5 Reasons You Should Not Drink Instant Coffee

For most of us, coffee is fuel for life and this fuel is available in a variety of forms. Instant coffee has been a convenient way of preparing coffee since the 1900’s.

Instant coffee is typically prepared by brewing roasted and ground coffee beans, after which this brewed liquid is either spray-dried or freeze-dried. This process is carried out to ensure moisture removal and yield coffee granules that are easily soluble in hot water or milk.

Its popularity comes with its obvious benefits. It is not only cheaper than ground or bean coffee but also quicker and easier to prepare. But not everything about instant coffee is that good.

Here are 5 reasons why you need to stop having instant coffee and switch to freshly brewed:

1. Freshness and Flavor

There is simply no comparison in flavor and feel of instant coffee with fresh coffee. Once you’ve tasted freshly brewed, there is no way you will ever want to go back to instant coffee.

Most instant coffees have a bad taste because they are typically made of poor quality ingredients and a higher yield process that is economical. Cheaper and inferior quality Robusta beans are used that might even have mold or defects. These beans are then dark roasted to achieve a consistent flavor across huge batches and cover up defects, removing all uniqueness and complexity of the beans flavor.

It is then brewed completely, and done in a way that uses up too much of the bean. This is why most instant coffees taste bitter or burnt. This liquid is then either freeze dried or spray dried. Spray drying usually requires high temperatures that spoils the aroma as well.

Making your own coffee is luxurious. Using good quality Arabica beans and brewing it the way you like it is just magical.

2. Less Caffeine

Caffeine is the main reason why this beverage is so popular. The way it makes us energetic and alert throughout the day is phenomenal.

Instant coffee usually contains less caffeine than regular coffee. So if you have a higher tolerance level for caffeine, instant coffee might not work out for you at all.

Cup of instant coffee: 30 to 90 mg of caffeine

Cup of brewed coffee: up to 140 mg of caffeine.

3. Acrylamide

Instant coffee contains large amounts of a toxic compound called Acrylamide, which is a known carcinogenic. Acrylamide appears naturally in some foods during high-temperature heating, mostly fried foods. Because the presence of acrylamide wasn’t known until recently, scientists are still analyzing the extent of its dangers.

Certain types or brands of instant coffees contain high amounts of Acrylamide compared with ground coffee. A famous brand of instant coffee contains 458 ppb(parts per billion), compared to only 13 ppb in their regular traditional coffee variety.

4. Oxalates

Though oxalate is a natural constituent of coffee, instant coffees contains more oxalates than regular coffee. These are organic acids found in plants, animals and humans. Oxalates contribute in the formation of kidney and bladder stones. Individuals with a condition called hyperoxaluria, in which there are excessive oxalates in the urine, are restricted from eating oxalate-containing foods and drinks like instant coffee.

5. Know what you Drink

When you buy freshly roasted beans from a coffee roastery you know what exactly is in them. But when you get a jar of instant coffee, you’re buying a processed product and  you can never know what exactly is in it.

You might think that the huge instant coffee brands tell you exactly what is in the coffee and while some instant coffee brands do list the amounts of random things like fat and salt in it, they usually skip some things like caffeine content.

On average there is only 15% natural coffee in a jar of instant coffee. The rest is usually different mixes, additives and preservatives to make the cost cheaper.

So the next time you grab that jar of instant coffee, give it a thought about what you are going to put inside your body.

Byline/About the Author: Lisa Brown has been helping her readers in successful business and entrepreneurial strategies for the past 3 years. She currently works with Ekuep (http://www.ekuep.com/en/), which is the first online store in the Middle East that caters to the foodservice industry. It sells kitchen equipment, restaurant equipment, and food service equipment that are made by leading brands from all over the world. These machines and tools are trusted by all restaurant and cafe owners from across the world.