What is the difference between freeze-dried coffee and granulated coffee? Harm from drinking. Freeze-dried and granulated coffee

Depending on the last stages of production, sublimated, granular and powder instant instant drink are isolated. The latter is considered the lowest quality, the first two are more aromatic and tastier. But what is the difference between freeze-dried and granulated coffee if most of the manufacturing process is similar?

Freeze-dried coffee production

The technology for obtaining the product is called dry freezing. It determines the price of the final product, its biochemical composition. Natural raw materials are used coffee beans Arabica or Robusta blend. To reduce the cost of goods, to give strength to the drink, the latter variety is required, since it contains more caffeine. Regardless of the varietal affiliation of grains, the quality is lower compared to the production of grain and ground natural coffee.

On a note! Unscrupulous producers, saving on raw materials, use old low-quality grain stale in warehouses. For this reason, you should not buy a cheap product.

The production of freeze-dried coffee begins with the roasting of the beans. At this stage, the resulting gases are removed. Then the mass is ground, the finer the powder, the easier it is to process. Ground coffee is placed in hermetically sealed containers. The extract is boiled for several hours. In the process, steam is generated, which is removed from the tank through pipes. Natural essential oils are obtained from it by condensation.

The described processing of grains is also carried out for granulated coffee. But the subsequent stages are very different, are the main difference between the products.

Further, the boiled mass is sublimated, undergoing shock freezing. It is important that the process goes quickly, delay can result in a complete loss of taste. The frozen extract is dried under vacuum. The resulting layer of coffee is crushed into smooth, polygonal granules, which are impregnated with the essential oils collected earlier. The exact composition of the substances to be treated is not known because the manufacturers hide it as a trade secret. The finished sublime is packed in a hermetically sealed container.

On a note! The absence of scrap and powder indicates the correctness of the sublimation. It is important to pay attention to this sign when buying a product.

Production of granulated coffee

The initial manufacturing steps are similar to the sublimation process. The following processing distinguishes granulated coffee from freeze-dried coffee. Ready boiled extract is sprayed in a stream of hot air until the moisture is completely removed. To obtain granules, the mass is cooled, mixed with aromatic, flavoring, structure stabilizing and other additives. As a result, a powder is formed, which is presented in the usual powder version of coffee.

The production of a granulated product involves further processing of the prepared powder with steam. Getting on the mass, moisture is absorbed by the dry matter, granules are formed. Depending on the quality and brand of the product, the appearance may vary, but it does not look like freeze-dried coffee at all.

It is important to understand that in the manufacture of any soluble product, the outer shell of the grain is removed, which contains caffeine, which is used in pharmacology and the food industry. The inner part contains almost no this alkaloid, so in fact any instant product is decaffeinated coffee. As a result, the drink does not have an invigorating effect, on the contrary, it may make you want to sleep.

On a note! Sometimes additional caffeine is added to the soluble product for strength, since almost no caffeine remains during the processing of grains.

Main differences

First of all, sublimated and granulated products differ from each other in production technologies. In addition, conspicuous organoleptic indicators. Freeze-dried coffee granules are large, dense, even, light brown in color, pyromid-shaped. Granular has loose granules that look like dry dark coffee lumps.

The flavor of the granules depends on the additives used to treat the dried extract. Freeze-dried smells better due to the use of natural essential oils, but the true composition of the fragrance mixture is not known. A high-quality granular product may smell better than a cheap freeze-dried product. Taste also depends on the manufacturer, brand, product line.

The price of freeze-dried coffee is much higher than that of granulated coffee, due to expensive sublimation, raw materials used, and packaging. It makes no sense to pack expensive goods in cheap containers. More often used for sublime glass jars, allowing you to see the contents, well protecting from moisture. Also, the packaging can be gift and there are ordinary plastic bags. The latter are used to reduce the cost of products or low-quality, cheap goods.

So the main differences are:

• manufacturing technology;
• appearance, taste and aroma;
• product cost.

Which coffee tastes better - granulated or freeze-dried?

The taste and aroma of instant coffee drinks depend on the manufacturer, product quality, and cost. Even one brand can have several varieties with different palatability, smell and strength. When choosing which coffee is better, freeze-dried or granulated, you need to focus solely on product quality. Initially, sublimation allows you to get more valuable product, but technology violations are also possible, in which the taste deteriorates greatly.

On a note! Natural freeze-dried coffee dissolves in cold water without sediment within 3 minutes.

Which instant coffee to choose - sublimate or granulate?

The main criteria for choosing a product:

• manufacturer - popular brands will not risk releasing low-quality products, fearing to lose the trust of customers;
• useful substances both drinks contain almost none, but sublimation allows you to save a small part, in addition, the granules are processed with natural essential oils;
• the packaging must be completely sealed, the ingress of moisture into any of the products will lead to its deterioration, and coffee is also distinguished by its ability to absorb foreign odors;
• price - high-quality products cannot be cheap.

Important! The choice of instant coffee should be made in accordance with personal preferences. Appearance, taste and aroma of freeze-dried and instant products are very different.

Rating of the best brands

Manufacturers who have earned the trust of consumers:

• Egoist (Egoiste) is famous the best roast grains. Joint production of Germany and Switzerland. It differs from others in that the process is completely done by ourselves, starting with roasting and ending with packaging. finished products. The company has patented the In-Fi technology - natural ground coffee is placed in a shell of instant coffee. Used as raw materials elite varieties arabica. The line of instant products is represented by a wide range.
• Carte Noire - elite quality goods. Manufacturer France, the brand is intended for the middle class. The product is made from Arabica coffee and combines divine aroma, traditional bitterness and soft aftertaste. The secret of roasting beans - first strong heating, then rapid cooling - gives the drink an unforgettable smell. Instant products differ in strength, method of manufacture, the presence of caffeine.
• Bushido is considered the owner of the best recipe. This is a Japanese brand, but the factories are located in Switzerland. Arabica is used to make the product. Advantages - manual roasting, natural cooling, modern packaging. The peculiarity of drinks is that the composition is exclusively natural, without the use of dyes and flavors.
• Nescafe is popular and has the best assortment. As a raw material, a mixture of Arabica and Robusta is used. The classic instant drink has a strong bitter taste and strong aroma. The degree of roasting of the beans varies, there is plenty to choose from.
• Jacobs is valued for its value for money. The raw material for instant products is Arabica. The product line includes freeze-dried decaffeinated coffee. Price category– average.

Granulated coffee is very popular and it is quite understandable. For many people, the morning cannot begin without a cup of coffee, and fast cooking coffee fits perfectly modern world where time is worth its weight in gold.

What is granulated coffee?

Granular coffee differs from regular instant coffee in that it is steamed and pressed into capsules. However, it is of higher quality, because “improved raw materials” are used in its production. It is also more convenient in that during cooking regular coffee sticks to a spoon, but granular does not. Its structure is more crumbly.
When choosing, you need to pay attention to the granules themselves, for high-quality coffee, they will be about the same size. You can shake the jar if the granules are destroyed when shaking - this coffee is no different good quality. If not, then you can buy it.

calories

In granulated coffee, in contrast to instant coffee, there are only 2 calories more, which does not harm the figure. However, the calorie content of the drink will increase significantly if you add to it:

• Sugar;
• Cream;
• Milk;
• Syrup.

How to make coffee?

It is very easy to prepare it. Need to pour hot water but not boiling water. You need to let the water stand for a while, and then make coffee. You can also use it to make coffee cold water and it is absolutely not necessary to buy a coffee maker. That is why coffee in granules has gained great popularity around the world.

The cheapest coffee is powdered. During its preparation, coffee beans are roasted, crushed and soluble elements are extracted. After this, the grains are processed under pressure, dried and filtered.
Granulated coffee is prepared in exactly the same way except for the steaming at the end.
From all types of instant coffee, only freeze-dried coffee can be distinguished.

First, a decoction is prepared from it and frozen, then it is broken into crystals with the help of steam under pressure. Thus, more useful substances are retained and it is more like natural. As for granular and powdered coffee, they differ greatly from it. During processing, they change dramatically. You can drink this coffee 6 cups a day and not be afraid of harm to the body, since there is much less caffeine in it than in natural coffee. But freeze-dried is better not to drink more than 2 cups a day.
The advantages of instant and granulated coffee in an affordable price, preparation time and term

The harm of instant coffee

• When a person drinks coffee, gastric juice begins to be produced in his stomach. It must be remembered that it is better not to drink coffee on an empty stomach.
• Instant coffee has a high level of acidity, to lower it you need to eat or add milk to coffee.
• Coffee is harmful nervous system. At first, when I drink coffee to wake up, addiction develops and over time, a person can no longer do without a favorite drink. There is irritability and drowsiness, which immediately disappears after a cup of your favorite drink.
• Coffee raises blood pressure. The drink is forbidden to people suffering from hypertension.
• Despite the fact that coffee is actively used in cosmetology, coffee lovers face premature aging.

Coffee has its drawbacks, but this does not mean at all that you need to categorically refuse it. It is enough just to reduce its daily consumption and your favorite drink will not bring significant harm to the body.

In the world there are many adherents of an invigorating aromatic drink. Some use it "on the run" in the morning to finally wake up. Others prefer to leisurely enjoy a cup of coffee after a hard day's work. One way or another, the tart and slightly bitter taste of roasted beans is not able to leave almost anyone indifferent. Since many do not have enough time and patience to brew coffee on their own, the instant version of the drink is widely popular today. The varieties of the latter will be discussed in our article.

Definitions

Freeze-dried coffee- instant drink produced using the technology of "dry freezing". To make it, the grains are roasted and finely ground, then the resulting coffee “dust” is brewed in closed sealed containers for about three hours. Steam is removed from the tanks using special pipes. Together with it, the essential oils contained in the grains also leave, which are subsequently extracted using special technologies. The digested coffee mass is subjected to quick freezing in a vacuum, during which all moisture is removed from it. The dry product is broken into particles and impregnated with essential oils extracted from the grains. Thanks to such a complex and delicate preparation technology, freeze-dried (or frozen) coffee is characterized by a rich taste and aroma. In line instant drinks in this category, it is considered the highest quality and natural.

Freeze-dried coffee

Granulated coffee- soluble powder, compressed into grains by steam treatment. The method of preparation of the drink is called "spray-drying". First, the grains undergo a cleaning procedure, after which they are fried and crushed into particles 1.5-2 mm in size. The next step is the extraction of soluble substances. To do this, ground coffee is treated with hot water supplied under pressure for 3-4 hours. The resulting mass is cooled and filtered, insoluble and resinous substances are removed from it. The hot air dried powder turns into lumps under the influence of steam. The use of this production technology leads to the fact that the resulting product almost does not retain the properties of natural coffee. Since with prolonged heat treatment of raw materials, it practically loses its saturated color and smell, various dyes and artificial flavors are added to the powder.

Comparison

Let's start the comparison with the appearance of the products. Freeze-dried coffee has the form of crystals or pyramids, approximately equal in size. The mass has a pleasant light brown tint, comparable to the color milk chocolate. Granulated coffee is a powder compressed into small grains. It can be either light or dark brown. As mentioned above, the freeze-dried drink is produced using the modern gentle technology of "dry freezing". Thanks to its use, up to 95% of the useful substances contained in the product are preserved in the product. coffee beans. Thin exquisite fragrance natural essential oils give the drink.

The difference between freeze-dried coffee and granulated coffee is that the latter is made using a coarser spray drying technology. During a long heat treatment raw materials, it almost completely loses its useful properties. The resulting product does not have a pronounced coffee smell and color, and therefore dyes, flavors, flavor enhancers, etc. are added to it. Such a drink is very far from a natural grain analogue. This fact is due to its relatively low cost. The price of sublimated coffee is much higher. However, it should be noted that it is not recommended to abuse such a drink. Because it contains a lot of caffeine. By similar parameters, a granular drink is much safer. But still, doctors do not advise drinking it in large quantities and on an empty stomach.

To summarize, what is the difference between freeze-dried and granulated coffee.

59% of Russians regularly consume instant coffee. About 45% of the instant coffee market is occupied by granulated and freeze-dried types, with the latter predominating. What is the difference between granulated coffee and freeze-dried coffee and which one is better?

What is freeze-dried coffee?

Sublimated coffee is a type of instant coffee, for the manufacture of which the freeze dried technology or dry freezing is used.

The raw materials for the production of any type of instant coffee are natural grains. The first stage of production is approximately the same for freeze-dried, granular, and powder.

• The grains are roasted, ground and poured with hot water.
• In hermetically sealed containers, the grains are boiled for several hours, then the accumulated water vapor is removed.

From the next step, there is a difference in technology.

For the manufacture of freeze-dried coffee, boiled coffee grounds placed in freezers instant freezing, and from the obtained crystals the liquid is removed by sublimation in vacuum chambers. Thus, the coffee is frozen while removing the liquid.

The result is a dense and dry light brown coffee mass, which is crushed into granules.

At the final stage of production, freeze-dried coffee is saturated coffee oils and flavorings. The manufacturers claim that expensive varieties only natural flavors are used, but no one is in a hurry to voice their exact composition, referring to a trade secret.

What is granulated coffee?

Granulated coffee is a type of instant coffee that is obtained by quickly drying the coffee extract.

The initial stage of the production of granulated coffee coincides with the freeze-dried type: roasting, grinding and boiling the coffee beans, followed by steam removal.

Then the paths of the coffee extract diverge: to obtain granulated coffee, the concentrate is sprayed in an even layer and dried under high pressure. The result is a powdery mass. On last step it is treated with steam. Under the influence of water vapor, the powder is collected into loose granules with uneven edges. Unlike powdered coffee, granulated coffee does not stick to the spoon.

The main differences between freeze-dried and granulated coffee

As we have seen, the beginning of the production cycle for all types of instant coffee is similar, and natural coffee beans are used as raw materials. What is the difference between the two types of instant coffee?

• Manufacturing technology. Freeze-dried coffee is frozen and dried at the same time, while granulated coffee is only dried under high pressure.
• Appearance. Granulated coffee looks like loose lumps different shapes and it is much darker in color. Freeze-dried coffee looks like neat pyramids of a pleasant shade of milk chocolate.
• Taste. Freeze-dried coffee is additionally flavored with natural coffee oils and extracts, so its taste seems richer and deeper than granulated coffee. In any case, everything taste features instant coffee is a combination of flavors that are selected by the manufacturer. It has nothing to do with the taste of a natural drink.

As for the caffeine content, in granulated and freeze-dried coffee it is approximately the same amount - from 60 to 100 mg per 150 ml cup, which is approximately 15-20% lower than in a natural drink.

As a result of prolonged digestion of grains, most essential oils and compounds from them are simply washed out. Therefore, the bouquet of a natural drink is not only richer, but also contains trace elements, which are absent in soluble ersatz.

Which coffee is better: granulated or freeze-dried?

This question can be answered from different points of view.

From the point of view of the benefits of the drink, there is no difference. Instant coffee is a product of modern industrial production, which is very distantly related to natural drink. In this sense, freeze-dried and granulated species are equally dubious. Suffice it to say that all the latest data on the dangers of coffee for the stomach and digestion were obtained specifically for an instant drink.

Taste. The taste is influenced by the observance of technologies and the composition of flavors. Freeze-dried coffee is further processed with aroma and flavor enhancers, which is why many users find it more palatable than granulated coffee. There is another aspect of perception - psychological. Neat light-colored coffee granules are visually perceived by the brain as carriers of a more pleasant and milder taste than untidy dark lumps of granulated coffee.

Appearance. Freeze-dried coffee looks nicer than granulated coffee, and premium packaging emphasizes this difference even more.

Price. Freeze-dried coffee is usually more expensive than granulated coffee.

Ceteris paribus, freeze-dried coffee is still preferable to granulated coffee. Well flavored varieties have relatively soft taste and aroma similar to natural.

We wrote in detail about the choice of a specific brand of instant coffee in the article.

Conclusion

Granulated coffee differs from sublimated:

• Manufacturing technology.
• Appearance.
• At the cost.
• Shades of taste and aroma (for some brands).

Do you love flavored coffee in the morning? Instant or freshly brewed? Powdered, granulated or freeze-dried? Let's figure out together which instant coffee is better.

Which coffee is better - freeze-dried or granulated?

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

Powdery

Raw coffee is cleaned, roasted and crushed. The solubles are then extracted from these treated grains with 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 moistens again, and so on until larger particles (granules) are obtained.

Sublimated

This coffee is the most expensive and fragrant of the whole coffee variety of instant varieties. Under vacuum, the ice crystals of the coffee brew are dehydrated, causing the coffee to retain its large quantity natural useful properties. This method allows you to save the maximum of useful substances inherent in ground coffee. By appearance this variety can be easily distinguished from the granulated variety. Granulated coffee has regular lumps round shape, while the sublimated one has an irregular polygonal shape.

Pros and cons of instant coffee

Instant coffee has many benefits.

Ease of preparation

• A minute is enough to pour boiling water over coffee and get flavored drink.

Shelf life

• Instant coffee is stored much longer than natural coffee, retaining its unique rich taste and aroma.

Acceptable price

• All together provided instant coffee a huge number of fans in all corners of the world.

It used to be believed that coffee causes the body great harm, but the more research was done, the clearer it became that coffee in small portions is very good for health. It prevents sclerosis and contains a sufficient amount of ballast substances - these are chemical compounds that play a significant role in digestion and maintain normal blood sugar levels. This aromatic drink, whether brewed from ground grains or soluble, necessarily contains soluble sugars and cellulose, which are essential dietary fiber. Doctors advise limiting coffee consumption to those who have diseases such as acute cholecystitis, hepatitis, and serious liver disease.