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A brief history of instant coffee

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Re: A brief history of instant coffee

#21

Post by ghthor »

firefax wrote: post #3

it's never instant because boiling water takes sooooo longgggg. apparently uk teakettles are faster due to voltage differences? i want to look for a usb-c solution sometime

If you’re brewing from ground you really don’t want boiling 212F water as you’ll burn the grounds. I do my pour over at 185F and get smooth ready to drink hot coffee with no/low acidity.

Re: A brief history of instant coffee

#22

Post by ak217 »

throwaway27448 wrote: post #17
mikestew wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

U. K. 240v vs. 120v in the U. S., twice the voltage == twice the amperage (EDIT: oops, wattage, for the same amps) == half the time to boiling. I will note that doubling the voltage will still not make it "instant". For that I think you need liquid oxygen[0]. [0] https://improbable.com/2018/10/26/a-look-back-at-george-gobl...

You can also simply keep water near boiling.

All the time? That's very inefficient, especially when running your boiler outside heating season and without a vacuum flask.

The actual solution is to boil small quantities of water. I can boil one cup in 90 seconds or so, even with the 120v handicap.

Re: A brief history of instant coffee

#24

Post by kiddico »

"I am very happy despite the rats, the rain, the mud, the draughts, the roar of the cannon and the scream of shells. It takes only a minute to light my little oil heater and make some George Washington Coffee . . . Every night I offer up a special petition to the health and well-being of Mr. Washington."

Is my favorite part of the article lol

Re: A brief history of instant coffee

#25

Post by throwaway27448 »

ak217 wrote: post #22
throwaway27448 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can also simply keep water near boiling.

All the time? That's very inefficient, especially when running your boiler outside heating season and without a vacuum flask. The actual solution is to boil small quantities of water. I can boil one cup in 90 seconds or so, even with the 120v handicap.

Sure, but efficiency wasn't the goal here. Anyway I use hot water enough (~6-10 times daily) that I don't mind spending extra for it

Re: A brief history of instant coffee

#26

Post by gib444 »

> which is why spray drying remains the dominant method

I don't think I've ever seen spray-dried. Even the cheap supermarket instant coffee is mostly freeze-dried in the UK I believe.

You can really see the power of marketing at play in instant coffee.

A lot of 'premium' branded instant coffee is ~£42/kg. That's £3/kg more than my premium, locally-roasted, single-estate Colombian coffee beans.

If you have more money than sense, there's even "Nescafe Gold Blend Cap Colombia" at £62/kg

I do drink instant, but I stick to supermarket own-brand 'gold' that is around £13-18/kg (freeze dried). You just accept it'll be bad, and always drink with sugar and milk.

I find the basic Nescafe has a distinct taste and not in a good way. I think a lot of people buy it for nostalgic reasons and not much else (well, excluding the brain-dead brand addicts)

Re: A brief history of instant coffee

#27

Post by gib444 »

firefax wrote: post #3

it's never instant because boiling water takes sooooo longgggg. apparently uk teakettles are faster due to voltage differences? i want to look for a usb-c solution sometime

I'm in the UK but I have a kettle that lets you pick the temperature. I usually just use 50C (122F) for instant if I'm having it black, or 70C (158F) for a splash of milk. Boiling water would make an already miserable experience far more miserable.

Re: A brief history of instant coffee

#28

Post by kccqzy »

markus_zhang wrote: post #23
firefax wrote: post #3

it's never instant because boiling water takes sooooo longgggg. apparently uk teakettles are faster due to voltage differences? i want to look for a usb-c solution sometime

I just use the microwave TBH. 60s and done.

My completely unremarkable microwave is rated at 1800W whereas my unremarkable electric kettle is rated at 1200W.

Re: A brief history of instant coffee

#29

Post by taylorportman »

firefax wrote: post #3

it's never instant because boiling water takes sooooo longgggg. apparently uk teakettles are faster due to voltage differences? i want to look for a usb-c solution sometime

This guy (sunshine) designed a 3d-printed mocha pot that boils in half the time over a flame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuZiqLb70tM

Re: A brief history of instant coffee

#30

Post by kccqzy »

firefax wrote: post #3

it's never instant because boiling water takes sooooo longgggg. apparently uk teakettles are faster due to voltage differences? i want to look for a usb-c solution sometime

USB-C PD has far lower wattage than the wall outlet anywhere in the world. Now I want someone to build a kettle that accepts a J1772 connection (for charging electric vehicles). That’s nowadays more common than any 240V NEMA outlets.
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