Coffee comes in a variety of shades, flavours, and forms, and each one is delightful in its own little ways. After all, who can resist the tantalizing aroma of fresh coffee beans wafting?
However, the two broad formats of coffee consumption, what are known as instant coffee and ground coffee, remain distinct. So much so, there are ardent followers of both, and some with volatile loyalties and preferences.
While each advocate names their preferred as the better one, we’re here to settle this debate once and for all.
Before we get started with differences between ground / filter and instant coffee, here is a brief about these two -
Instant coffee - Given the nickname ‘soluble coffee’, it allows people to get a cup of piping hot coffee in a snap. Found mostly in coffee dispensers in offices and highly preferred in Indian households, it is most often prepared using a technique known as freeze-drying.
Ground coffee - Ground coffee comes from coffee beans which are broken down into a more granular form (as per the grind preferred grind size). Once packaged and stored, it finds its way to your kitchen, and pairs with the relevant brewing technique to come to life.
Wait. What about Filter Coffee vs Instant?
The crown jewel of the South Indian populace is the South Indian filter coffee. It’s brewed by adding boiled milk to a decoction of water and coffee. Overall, it has a stronger edge in taste, compared to instant or regular ground coffee.
Talking about filter coffee vs instant angle, traditionally South Indian households have preferred brewing their coffee every morning. With practiced precision, even the elaborate task of brewing coffee in a South Indian filter feels as easy as making instant coffee. However, it’s not.
Note, that unlike most of the specialty coffee we roast and get to you, South Indian filter coffee generally includes chicory. Powdered chicory resembles coffee in its attributes and is much cheaper, and makes the brew stronger and ‘bitter’.
Showdown - Instant Coffee vs Ground Coffee
Both instant & ground coffee have their own nuances and differences, as follows -
| Instant Coffee | Ground Coffee |
| Can be brewed instantly with little to no effort | Brewing requires an elaborate process to be followed (depending on grind size) |
| Is normally made from the less concentrated robusta coffee beans | Roasters and consumers prefer it to be made from denser and richer Arabica coffee beans |
| Can be prepared quickly and require very little time and effort to make |
Requires a bit of time to process and prepare |
| Due to the fact that Instant coffee remains on the shelf for longer duration, many find it not so fresh |
Ground coffee offers a richer coffee drinking experience since it’s roasted and grounded in small batches and aim at quicker consumption |
In short, both of these coffee varieties can be enjoyed in different situations. So to name a winner is difficult. The bottom line - instant coffee is easier to make, yet compromises on a richer coffee drinking experience.
While one can consider them to be the same at their core, instant coffee is far less time-consuming to prepare. On the other hand, ground coffee can leave room for experimentation and improvisation. Hence, ground coffee is perceived as more of a recreational beverage, as opposed to instant coffee which can be considered a daily necessity.
In Conclusion - Is Ground Coffee Better Than Instant Coffee?
Instant coffee can be considered as a quick fix to get a coffee drink ready and prepared. In contrast, ground coffee requires a bit more time to prepare and brew, albeit refined and improvised carefully.
Does that mean instant coffee is not delicious to drink? Absolutely not!
What the coffee’s taste and flavor will be is dependent on the beans. That means if high-quality beans are used to prepare the coffee, instant coffee will definitely be as good on one’s taste buds.
Owing to different consumption patterns, lifestyles, and preferences for a set taste, every coffee drinker will find themselves inclined to what works better for them.
Hope this serves as an informative read. In case all this talk of coffee has you excited to order yours, head to our shop and grab yours.