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How To Make Instant Coffee Powder
Find out more how to make good instant coffee and how coffee powder is made.
Published November 23, 2021
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Daniel Hedlund
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
Whether you want a tasty hot drink or a pick-me-up in the morning, there’s nothing better than a hot cup of coffee. However, if you like drinking coffee on a regular basis, you can end up spending quite a lot of money on purchasing coffee and milk from the grocery store, and even more time and effort to make it tasty depending on the kind of coffee you like to make. The good news is that you can make your own instant coffee powder to make it easier to prepare your coffee just how you like it. Keep on reading to find out more about how to make good instant coffee and how coffee powder is made.
How is Instant Coffee Made?
Instant coffee powder is made from brewed coffee beans to make it easier and quicker for people to prepare hot, delicious coffee. Using instant coffee powder is great for those who are pressed for time since it does not require a lot of effort when preparing and makes it easy for you to prepare your desired coffee in a short period of time. And, preparing instant coffee powder doesn’t always take a lot of effort either. When figuring out how to make instant coffee, you will usually come across freeze-drying and spray drying, which are two popular commercial methods used to prepare instant coffee powder.
One of the main benefits of using instant coffee powder to prepare your hot drinks is that you can prepare the coffee very quickly. The powder easily dissolves in hot water, so you can have your drink ready in seconds. And since there is no need for you to deal with coffee grounds, there is less clean-up involved with using instant coffee powder. Along with this, as there are no pods or filters required, it is often an environmentally-friendlier option to choose compared to other methods of coffee preparation.
History of Instant Coffee
In 1899, David Strang created the first instant coffee powder that could be dissolved in water, although a chemist from Japan, Satori Kato was wrongly credited as the first person to create instant coffee powder due to his version of instant coffee in 1901. During the civil war in America, soldiers were given cakes for instant coffee powder. Instant coffee powder became even more popular after help regarding the coffee was provided by George Washington. However, there were some issues with this coffee, including an unpleasant taste and the fact that it was not easy to dissolve, which led to people seeking a new alternative. In 1938, Nestle entered the market, providing a new way to prepare instant soluble coffee with dried coffee extract and soluble carbohydrates. After a few years, Nestle was able to provide an instant coffee powder that was both soluble and flavorful. This coffee became very popular among soldiers in World War II due to its great taste.
Caffeine Content in Instant Coffee
In comparison to freshly brewed coffee, instant coffee tends to be lower in caffeine. Instant coffee contains around 30-90mg of caffeine per cup, compared to between 70-140mg per cup in regular brewed coffee, making it an ideal choice for anybody who is looking to reduce their caffeine intake.
What You Need to Make Instant Coffee Powder
To make DIY instant coffee, you will need coffee beans a coffee grinder, an airtight bag, and a strainer. If you don’t have a strainer, a fine-mesh sieve will do the job just as well. You can also use a coffee mill or a food processor in place of a coffee grinder.
How to Make Instant Coffee Powder From Coffee Beans
If you know the right process to use, making instant coffee powder can be easier than you think. To make your own instant coffee powder at home, complete the following steps:
- Take a scoop of regular coffee beans and put them into a grinder or food processor.
- Begun the grinding process. You should continue grinding the beans until you notice them beginning to clump together. Grind the beans until they turn into powder-like coffee granules.
- Shake the ground coffee beans. To do this, you can use a strainer or a fine-mesh sieve over a mug or bowl. Shake until you only have fine powder left in the mug or bowl and any larger particles are left behind in the strainer or sieve.
- Remove any leftover coffee and store it in an airtight container.
- Boil some fresh, clean water and pour the hot water over the grinds in the mug. You can add milk, cream, sugar, and sweeteners to your coffee as you desire.
Instant Coffee Mix Recipe
For a delicious instant coffee mix using coconut oil in instant coffee that you can use at home you will need:
- 2/3 a cup of dry milk powder
- 1tsp cocoa powder
- 8tbsp confectioner’s sugar
- Half a tsp melted coconut oil
- 10tbsp instant coffee powder of your choice
In a food processor, mix the cocoa powder, milk powder, sugar, and melted coconut oil into a fine consistency. If you do not have a food processor, you can use a sieve or strainer to press the ingredients through before whisking to break down any larger lumps. Store the powder in an airtight container. Three tablespoons of the mixture in 12oz of boiling water will make a delicious hot drink.
Tips for Getting Better Results
Creating your own instant coffee powder from coffee beans can take some getting used to. If you are doing this for the first time, you may find the following tips useful for getting better results.
Better Coffee Grinding
Firstly, it’s important to focus on getting the best results from grinding your coffee. Make sure that your coffee grinder is set to the right settings to make sure that you get the finest coffee powder that will be perfect for a tasty drink. And, it’s important to remember not to grind the coffee too much since over-grinding the coffee beans will produce heat, which can have an impact on the taste of the coffee. On the other hand, not grinding enough will lead to powder that is not fine enough.
Storage
It’s important to make sure that your coffee powder is not stored in an air-tight container for too long since this will lead to oxidation, which can result in the coffee losing its flavor. Ideally, you should make enough instant coffee powder to use within the next two to three days to make sure that your coffee has the best flavor and taste.
How Brewed Coffee is Made Into Instant Coffee
Along with grinding coffee beans, there are several alternative ways to create instant coffee powder. You can turn brewed coffee into instant coffee powder by removing all of the liquid. You can then use two different methods used commercially to turn dehydrated brewed coffee into instant coffee powder. These are:
Spray-Drying
Spray-drying is a popular way that experts make instant coffee powder. The process should be completed as quickly as possible to get the best result since the longer you leave brewed coffee, the more of its flavor will be lost. Whenever coffee beans and water are mixed together, the process of oxidation will begin. If the coffee sits for a long time after brewing, it will begin to oxidate intensely, and you will usually notice a change in the taste of the drink around one hour after starting the brewing process. To get the best results from spray-drying, you will need a tall evaporation tower. In commercial settings, this is done using a 75-foot tall tower that the coffee is put into before being sprayed out in a fine mist. Then, a hot air jet uses pressure to blow the mist downwards, evaporating any moisture and producing tiny, concentrated particles of coffee.
Freeze-Drying
Another useful method that is often used to turn brewed coffee into instant coffee powder is freeze-drying. This is a little more complicated compared to the spray-drying method and requires more time and effort to prepare the instant coffee powder. Firstly, the coffee concentrate should be chilled at around 20 degrees Fahrenheit and then put into bins on a belt to cool it even further. By this point, the coffee will have a slush consistency and the belt movement will cool it further at a slower rate, until the temperature gets to around minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result of this cooling process, large coffee granules are produced. Then, they are ground down for the drying process and put into a vacuum chamber, where they are heated and turned into a vapor, producing small, chunky coffee particles that can be used to prepare instant coffee.
Instant coffee has been around for over a century and today, you can get it from any grocery store easily. However, if you want to make your coffee beans last longer or prepare an option for making faster, great tasting coffee at home, you can easily make your own instant coffee powder using a coffee grinder and strainer. Combining instant coffee powder with other ingredients can also produce a tasty hot drink.
About the author
Daniel Hedlund
Working with the Era of We initiative and loves knowledge sharing and a really good cup of coffee.
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