Instant Coffee vs Filter Coffee: Difference and Comparison

Instant Coffee and Filter Coffee have different methodologies of preparation which gives both of them unique names. In Instant coffee, a readily available coffee powder is used to make the coffee.

In Filter Coffee, the coffee beans are roasted and grounded into a texture, and then it is made to pass through a paper that drips directly into the boiling water.

Key Takeaways

1. Instant coffee is made by dissolving the coffee powder in hot water, while filter coffee is made by brewing ground coffee beans in hot water and filtering out the residue.
2. Instant coffee is quicker and more convenient than filter coffee but has a weaker flavor and aroma.
3. Filter coffee has a stronger, richer taste than instant coffee and is more expensive.

Instant Coffee vs Filter Coffee

Instant coffee, also known as soluble coffee, is made by brewing coffee beans, then freeze-drying or spray-drying the concentrated coffee to create a powder. Filter coffee, on the other hand, is made by pouring hot water over freshly ground coffee beans and letting the mixture drip through a paper or metal filter. 

Instant coffee is also called regular coffee, as the preparation technique is the same. Over here, the ingredients are, boiled, i.e., milk, water, sugar.

Then the coffee powder is poured into the boiling water, which converts it into the coffee. This type of coffee-making process takes five to six minutes.

Filter Coffee is a newly arising technique of making coffee. In this, the coffee beans are crushed firstly into fine granules and, afterwards, it is allowed to pass through a paper which slowly drips this powder into the boiling water.

The paper is allowed to be made wet when the powder is, poured into it. Once the powder is wet, it is passed through the paper and, then it drips into the water. This process gives a better taste to the coffee compared to instant coffee.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Instant Coffee	Filter Coffee
Caffeine %	It has less caffeine percentage.	It has more caffeine percentage.
Time	It takes less time for preparation.	It takes more time for preparation.
Ingredient	The main ingredient which is used here is coffee which is already made into powder form.	The main ingredient which is used is coffee beans which have been roasted and crushed.
Cost	It is cheaper.	It is costlier than Instant Coffee.
Dissolving Nature	The coffee gets 100% dissolved with water.	It does not get dissolved and thus when it is served a filter is used.

What is Instant Coffee?

Instant coffee is a name given to the espresso, which requires a couple of minutes to get ready and serve to the client. It is inferred to as ordinary espresso as the process is almost very similar.

The best example of instant coffee is Espresso coffee. There are two methods to prepare the Instant Coffee one is to directly put the finely-grained coffee powder into the boiling water, which will turn the mixture into a coffee.

The other interaction is there are espresso-making machines in which you need to fill the espresso and milk in powder form.

The device is powered by electricity. Giving a command to the device will provide instant coffee within a second.

In instant coffee, the flavor of coffee is relatively fine and good. The coffee beans that are crushed into powder form are easily available in the market.

It contains a low level of caffeine percentage usually, in the range of 60% to 70%.

As it does not have a high caffeine percentage, it does not affect the body functions like sleep.

The cost of these varieties of coffees is low, i.e., it is available cheaply. The process is way much faster than the Filter coffee.

What is Filter Coffee?

Filter coffee is a new and latest type of coffee-making process. In this process, rather than directly using the coffee powder, the beans of coffee are used to make this type of coffee.

In this cycle, the coffee beans are roasted and grounded up to a certain level of consistency. Once the beans are, roasted in the machine, the coffee beans are then put in the boiling water.

It is then left to boil for a certain period.

Once the coffee is prepared, it needs to be filtered as it contains the coffee beans, and then it is served to the customer.

The process over here is different from the normal coffee-making process due to which a unique taste is developed.

Another process by which the filter coffee is, prepared is when the finely-grained coffee beans are, crushed. Then the crushed beans are allowed to pass through the paper.

The paper is, made wet once the coffee powder is, poured into it. After that, it slowly drips into the boiling water, which develops the texture of coffee.

Over, here the process takes more time than instant coffee. The price buffer is high for filter coffee compared with instant coffee.

The caffeine percentage over here is higher than instant coffee. As over here, coffee beans are used to make this type of coffee. The percentage of caffeine can range from 70 to 75%.

Main Differences Between Instant Coffee and Filter Coffee

1. The time which is taken in making instant coffee is extremely less as it just requires five to six minutes to create the espresso, whereas filter coffee takes more time to produce the coffee.
2. The cost of instant coffee is less as it uses the already prepared coffee power, while the filter coffee is costly due to its procedure of making it.
3. The caffeine percentage is low in instant coffee, whereas it is high in filter coffee as coffee beans are directly used in this.
4. In Instant coffee, the whole coffee gets dissolved into the water, which does not require filtering. While in the filter coffee, the coffee needs to be filtered before it is served, as, in this process, the beans are used.
5. The main ingredient, which is used in making instant coffee, is a coffee powder that is readily available in the market, while the main ingredient in filter coffee is finely roasted coffee beans.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996918302175
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095032930400062X