Instant & Industrial
Industrial methods brew coffee at huge scale and then preserve it as soluble powder, liquid concentrate or ready-to-drink cans. Instant coffee is one of the most consumed forms of coffee in the world, and the science behind it is fascinating.
How is instant coffee made?
Instant coffee is made by brewing a strong coffee extract in industrial extractors, concentrating it, then drying it into soluble powder or granules. Freeze-drying freezes the extract and removes ice under vacuum for better flavour; spray-drying atomises it into hot air and is cheaper.
Entries in this chapter
- No. 134Camp Coffee EssenceCamp Coffee is a liquid coffee and chicory essence, a syrup you stir into hot water or milk, first made by Paterson & Sons in Glasgow, usually dated to 1876.
- No. 176Cometeer Frozen CoffeeFor hot coffee, take a frozen Cometeer capsule from the freezer, peel off the lid, drop the frozen puck into a mug and pour over 6 to 8 oz of hot water, then stir.
- No. 128Freeze-dried Instant CoffeeFreeze-dried instant coffee is made by brewing coffee at scale, concentrating it into an extract and freezing it, at temperatures as low as -40°C.
- No. 132Japanese Canned CoffeeJapanese canned coffee, kan kōhī, is ready-to-drink coffee sold in cans, above all from vending machines that serve it hot or cold.
- No. 131Liquid Coffee ConcentrateLiquid coffee concentrate is coffee extracted so strongly that a spoonful makes a cup.
- No. 133Ready-to-drink CoffeeReady-to-drink, or RTD, coffee is coffee sold already made, in bottles, cans or cartons, usually chilled and often with milk and sugar.
- No. 135Soluble Coffee Sticks3-in-1 coffee, or coffee mix, is instant coffee, powdered creamer and sugar mixed in a single stick or sachet.
- No. 130Specialty Instant CoffeeStir one serving of specialty instant into hot or cold water.
- No. 129Spray-dried Instant CoffeeSpray-dried instant coffee is made by brewing coffee at scale, concentrating it, then spraying the extract as a fine mist into a tall chamber of hot air.