Coffee has long been part of many people's daily lives, but do you really know what you're drinking? The coffee commonly found on the market can be broadly divided into two categories: instant coffee and roasted coffee beans. The two follow completely different paths from raw material processing to the final sip. Instant coffee goes through roasting, extraction, and then drying or freeze-drying, while roasted coffee involves roasting green beans, grinding them, and brewing them fresh to drink. This article will start with the principles of production, explain the drinking methods for instant and roasted coffee one by one, and also touch on why freshness is so crucial to a good cup of coffee. Whether you're a beginner enthusiast or a seasoned drinker looking to upgrade your daily staple, you'll find practical references here.

The coffee we encounter in daily life can basically be grouped into two major categories: one is roasted coffee, commonly known as coffee beans; the other is instant coffee.

Let's start with roasted coffee. After green coffee beans undergo the roasting process, they are ground into powder, and then through various extraction methods, the flavor compounds in the coffee are transformed into liquid form—this is what becomes the coffee we drink from our cups. One point worth repeatedly emphasizing: try to choose freshly roasted coffee beans, as the flavor performance will be much better.

Now let's look at instant coffee. Due to differences in processing techniques, it is further divided into two branches: one is spray-dried coffee powder, and the other is freeze-dried coffee powder. Specifically, green coffee beans are first roasted, then extracted, and afterward, through drying or freeze-drying, the extract is made into powder or small granules for storage. The common Nescafé 3-in-1 products use spray-dried coffee powder; while Nescafé's "Gold" triangular granule product belongs to freeze-dried coffee powder. The freeze-drying process generally offers a better mouthfeel than regular instant coffee, and the price is correspondingly higher.

The drinking method for instant coffee is very straightforward: just brew it with hot water.

The drinking method for roasted coffee involves a few more steps: first grind the coffee beans into powder, put them into the appropriate coffee equipment, and then brew—or in more professional terms, extract—the resulting liquid is the coffee we want to drink, and the remaining coffee grounds are simply discarded.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.