Why You Can't Use Coffee Grounds As A Substitute For The Instant Stuff

Everyone has their preferences when it comes to the perfect cup of coffee. Whether you prefer a simple black coffee or a fancy cappuccino, that caffeine kick and the soothing ritual of enjoying a hot drink first thing are really what matter. If you make your coffee at home, rather than going for takeout, you probably fall into one of two camps: Those who like to brew coffee in a pot from grounds and those who love a quick and easy instant coffee. And, across all those sleepy mornings waiting for your water to boil, you may have found yourself wondering why you can't mix the two. Why can't you use coffee grounds in the same way you do instant coffee?

You're definitely not the only one to ponder this. While instant coffee and coffee from grounds have very different textures and flavors, they also have one key difference that prevents them from being used interchangeably. Instant coffee dissolves in water, whereas coffee grounds do not.

Ground coffee starts with rinsed, dried, and roasted coffee beans. These beans are then ground into a powder, which is why we refer to them as coffee grounds. Instant coffee is granulated, concentrated coffee that starts life as coffee beans but is processed further after the grinding stage. To make instant coffee granules, ground coffee is brewed into liquid coffee concentrate and then dehydrated and turned into a dry coffee extract. This coffee extract is then granulated and packaged and melts back into its liquid form when mixed with boiling water, giving you instant coffee. 

Another difference is the way the two types are prepared. While ground coffee must be brewed with boiling water and then strained through a filter to remove the grounds, instant coffee just needs a bit of water added straight to the cup. It will disintegrate, well, instantly. Instant coffee has a more bitter taste, while ground coffee has more flavor complexity due to the different roast levels, which bring out different tastes and aromas, and the quality of the beans, which varies.