For most people out there, coffee variety parts into 3 ways of making it, espresso, the heavy hitter, filter coffee, the common Joe, and instant coffee, the ole trustworthy. All these methods can have good things and bad things, but are completely valid. People still believe instant coffee to be dirty water, but in fact it can be quite good.
In the end, the quality of the coffee bean will be the major factor in a cup’s taste, even when it comes to instant coffee. You can find instant coffee of great quality and also can also try an espresso, that is sour and bad.
Brewing – Filter Coffee Vs Instant Coffee Vs Espresso
In the article, we are going to highlight the good and the bad points about these methods and why people pick or should pick each one.
Filter Coffee
Filter coffee could represent one of the most popular forms of coffee. Just the image of a regular drip coffee maker is iconic and it has been everywhere. Most families own these machines for their daily coffee and it remains one of the most popular ways of brewing coffee. Filter coffee is considered a perfect way of making coffee because you can control a lot of factors to change the outcome.
Filter coffee is a little bit more flexible when it comes to needs. It can made be with several different grind types, from coarse to fine, depending on the desired result. It is different from espresso because it features a softer taste and a lot of different ways to make it, but cannot reach the horizon that espresso can.
From changing the water temperature to changing the amount of time used to extract the flavors, you can modify all this to get a different product. This allows filter coffee to have more variety with the same type of bean, as different extraction times and temperatures change the flavors drastically. For example, the French Press method requires a Coarse grind whereas the Pour-over method uses the medium grind. Their are lot other methods that use other grind size and come under filter coffee brewing.
Filter coffee cannot go wrong as long as you know what you want. You can change a lot of factors to favor your taste buds. However, it will not have the same power that a pressurized espresso machine has. Therefore espresso will remain unique in that aspect. On the other side, filter coffee is not as convenient or fast as a pod espresso machine (like Nespresso) or like the instant coffee. The extraction times are always longer than simply making coffee the other way.
All the coffee made from the filter method can be used for combinations as well, but quite a lot combine for espresso only. This doesn’t mean that filter coffee is a bad choice. In fact, you can make a jug of coffee fairly fast, while brewing many espresso cups can take more time. So, it does have advantages.
Of course the flavor of filter coffee, since it can be “customized” to one’s needs, is an aspect that can be of vital importance, as it may make it a no brainer. If you like to prepare the coffee exactly how you like it, even when it usually takes a little more of time, filter coffee is for you.
Instant Coffee
Moving on to the next contender of this match, most people may think it’s the weakest. But lately, it’s actually not a bad choice. As the name says, instant coffee is fast, easy and convenient to make. It will allow you to have a cup of Joe super fast and super nice.
Instant coffee can also be of high quality if you find the right brand. There are some reputed bean companies that have their own instant coffee line. Usually finding these brands is a little harder, and you might have to taste many to find the correct one.
Instant coffee is also known as soluble coffee or coffee powder, and it’s made by using different drying techniques to let this concentrated coffee powder dissolve completely in water. Therefore the grind for this kind of coffee is irrelevant and is different from the others because of how easy it is to make. You can also find instant coffee in liquid presentation, although the most common is the classic powder. To brew with instant coffee, just mix it with hot water or milk, whatever is preferred with the desired sugar.
Instant coffee doesn’t tastes bad and it brews very fast, so what’s the bad thing about it? First, you won’t be able to reach what espresso can reach; and second you won’t have the flexibility that filter coffee has, therefore, it lacks these 2 vital aspects. Let’s not forget that instant coffee is faster and easier to make than any of these two other options. It doesn’t requires ANY special equipment to make and only needs some hot water.
So instant coffee becomes the king of convenience. If you search hard enough, it can also be of high quality. This also counts as a little bit of a disadvantage as it’s quite hard to actually find a really good instant coffee brand, especially if you are selective with what you drink. This is why instant coffee is not a serious drink for most wise coffee drinkers. It’s just because of how many of those brands actually have a fairly average or bad quality.
Espresso
One of the most famous forms of coffee, espresso features a strong punch in a small container. Espresso shots are usually tiny when we compare them to regular coffee cups. But the caffeine concentration is way higher, and the flavor is stronger. Espresso is mainly a pressurized concentration of coffee, extracting flavors and aromas that filter methods cannot.
This drink, however, is not for everyone, as the concentration of caffeine may be aggressive to some people and obviously the taste can be displeasing.
Espresso is made with pressurized water running through the fine ground coffee and with a fast extraction. Therefore the aromas and flavors are brought to life in no time. It’s a really fast way of making coffee. This method is different because it usually requires a fine grind plus pressurized water. Unlike the other two, espresso is usually made only with specialized machinery.
Nowadays, the most famous form of espresso brewing is with Nespresso. It allows users to get espresso in a fast and convenient way.
Espresso is not only consumed alone, but can be also used as a base for specialty drinks like cappuccino or Americano. It really depends how you use it and usually the flavors are amazing.
Conclusion
Coffee is a personal thing, there is no “best” coffee, it really is up to you how you like it. You may find some instant coffee that completely satisfies your palate while being super easy to make. You may also find some espresso that is undrinkable to you because of how strong it is. In the end, coffee can be something you like or dislike, depending on the kind of coffee you are drinking. My honest advice is to try them all, find your niche and keep improving it depending on your needs and what you like.
