Ah, coffee – the perfect way to begin your day or give you that extra kick when you need it!
In fact, many of us can’t seem to survive the morning without a cup of Joe.
And, if you’re in a rush, instant coffee is a great option…unless the granules won’t dissolve properly.
Instant coffee is a quick and practical option.
But if you don’t use it properly or prepare it correctly, you might end up with some unappetizing clumps in your mug.
So make sure you’ve got the right ratio of water to coffee granules, and read on to learn more about instant coffee and how you can prepare it correctly so it’s smooth as silk!
All about instant coffee
First, we wanted to tell you a little bit more about instant coffee.
How exactly is it made?
Well, instant coffee granules are made from sticky sugary syrup that absorbs the flavor of real brewed coffee while it’s being dried.
Essentially, the granules are made up of dried coffee extract, sugar, and starch.
The concentration of caffeine in instant coffee is slightly lower for this reason than in regular brewed coffee, which is something you might be happy about or not, so we wanted to make you aware!
What happens when instant coffee doesn’t dissolve?
Instant coffee granules are very hard and grainy, even though they start out as thick syrup.
If you don’t mix them well with water (at least stirring for a good 30 seconds), it might be harder to drink your cup of Joe…even impossible!
So what do you do if you find yourself in this “hard” situation?
Grit your way through the gritty cup of instant coffee?
Heck no! You need to find a solution.
Here’s our list of questions to ask yourself to figure out why your instant coffee isn’t dissolving:
1. Did you measure correctly?
If you don’t use the right amount of water, your coffee won’t dissolve.
If you’re making a whole pot of coffee, you might be tempted to use one cup of hot water for each spoonful of instant coffee granules, but this might make the coffee too weak or watered down for your taste.
Also, If your instant coffee granules aren’t dissolving properly, you might be “drowning” them in too much water. (Which seems pretty ironic, right?)
If this is your situation, try cutting down on the amount of liquid being used to dissolve the coffee granules.
Normally, most people will mix two teaspoons of instant coffee with six ounces of hot water.
If you find that this ratio is either too weak or too strong for you taste-wise, or if the granules aren’t dissolving properly, try adjusting it to meet your needs.
2. Did you stir enough?
You need to give that granulated instant coffee a little more attention during mixing!
Make sure you’re stirring for at least 30 seconds – it might be hard work, but it’s definitely worth it.
3. Did you mix with hot or cold water?
You might think that instant coffee works best with hot water, and that if you use cold or lukewarm water, it might not dissolve as well as it should.
4. Did you store your instant coffee correctly?
You need to keep your instant coffee away from moisture and heat (like in an open container on the counter).
Otherwise, the grains might absorb the moisture, or they might all clump together, and will be harder to dissolve.
5. Did you wait long enough?
By “long enough,” we mean, at least two minutes after mixing with water.
That’s the time it takes for instant coffee to dissolve in water!
Give your cup of coffee a stir every now and then while you wait.
Even if the granules look like they’re already dissolved in a few seconds, it takes time for them to fully disintegrate (even if they are so small, they’re no longer visible to your naked eye)!
5. Do you need to blend?
If your instant coffee granules are made with other ingredients like chicory, maltodextrin, or dextrose, they might not totally dissolve in water.
Try blending them into a smoothie, for instance, to ensure that the flavor is well-distributed.
There are so many fun flavor combinations you could do with this, too, like a chocolate mocha!
Blending some instant coffee granules with whole milk, chocolate powder, and some ice cubes will give you a smoothie-like beverage you can enjoy. (With no gritty granules to be found.)
6. Did you add sugar or other ingredients?
This is an important one.
If you add sugar, creamer, or other ingredients to your coffee and don’t mix it well enough, the granules may not dissolve as they should.
Also, as we mentioned above, instant coffee granules are made up of dried coffee extract, sugar, and starch.
So, if you can’t get the instant coffee granules to dissolve in your cup of water, it might be because they’ve clumped together or are overly dry.
7. Are you really drinking instant coffee?
This one seems obvious, but we had to ask just in case!
If you’re adding hot water to a powder mix of just ground coffee beans and nothing else, that’s not going to be able to produce the same results as instant coffee … after all, that’s what a coffee maker is for in the first place!
When is instant coffee better than regular brewing?
Now that you know how to make sure your instant coffee dissolves properly, let’s answer one final question that may have been “brewing” in your mind…Is instant coffee ever better, despite the bad rep it gets?
There are times when instant coffee is actually the better option than traditionally brewed coffee, like when you’re in a rush or traveling!
Whether you’re camping out…or maybe rushing out to get to the office on time…instant coffee is a great option for some quick and easy energy.
Plus, there are lots of different ways you can get creative when enjoying your delectable drink.
Even if some people say it’s not as good as the real deal, you know better!