5

Often I have heard that first we need to add little hot water and then mix the coffee properly and then add hot water and then add milk to taste.

Since instant coffee can be mixed easily, will it make a difference if I heat water and milk together and put it all at once in the cup and coffee and then mix everything?

1
  • 3
    This sounds like a holdover from ground coffee, where adding the milk during the brewing process would modify it, probably significantly. AFAIK there is no brewing process at all for instant coffee, it's simply dissolution (and possibly emulsion).
    – l0b0
    Jul 9, 2017 at 8:57

1 Answer 1

3

You can mix instant coffee with water, milk, cream, or any mixture of those, to your taste. It doesn't matter, and you don't have to do it in multiple steps.

This is different from fresh ground coffee. In ground coffee, you are making an extraction, which is a complicated chemical process. Your solvent has to get behind cell walls and get out again, this time with the solute in it. You never get full extraction anyway. Many factors such as heat, other stuff dissolved or dispersed in the solvent, etc. can hinder this already problematic process and give you a much weaker or different-tasting result.

Instant coffee is specifically made to be 100% soluble in water, so you only have a solution happening, not extraction. The process happens to be not very dependent on temperature (this is different for all combinations of solvent and solute). Maybe it is a bit slower in cold water, but the difference is not really noticeable in practice. The fat content in milk or cream is also not high enough to disturb the solution. So you can just do it any old way you want and you'll end up with 100% dissolved coffee.

3
  • It would be helpful if you explain why in answer. Jul 17, 2017 at 15:00
  • I am not sure what there is to explain. You just mix it and get the mixture you wanted to drink. If you do it in multiple steps, you get the same mixture. It is difficult for me to explain why there is no difference when I cannot think of a reason why there could be a difference in the first place.
    – rumtscho
    Jul 17, 2017 at 21:53
  • I meant why should method be different than the coffee made through freshly ground bean coffee powder Jul 18, 2017 at 0:34

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.