ground coffee left off.  This led to conventional thinking that the worst cup of ground coffee was better than the best cup of instant coffee.  It’s a longstanding perception that has endured, but is rapidly changing due to:

Flight to Quality
For over a decade there has been a marked shift toward the use of high quality beans in the production of instant coffee.  This increase in the quality of the raw materials translates to a vastly improved experience at the cup.   No longer does the quality spectrum have ground coffee and instant coffee on opposing ends.  There is a lot of overlap today.  In fact, many instant coffees provide a better experience at the cup than a traditional ground coffee.

Advancements in Technology
In tandem with the use of higher quality beans, the process to create instant coffee has evolved.   When Freeze-drying was introduced, it improved the ability of manufacturers to capture flavors and aromas.  Nowadays, manufacturers have the ability to highlight an origin’s terroir.  They can enhance desirable sensory characteristics or reduce less desirable ones.  There are ways to introduce micro-grounds – which can provide a more brewed coffee like experience.  Processes exist to concentrate phenols and flavonoids to provide you with more anti-oxidants.  In the end, modern instant coffee technology has ways to preserve quality and control the final product.  When you put quality in you get quality out.

 

When was Instant Coffee invented?

A brief history of key events in the evolution of instant coffee

1771 – British government patents the first 'instant coffee'

1851 – Soldiers from the Union Army used experimental coffee cakes

1890 – David Strang invents and patents instant or soluble coffee, using a ‘dry-hot air’ process

1901 – Chemist Satori Kato creates the first method for creating stable soluble coffee, which was patented in 1903

1903 – Inventor George Washington develops his own instant coffee process based upon Satori Kato’s work – leading to the creation of the first commercial instant coffee brand in 1910

1930s – Nestlé is commissioned by the Brazilian Coffee Institute to create a soluble coffee product to address a surplus that would otherwise spoil.  While early iterations were deemed less palatable, in 1937 scientist Max Morgenthaler invents Nescafé.  Nestlé would continue to drive innovation for decades

1960s – Freeze-drying is introduced

 

How environmentally friendly is Instant Coffee?

A quick google search on the topic will provide endless amounts of information comparing instant coffee versus ground coffee and their respective environmental impacts.  The research is clear.  Instant coffee is better for the environment.  This is generally due to:

  • The scale of production
  • The number of cups you get per container
  • The recycling of spent grounds used to power de-hydration processes

I’ve included the two studies that are often referenced in many articles.  I also found it helpful to include an article written from the pod coffee perspective – which confirmed instant coffee’s superiority in this category.

State of Oregon    BALAS Org   Wired Magazine

 

How long does Instant Coffee last?

The USDA classifies Instant Coffee as shelf stable, meaning it does not actually expire when stored properly (dry, air-tight container stored in a cool place out of direct sunlight).  However, you will commonly see a best by date between 12 - 18 months from your purchase date.  You should follow the best by recommendations.

 

What is Cold Brew versus Iced Coffee?

Once anyone notices that we develop cold brew, this question comes up.
One addresses how coffee is brewed.  The other addresses how coffee is served.  For me, it’s easiest to think of them this way – Cold brew coffee is coffee brewed at or below room temperature.  Iced coffee is hot coffee served over ice.

 

Why is Instant Coffee 'a thing'?

For starters, about half of all global coffee drinkers prefer instant coffee.  I didn’t believe that either, so you can trust, but verify the claim in this Time Magazine Article or this, from the Washington Post.

Nevertheless, instant coffee has some significant benefits:

  • Extended Shelf-life
  • Convenience
  • Portability
  • Consistent Cup Experience
  • Relative Environmental Friendliness
  • As an Ingredient (cooking, baking, functional beverages)

When you also consider the aforementioned use of higher quality beans and advanced technology,  you understand why instant coffee is 'a thing'.  You'll also understand why it's having 'a moment'.  If that’s not enough, you can’t make Dalgona without it.

 

Bonus Question:  What spurred the career change?

Perhaps we should grab a coffee and talk about it.