Instant coffee can be made with either with hot water or cold water.
But people usually get confused and often ask this question – Does instant coffee require hot water to brew?
Should you use cold water or hot water or just the milk to prepare a perfect blend out of it?
What’s your opinion?
Well, here’s good news for the coffee lovers who are always in a rush and want quick answer.
Instant coffee gives you flexibility and does not care about hot or cold water to blend.
Instant coffee does mix swiftly in hot water or cold water because it is just a dehydrated form of regular coffee.
It may take some extra time to get dissolved in the cold water as compared to the hot water.
Due to the presence of higher molecular energy in the hot water, instant coffee dissolves faster in it.
The water simply acts as a solvent for the instant coffee particles.
The time duration gradually gets affected with the use of either hot or cold water.
But there are no such restrictions that you should use only Hot water for your instant coffee.
One can even enjoy their Latte or Cappuccino with Hot or Cold Milk.
Table of Contents
- Should You Use Hot Water to Make Instant Coffee?
- What Happens When You Mix Instant Coffee with Hot Water?
- Is Hot Instant Coffee Good for Health?
- Does Hot Water Burns Instant Coffee?
- Does Instant Coffee Dissolve Completely in Hot Water?
- What are the Main Reasons for Instant Coffee Not Dissolving in Water?
- What is The Best Way to Make Instant Coffee with Hot Water?
- Final Thoughts
Should You Use Hot Water to Make Instant Coffee?
This particular question is in existence since the invention of instant coffee.
People often get confused about whether to use water or milk as a solvent for easy and fast brewing coffee.
The fact that many of the coffee manufacturing companies recommend hot water for the preparation of instant coffee.
It is just because hot water takes minimum time to dissolve this dehydrated form of coffee.
But there are no conventions as one should only use hot water to make instant coffee.
Instant coffee gives you the flexibility to use both hot water and cold water to dissolve and to get a proper blend.
In the case of cold water, you may have to stir the solution for a little more time than what is being required for hot water.
Many times, issues related to brewing instant coffee arises due to the poor quality of coffee beans used.
It could also be attributed to the use of improper coffee making techniques.
For preparing a good instant coffee, one needs to understand how the flavour gets affected by the water.
At the same time, it is also important to use a good and fresh quality instant coffee.
I recommend to use best reviewed and the most popular coffee brands if you are planning to get instant coffee at your home.
Many such coffee brands provide really good and fresh instant coffee such as Nescafe House Blend Instant Coffee, Anthony’s Organic Instant Coffee and Starbucks Medium Roast Instant Coffee.
These coffee brands come with variety of flavors and roasts.
You can brew your favourite flavour as per your tastes and preferences with the help of these best instant coffee brands.
What Happens When You Mix Instant Coffee with Hot Water?
There is a difference between using hot water and boiling water for your instant coffee.
If you are using hot water for your instant coffee, there is no such change in flavour and you can enjoy your brew.
But if you use a boiling water for instant coffee brewing then that is definitely not a good idea to come up with.
Many people make the mistake of adding boiled water to their instant coffee which ultimately ruins the taste of the brew.
Most Coffee makers typically brew coffee between 90 to 95 degrees C to inculcate the best aromatic essence.
The wise folks avoid using hot boiling water which usually scalds the coffee.
And in the process, it diminishes the aromatic flavour providing a bitter taste to your coffee.
Coffee can handle temperatures higher than 100 degrees C as coffee is roasted with really high temperature level.
But as you mix instant coffee with hot boiling water, its taste starts to get bitter and burnt due to extreme temperature exposure.
This is why, you should avoid mixing your instant coffee with hot boiling water.
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Is Hot Instant Coffee Good for Health?
Yes and no.
Hot instant coffee is not bad for your health if you drink it in moderation.
Just avoid over consumption of this type of coffee as it can lead to few health issues.
Instant coffee is made by brewing regular coffee beans to create a concentrated version of the coffee.
The dehydrated, dry powder, which you stir into the hot water for your morning cup, is extracted by removing the water present in it.
This is what makes instant coffee so portable and store-worthy.
One can easily store it for a long period without any quality degradation issues.
Instant coffee stays fresh for longer period and its shelf life is much higher than other types of coffees.
Instant Coffee has certain benefits which outshine when it comes to health and for people who are health conscious.
The article from Healthline.com clearly says that the instant coffee consists of higher antioxidants, lower calories and important vitamins like magnesium, potassium and niacin.
Adding more to health beneficiary facts, instant coffee releases a certain aroma which stimulates the central nervous system.
It is also found to be really effective in lowering the type 2 diabetes (mellitus) and also helps in curing a certain type of liver disease.
Many people are misguided as consumption of instant coffee may lead to heart diseases which is just a misconception.
A freshly brewed coffee consists of a high caffeine content.
On the other side, instant coffee gives you more health benefits with really less caffeine content in it.
Well just like anything in this world, there are positives as well as negatives of using instant coffee.
It is important for you as a coffee lover, to know about both the pros and cons of drinking instant coffee.
Sometimes, coffee producer compromises on the quality of coffee beans used to make instant coffee.
Some companies want to save overall cost and then they choose poor quality coffee beans for the production of the instant coffee.
Obviously, you will see that certain coffee brands can not provide you the authentic flavor and taste which is expected from the brand.
Instant coffee also contains a harmful chemical substance known as Acrylamide, which is also found in cigarette smoke.
This substance is formed when coffee beans are roasted.
Excessive consumption of this substance can add lead to various nervous problems and also increases the risk cancer.
However, consumption of instant coffee is comparatively less risky as it has a very less acrylamide content.
But I still recommend to drink instant coffee in moderation to avoid any possible health issues later on.
Does Hot Water Burns Instant Coffee?
There is no concrete evidence or research done yet for this question.
The various claims that boiling water ruins instant coffee has still got no concrete grounds.
But you may find the taste different when you add boiling water to instant coffee compared to brewed coffee with warm water.
The taste may differ due to the dissimilarities in the rate of extraction.
It is found that boiling water extracts much faster than the water with lower temperatures.
Coffee consists of various volatile oils, aromatic compounds, caffeine, and various organic acids.
Each of these substances contributes to the taste and affects differently by the change in the rate of extraction.
Does Instant Coffee Dissolve Completely in Hot Water?
Yes, instant coffee does dissolve completely and instantaneously in the hot water.
When it comes to liquefying instant coffee, the coffee dissolves almost quickly in the hot water.
However, in the case of ground coffee or the original coffee beans, it does take some time to dissolve in the hot water.
These coffee beans have two main parts.
One part is the soluble part which dissolves in the hot water, and the woody part of the coffee beans which does not dissolve in water easily.
Coffee beans undergo a process of roasting, grinding, extraction, and freeze-drying or spray-drying.
All these processes ultimately make what we called an instant coffee.
In this process, the composition and property of the coffee beans get altered.
And the resulting product is the instant coffee.
So, the answer to the above question is Yes.
What are the Main Reasons for Instant Coffee Not Dissolving in Water?
When it comes to starting the day full of energy, a hot cup of coffee is all that comes to our mind.
Isn’t it true?
What if the first sip of your cheering coffee gives you a wad full of granules in your throat and ruins your morning mood?
In many cases, instant coffee may not dissolve correctly especially if it is damp.
This could also happen if its container is tampered several times.
When it comes to dissolving instant coffee, the coffee dissolves almost instantaneously in the hot water as already discussed above.
Also, check the coffee label and make sure that you have purchased only the instant coffee and not the ground coffee.
Ground coffee does not dissolve easily in the water as compared to the instant coffee.
Also, if you use cold water, then coffee will not dissolve faster.
So, it is advisable to use only hot water or hot milk to dissolve instant coffee faster.
What is The Best Way to Make Instant Coffee with Hot Water?
Making instant coffee is relatively pretty easy and it can be made in few minutes at home.
Here is the quick recipe for you.
1. First, heat up a cup of water and take it off the stove just before it starts to boil.
2. Take approximately 240ml of water to heat for serving 1 person; add more if additional serving is required.
3. Take 2 to 3 teaspoons of instant coffee as recommended by the coffee company (Nescafe, Starbucks, etc.) and according to your taste (add more if you want to make it strong and less if you want a mild taste).
4. Take a tablespoon of cold water and start mixing the instant coffee powder gently with vigorous stirring.
5. Now add the hot water to the already mixed solution of instant coffee.
Make sure you keep room for adding milk to it if in case you don’t prefer black coffee.
6. If you want a rich flavour from your instant coffee you may add a teaspoon of sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and other exotic spices to it.
7. Now gently add milk or cream (any type you want) to the instant coffee and pour till it clarifies your taste.
8. Give a good and even stir to the coffee and make sure it is properly blended with the milk and water.
Finally, your Instant coffee is ready.
Now, enjoy your cup of coffee!
Final Thoughts
The increasing demand of consuming coffee and its mass popularity gave birth to this innovation known as Instant Coffee.
It was specially made during World War II for the requirement of mass caffeine consumerism and supplies.
Today Instant coffee has become a part of our everyday life and more and more manufacturers are coming up with good quality Instant Coffee.
The specialty of this instant coffee is that it can be blended or mixed with hot or cold water and it gets done in few minutes.
But sometimes, too much of hot boiling water can ruin the taste and flavor of your coffee.
In certain cases, you may find granules of coffee powder in your cup of coffee which happens due to poor quality coffee beans.
It could also happen due to the damped coffee powder which has been stored improperly.
Instant coffee comes with some really good health benefits simultaneously excessive intake may also lead to certain health issues.
In the end, I like to say that you can use hot water to make instant coffee with no issues.
Just make sure, that you do not use hot boiling water which ruins the taste and flavor of your coffee.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/instant-coffee-good-or-bad#TOC_TITLE_HDR_1
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/instant-coffee
https://www.reference.com/science/coffee-dissolve-water-17eac6e66c516d5a
https://coffeeandteacorner.com/ground-coffee-vs-instant-coffee/