What Are Folgers Instant Coffee Granules?

eHow
May 18, 2011

The popularity of café chains and innovations in home-brewed gourmet coffee have boomed over the last couple of decades. Still, instant coffee, invented in 1901, remains a standard convenience in many homes. Making instant coffee is as easy as adding hot water or milk to granules or crystals without the hassle of waiting for a machine to brew and percolate. So what makes instant coffee instant?

What Is Instant Coffee?
Instant coffee can be found in any grocery store, often in a jar or tin, and resembles a finely ground coffee. By adding the proper amount of hot water or milk, instant coffee can be made quickly and easily. Regular coffee beans are minimally processed -- roasted, ground and brewed into coffee. Instant coffee granules, on the other hand, require processing to produce their convenient brew. Instant coffee is manufactured one of two ways.

Freeze-Drying
Freeze-drying involves brewing traditional coffee beans and freezing the coffee in slabs. The ice crystals are then drawn off by a vacuum -- not evaporated with heat -- to maintain a robust coffee flavor. After removing the frozen liquid, the remaining solid is an instant coffee granule, ready to be reconstituted with hot water or milk.

Spray-Drying
The more common method, spray-drying, is less expensive, but more damaging to the coffee flavor and aroma. Coffee is brewed and concentrated before applying intense heat to dehydrate the coffee into hollow crystals. The crystals are ready to be reconstituted, but the flavor is inferior to regular coffee beans and freeze-dried instant coffee. Spray-dried instant coffees are sometimes labeled “agglomerated,” meaning they are made to clump to resemble freshly ground coffee beans.

Instant Coffee Varieties
Most national coffee brands, including Folgers, produce an instant variety as well. Like regular coffee grounds, instant coffees come in several varieties, including decaffeinated, French roast and 100 percent Colombian, as well as flavors like vanilla and hazelnut.

References
"The New York Times"; Instant Coffee, Three Ways; Melissa Clark; 2000
“A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition”; Coffee; David A. Bender; 2005