Concept and features of granulated coffee

What is the difference between freeze-dried coffee and granulated coffee?

The difference between freeze-dried and granulated drinks is their production technology. As described above, the production technology for powder and granular types is very similar. But the process of making a freeze-dried drink is completely different.

The essence of this process is this. First, a coffee decoction is prepared, which is frozen at a fairly low temperature. The product is then dehydrated in a vacuum at low pressure and broken into small pieces. The result is small pyramids that have the correct shape.

Read: Ristretto – a coffee recipe for pleasure

Which coffee is better - freeze-dried or granulated?

From time immemorial, huge quantities of coffee beans have been grown in Latin American countries. And everyone knows that coffee is a perishable product. Therefore, it was decided... to dry it. This is precisely the main method of preparing coffee from beans. Depending on the production method, instant coffee is divided into powdered, granular or freeze-dried. What's the difference between freeze-dried and granulated coffee? Let's figure it out.

Powdery

Raw coffee is cleaned, roasted and crushed. The soluble substances are then extracted from these treated grains using hot water under pressure. Then it is all cooled, filtered, insoluble substances are removed and dried with hot air.

Granulated

Hot steam collects coffee powder into small lumps, then moisturizes it again, and so on until larger particles (granules) are obtained.

Sublimated

This coffee is the most expensive and aromatic of the entire variety of instant coffee varieties. Under vacuum, the ice crystals of the coffee brew are dehydrated, resulting in the coffee retaining more of its natural beneficial properties. This method allows you to preserve the maximum of beneficial substances inherent in ground coffee. By appearance, this variety can be easily distinguished from granulated. Granulated coffee has lumps of regular round shape, while freeze-dried coffee has irregular polygonal shape.

Calorie content of granulated coffee

Many people are interested in this question. The answer to this question can only make many people happy. The calorie content of granulated and any other type of instant coffee is only 2 calories.

But it’s a little early to rejoice. The thing is that additives are not taken into account. Many people like to add sugar, syrup, cream, milk, etc. to the drink. And these products are a source of calories. The exact caloric content should be found on the label of the product that is added to coffee.

Therefore, to the question: “What calorie content does coffee granules have?” It is necessary to take into account the products added to the cup, because they can be very high in calories.

What is granulated coffee

The granular appearance of the drink is achieved by quickly drying the coffee extract. That is, as we mentioned earlier, the initial stage of production of granulated coffee is no different from the process of making freeze-dried coffee. The order remains the same - roasting, grinding the raw materials, boiling and subsequent removal of steam.

But starting from the next stage, granulated coffee is prepared a little differently. To obtain a granular product, the concentrate is sprayed into an even thin layer and dried under high pressure. The soluble product is also produced in the same way.

Next, to produce a granular drink, you need to moisten the resulting powder. Thanks to this, we ultimately get loose and not very dense granules of a darker brown hue. Notably, the granules have uneven edges.

Unlike powdered coffee products, granulated ones do not stick to the spoon, maintaining their texture.

This is useful: in order to make the cheapest powdered drink, the “dust” obtained after evaporation is immediately packaged in jars and bags. That is, no further processing is carried out, which allows the manufacturer to reduce the cost of its production. Needless to say, such a cheap drink has nothing in common with quality coffee.

If we talk about how freeze-dried coffee differs from granulated coffee, we cannot fail to mention the taste. In the first product it is brighter. There is also a significant difference in form. Freeze-dried is characterized by neat pyramidal-shaped granules with identical edges.

Remember: most manufacturers claim that the drink, despite its special texture, retains all the qualities of your favorite coffee beans. But this is not entirely true. Manufacturers insist that the expensive process of sublimation of coffee beans does not destroy the bean molecule. However, this is not the case. Alas, any type of instant drink must be treated with various flavors before being packaged and sent to stores. That is why there is no need to talk about the complete naturalness of instant coffee.

Main differences

We have already mentioned a little about the differences between these types of drink. We think it is time to take stock of this issue. Let's transgress:

• The manufacturing technology of the products differs. Freeze-dried coffee is frozen and dried at the same time. And granular is subjected exclusively to drying.
• As for appearance, the granulated variation of coffee has rather loose lumps of not the same shape. At the same time, the raw material itself, ready for brewing, has a darker color. The freeze-dried drink has neat pyramid granules of the same shape. Its color is somewhat lighter (somewhat similar to the “color” of milk chocolate).
• The taste of the products also differs. The fact is that freeze-dried coffee is additionally aromatized with natural coffee oils and extracts. That is why its taste is brighter and similar to a natural grain product.

But in terms of caffeine content, these types of coffee are approximately at the same level. In both freeze-dried and granular drinks, the “dose” of this compound ranges from 60 to 100 mg per 150 ml serving. If we talk about a natural product, then the caffeine content in it is approximately 15-20% higher.

Which coffee should you prefer?

If you are trying to understand which coffee is better to drink, freeze-dried or granulated, then we suggest you look at the question from different angles.

If we talk about the benefits of the drink, then there is not much difference. After all, any instant drink is an industrial product that has a very vague and distant relationship to natural coffee beans. That is why the benefits of the two varieties of coffee we are studying are very doubtful.

The taste of the drink depends entirely on compliance with the production technology and the composition of flavors. Most people who prefer instant rather than natural products prefer the taste of freeze-dried coffee. After all, this type of raw material at the end of production is further processed by the previously obtained “squeeze” from the extract and essential oils.

In appearance, the freeze-dried drink also looks more pleasant. It is not surprising that the freeze-dried product is more expensive than the granulated one.

Rating of the best freeze-dried drink manufacturers

It is very difficult to choose the best product among the huge list of freeze-dried coffee manufacturers. Therefore, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with our rating.

1. Bushido is a very high quality product. But, alas, it is quite expensive, so many simply cannot afford it. Its advantages lie in the fact that the product has a bitter taste, close to the taste characteristics of a traditional natural drink in the form of grains. This Japanese freeze-dried coffee dissolves in cold water.
2. French CarteNoire coffee has a balanced, mature taste and quite rich aroma. At the same time, the light pyramid-shaped granules dissolve well even in very cold water.
3. TchiboExclusive was previously classified as a premium freeze-dried product, but recently the manufacturer has reduced its price. Strange, but such innovations in no way affected the taste of the finished freeze-dried product.
4. Many people love Nescafe. Indeed, this is the cheapest freeze-dried drink. It is not endowed with a particularly strong taste, but has a good smell. The granules dissolve perfectly in ice water.

Some practical tips for choosing an instant drink:

1. When choosing a freeze-dried product, first of all, pay attention to the integrity of the packaging. The next point is checking the expiration date. It is not recommended to purchase a product whose shelf life is more than two years. This should automatically lead you to believe that the manufacturer is playing dirty and is using chemical ingredients to make their product.
2. She also recommends paying attention to the packaging material. Ideal - glass or soft packaging. But it is better not to purchase a product in plastic packaging.
3. If you purchase a product in a transparent jar or package, we recommend that you examine the granules in as much detail as possible. All of them (without exception) must have the same size and shape. Also pay attention to their color. All pyramid granules should be the same - light brown and fairly large.
4. Of course, price also plays an important role. Since the process of sublimation of coffee beans is not only a lengthy process, but also a financially expensive one, it is recommended that you buy the cheapest product on the supermarket shelf.

Attention: it is not recommended to purchase coffee if there is powder at the bottom of the can. It is also important to remember that high-quality freeze-dried coffee always indicates on the packaging the percentage of Arabica and Robusta in the product.

Of all the existing types of instant drinks, it is best to opt for a freeze-dried product. Because it contains the least amount of synthetic and chemical additives. However, let us remind you that it is not as high quality as natural coffee beans.

What is the difference between freeze-dried coffee and granulated coffee?

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Zorya July 25, 2021, 10:29 pm

Thank you for the article)

Freeze-dried coffee

Freeze-dried coffee is coffee prepared by freezing. The coffee extract is frozen, and then the extract is dehydrated in a vacuum at low temperature, leaving only the dry mixture. After complete dehydration, a solid mass remains, which is crushed into small, uneven crystals. These crystals are packaged in jars. This method of preparing instant coffee is the most expensive, as it leaves more nutrients, aroma and taste of real coffee.