The New World of Instant: Coffee & Tea
Long wait times at cafes, coffee brew times, and tea steeping wait times are a thing of the past with instant coffee and instant tea.
With today’s fast paced lifestyle, it is no wonder instant beverage products are becoming more and more appealing. So what is instant coffee and tea and is it healthy for you? Read our recap to the new and developing instant industry.
What Is Instant Tea?
Instant tea is a type of tea powder or granules that can be dissolved in water to make a cup of tea quickly. It is made by extracting liquids from fresh tea leaves, fermented leaves, or processed leaves through vacuum drying to preserve the natural flavors of tea. This liquid concentrate is then dehydrated and turned into a powdered form through either freeze drying or spray drying process. Instant tea powder can be made from the three types of tea leaves: black tea, green tea, or oolong tea.
Luckily for those who prefer tea as their daily caffeine fix, it is similar to instant coffee, in that it is incredibly easy to make. Instant tea is a convenient way for busy people to make tea without waiting for the steeping process needed for brewed tea. As it is easy to take around, it is a good choice for those who are short on time, such as college students. It is also ideal to bring along during camping and hiking trips.
What is Quality Instant Tea?
The quality of instant tea can vary depending on the brand and its make up. The quality starts off, at the first step of the making process, with the selection of the tea leaves that are to be extracted. The characteristics of the tea leaves can vary depending on the region it is from, what type of tea it is, and when the leaves were picked. The best instant tea are ones made of pure brewed tea from high quality tea leaves without added fillers to the powder such as crushed up tea leaves. Unwanted additives in instant tea could also include artificial sweeteners and flavorings.
What is Instant Coffee?
Instant coffee is a type of coffee that can be dissolved in hot or cold water. It is made by dehydrating brewed coffee and results in coffee crystals or a powdered form. Instant coffee can be made of either Arabica, Robusta, or a mixture of the two beans. More about the two different types of beans and roasts can be found on our previous Coffee 101 blog post. Additionally, the instant coffee crystals can be created through two different processes: the freeze drying method or spray drying method.
Instant coffee in a convenient and easy method of getting your daily coffee without the brew times and wait at your local coffee shop. It’s an easy way of making your morning coffee when you’re short on time and even easy to make on the go. Since it can come in small, one serving packets, all you need to do is to throw one or two in your bag and mix with water when you’re ready. Due to its convenience, it is best for people with busy schedules and are always on the go as it can easily be taken around in a travel mug. It is also ideal for camping and hiking trips as they are light to carry around. If you travel with many people, you can also consider our bag offering. If you’re interested in a more in depth article on coffee and camping, check out our previous blog post covering the topic.
What is Quality Instant Coffee?
As with regular ground coffee, not all instant coffee are made the same. Premium instant coffee can be slightly pricier but with a better taste payoff. They usually cost a bit more due to their better production processes. The best instant coffees are made with 100% Arabica beans and are created through the freeze drying process. The freeze drying process is superior to the spray drying process because it retains most of the coffee’s natural flavors without the bitter taste that comes from spray drying.
Quality instant coffee also be determined through taste testing. The better quality coffees have a better rating throughout seven categories: aroma, flavor, body, bitterness, sweetness, acidity, and aftertaste. To further learn about how to taste your instant coffee like a pro, check out our previous blog that goes more in depth on how to evaluate your coffee.
Health Benefits
Just like with brewed coffee and tea, instant coffee and instant tea contain various claimed health benefits for your body.
Instant Tea
Health benefits of instant tea can vary depending on the type of instant tea mix you choose to buy and drink. Some can contain additives such as sugar, artificial sweeteners, and flavorings that can increase daily sugar intake and contain higher calories. Overall, unsweetened instant tea powder is the best for your health.
Instant tea contains many health benefits. For instant, if contains antioxidants called flavonoids and catechins. Tea is also a great beverage for lowering and regulating blood sugar levels. There have also been research on tea in helping the fight against cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Is Instant Tea As Healthy As Brewed Tea?
While instant tea contains its own benefits, they can vary from regular brewed tea. For instance, instant tea powder are more likely to contain added sweeteners, artificial flavors, and colors that can make it less healthy than brewed tea. Additionally, instant tea only contains about half of the antioxidants found in brewed tea. Instant teas are also more processed compared to regular tea. In this sense, while instant tea does have its health benefits, it does not contain as much found in brewed tea. The healthiness of instant tea can also be dependent on the brand and what they choose to put into their product. When you buy instant tea, make sure to purchase only instant tea made of pure tea without any additives.
Instant Coffee
There are various health advantages to drinking coffee as discussed in depth in our previous blogs about the health benefits of instant coffee and its strength as a pre-workout drink. Instant coffee contains antioxidants and nutrients beneficial to the body. Additionally, its caffeine contents help boost physical performance, increase energy levels and decrease feelings of tiredness, which can improve your mood. Instant coffee also can assist in weight loss by helping the body break down fat for energy consumption and also contains appetite suppressing properties.
Three Ways to Drink Instant Coffee & Instant Tea
There are various ways to drink your coffee and tea. Here are a few ways (and of course they can be adjusted depending on your taste preferences):
- Plain: The easiest way to drink your coffee and tea is without adding anything into it. Drinking your instant coffee and instant tea plain means to drink it plain with no milk or sugar added. As mentioned in a previous blog post, this is one of the healthiest options you can choose because extra sugar and calories are not added to your beverage.
- Iced: Whether you live in a hot climate, it’s the summer season, or your a cold beverage type of person, drinking you instant coffee and tea is another great option. You can make this easily by adding ice cubes into your cup of caffeine. Want to make your refreshing instant coffee or tea yourself? Check out these recipes.
- Milk or Creamer: For those who enjoy a creaminess to their drink, adding milk and creamer is the perfect solution. There are a variety of different flavors of creamers and milk types that allow for full personal customization. If you would like more in-depth information about creamers and how to pick the one for you, check out our previous blog: Full Guide to Creamers.
- Sugar or Sweeteners: Lastly, you can add sugar or sweeteners to your beverage for those with a sweet tooth out there. Sugar is a popular option for instant coffee. With instant tea, you can choose to add sugar or even honey.
