Kicking your day off with a mug of coffee is an incredibly common morning habit. It’s estimated that the UK goes through 98 million cups of the stuff every day, with its caffeine content and comforting flavours getting us through easy and tough days alike.
If you’re worried about what this might say about public health, a growing bank of research suggests that moderate coffee consumption is actually pretty good for our health.
Not all coffee is cut from the same cloth, however. Different beans and different roasts have wildly differing flavour profiles, and searching for your preferred blend can lead you down some very deep rabbit holes.
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As anyone who’s made the switch to filter coffee will know, brewing coffee from fresh grounds usually makes for a better experience than the instant stuff. Of course, the instant stuff is generally cheaper per cup, so there’s no shame in opting for that instead.
That said, anyone who’s worked in an office or otherwise brewed a coffee in a staff room will know that many an office manager will go for the cheapest, most horrible mud they can find. To those it may concern: please spend the extra quid or two, for the good of your colleagues’ taste buds and stomach acid content.
If you’re typically an instant coffee drinker, you might be surprised to learn you can get better flavours from it with a simple hack.
Speaking to The Takeout, a coffee expert has shared how you can make the most of your instant coffee with an easy change to your brewing routine.
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Matt Woodburn-Simmonds, the expert in question, says the trick is to start with cold water.
As instant coffee has been brewed and dried already, Woodburn-Simmonds says hot water isn’t essential.
"The temperature of the water doesn't make a huge difference,” he said. “What does make a big difference is using a small amount of cold water to begin with to start dissolving the granules before adding hot water."
He explained that the cold water allows the granules to release their flavour more slowly and helps to avoid getting a burned taste from the stuff. By dissolving it in cold water first, he aid you can even get a smoother texture out of it.
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"This helps a complex carbohydrate called 'amylum' dissolve better in the instant coffee, giving a much smoother mouthfeel and removing the gritty texture," he said of dissolving the coffee in cold water.
"It will take longer to dissolve your instant coffee in cold water so just keep stirring with your spoon for around 5 minutes until [it's] all dissolved fully."
The Takeout recommended just a teaspoon of cold water per teaspoon of coffee granules. Once it’s stirred up, you can then top it up with hot or warm water per your preferences. It also suggested using filtered water if you can, as this will prevent introducing any additional minerals or acids to your cup of coffee.
Rachael Davis