When I was at a hotel in Italy, I came across the best instant coffee I have ever had.

I hoarded the packets each day so I could stock up for when I was back home in the states.

Since then, I have never minded opting for instant coffee if I didn’t have access to my coffee machine.

As a coffee lover, I was surprised to find out that up until recently, I had never heard of instant espresso.

To me, it sounds like a term that would be a bit controversial among coffee lovers.

Today we will be covering the major differences between instant coffee and instant espresso as well as how they are made, what they can be used for and some expert recommendations. 

Welcome to today’s lesson on the differences and similarities between instant coffee and instant espresso.

If you’re looking for a particular section, just click on it below to jump there 🙂

Table of Contents:

Quick Take: The Major Differences Between Instant Espresso and Instant Coffee

How Instant & Powdered Coffees Are Made

Drawbacks & Benefits of Each Method

The Versatility of Instant Espresso

Benefits Of Instant Or Powdered coffees

Brewing Instructions & Tips

Recommended Espresso Powders On The Market

Recommended Instant Coffees On The Market

Conclusion: Key Takeaways For Instant Coffee & Instant Espresso

Like fresh coffee and shots of espresso, instant coffee and instant espresso have many differences.

If you’re in a bit of a rush, here is brief rundown of some key differences and similarities between the two.

Flavor Profile

No surprise here! The flavor profile of instant espresso tends to be a lot more complex than that of instant coffee.

Instant espresso will have a bolder and more intense flavor, with more chocolate and fruit notes than instant coffee.

This is primarily due to the type of beans used and how much the beans are roasted before brewing.

Instant coffee, while still having a strong coffee flavor, might leave a few sour notes or bitter flavor in your mouth after drinking.

Bean Type

The majority of instant coffee uses Robusta coffee beans.

These are the go-to as the trees produce more coffee fruit but tend to be considered lower quality as they lack the flavor profile and sugar content that you’ll find in Arabica beans.

Instant espresso on the other hand uses Arabica beans primarily.

These are the beans of choice as they provide a more complex flavor profile than Robusta beans, helping mimic the flavor profile of an actual espresso shot.

Roast Levels

While beans used for instant coffee are typically roasted more to a medium roast (410-460F), beans used for instant espresso tend to be roasted very dark (460-480F) to unlock that intensely concentrated flavor espresso beans normally produce.

Grind Level

While you will find instant coffee as a powder and in the form of coffee crystals, you will pretty much only find instant espresso in a very fine powder form.

Uses and Versatility

While you may assume that instant espresso is used for making lattes and more at home, it is primarily used in cooking!

Similar to adding salt to caramel, the addition of espresso powder in baking and different spice rubs elevates the flavor of whatever you’re cooking, without making the dish taste like coffee.

This being said, you can absolutely use instant espresso for your favorite coffee drink, just make sure you’re using a brand that isn’t just for baking.

We suggest two of the best espresso powders for drinking at the end of this article!

Instant coffee on the other hand is used more often to create a quick cup of coffee.

Caffeine Content

Because caffeine content can vary so much based on the brand producing the coffee, it is hard to definitively say which will have more caffeine.

However, because instant espresso is created using a much more concentrated form of coffee, you can expect it to have a bit more caffeine than a cup of instant coffee.

As a general base range, instant espresso is thought to contain about 60-100mg of caffeine per serving while instant coffee contains around 63 mg of caffeine on average.

Overall, these two contain an amount of caffeine comparable to your regular cup of coffee which sits at around 80-110 mg of caffeine.

Shelf Life

Both instant coffee and instant espresso have a much longer shelf life than fresh coffee, lasting 1-2 years after the best-by date or even longer when kept in optimal conditions!

The process of turning a green coffee bean into a powder that you can mix water into and all of a sudden have a semi-decent cup of coffee, is not a small one!

There are two main ways that you can make instant coffee or instant espresso.

One of the most popular instant coffee suppliers, Nescafe, uses both of these methods depending on which type of instant coffee they are producing.

Nescafe Original uses a spray-drying method while Nescafe Gold uses a freeze-drying method.

The first two steps of this production process are very similar, while the third step is where the processes split apart.

Step 1: Delivery and Roasting

After the green coffee beans are delivered, they are cleaned and taken to be roasted.

While Eleven Coffees states that Nescafe roasts their coffee to around a medium roast, the beans that are used for espresso powder are typically roasted to a darker level to enhance the flavor profile of the resulting coffee.

Step 2: Batch Extracting & Concentrating

The roasted beans are sent to the grinder, where the ground coffee beans are then transferred into a large container to undergo extraction a.k.a the brewing process.

Unlike a normal brewing process, this process yields a very highly concentrated coffee liquid.

In some smaller roasteries like Black & White coffee in North Carolina, their coffee concentrate is created by using an espresso machine instead of a batch style of extraction.

This creates some of the most concentrated coffee possible.

Roast Kat created an in depth video documenting their instant coffee making process that you can watch here

Step 3: Drying & Processing

This step is where the two methods split apart:

After you obtain your concentrated coffee liquid, you can take two different routes.

Route #1: Spray Drying Method

For the spray drying method, this coffee concentrate is moved to a very hot and dry chamber, where it is sprayed directly into the air.

Because of the area’s toasty environment, all of the liquid in the coffee concentrate evaporates off, leaving you with fine coffee powder that falls to the collection area on the ground.

This is the dehydrated ground coffee that is packed up for you to enjoy.

Route #2: Freeze Drying Method

For the freeze-drying method, the concentrated coffee is heated further to evaporate off more of the liquid, turning it into an intense coffee extract.

Once this thicker, more concentrated extract is created, it is moved along a conveyor belt into a -50C room where it is freeze dried into thin sheets.

After the sheets are frozen solid (which is quite quickly in some cases), it is then passed through a machine that breaks up the sheets into granules.

These granules are then passed into a vacuum chamber for the air to be removed and then into a heated drying chamber where any remaining ice from the previous processes is melted off and removed.

What is left is the dry fine powder or crystals that will be packaged up along the line.

Step 4: Packaging

Naturally after the instant coffee or espresso is made, it will be sent along the assembly line to be packaged.

Drawbacks & Benefits of Each Method

Spray Drying:

While this method may be good for producing large quantities of instant coffee, this method causes the coffee to lose a lot of the aromas and flavor when the liquid is sprayed into the air to dry.

Freeze Drying:

This method is most commonly used in the industry as both the flavor and aroma of the coffee are kept relatively well in the process.

However, the process of freeze drying tends to be more expensive than that of spray drying.

To start, instant espresso is known by many different names, including:

• Espresso powder
• Espresso baking powder
• Instant espresso powder

While one (a.k.a me 🙂 ) might assume the primary use of instant espresso is to make a good cup of coffee in the morning, it is more commonly found in the kitchen for cooking and baking.

The purpose of using espresso powder in the kitchen isn’t to create a coffee-flavored dish but to enhance and elevate the flavors already present, similar to adding sea salt to caramel.

This ingredient can intensify the chocolate flavor in brownies and add depth to savory dishes like barbecue and chili.

Author Laura Manzano also points out that you can use some of these powders to create just enough liquid coffee for a recipe, avoiding the need to brew a full pot and wasting the rest.

Tasty Foods published a fantastic article detailing various ways to use espresso powder in foods, including some surprising applications like salad dressing.

I highly recommend checking it out here!

Whether you’re on the go or just away from a coffee maker, there are several benefits to using instant or powdered coffees.

Extended Shelf Life

When using fresh coffee, you need to keep an eye on how old the beans or grounds are.

Exposure to oxygen over an extended period of time can cause the beans to lose their flavor and create a less than idea tasting cup of coffee.

With instant coffee or espresso, you have a shelf-life potential of YEARS. This can be the perfect option for someone who just has a cup of coffee every once in a while

Ease of Use

Another major appeal of these two powdered coffees is the ease of use.

All you need to do is add liquid to use these dried coffees, making them great for travel and camping trips.

Versatility

This benefit applies mainly to powdered and instant espresso.

Not only does it have a super long shelf life, but you can choose to make a morning coffee with it or throw it into your favorite food to make it even better.

Who doesn’t like a good 2 for 1 deal??

As someone who has added way too much instant coffee into my drink before, I highly recommend following the instructions on the package before brewing.

In the case of instant espresso, this may be 1tsp per 2oz of water to create an instant shot of espresso, or for instant coffee, 1-2tsp per 8oz or coffee cup of water.

Procaffinator Fun Fact: You don’t need to use hot water to dissolve instant coffee granules- you just need to use a liquid (!!!!)

I am a bit ashamed that I didn’t know this, but you don’t need to use a hot liquid to dissolve your instant coffee.

This makes it even easier to make your favorite iced coffee drinks from instant coffee if you choose.

In fact, it is recommended to use cold water to dissolve the substance as it contains an ingredient called amylum.

Amylum is a substance that “hardens when it makes contact with hot water, making it harder to stir and dissolve”.

So, if you’ve ever struggled with dissolving your instant coffee without it clumping, this might be why!

Once you have fully mixed in your instant coffee of choice, feel free to add whatever else you would like to make your favorite drink!

As far as adding espresso powder to your baked goods or other foods, make sure to follow the recipe for best results.

If you’re looking to give instant espresso a try, either to drink or to cook with, here are some of the top recommended brands by Americas Test Kitchen, Spruce Eats, and more.

King Arthur Espresso Powder

This certified kosher espresso powder is one of the best on the market with over 9,000 5-star reviews on Amazon.

A bonus to this company is that there are a number of great recipes you can try out on their website.

You can buy it here on Amazon for $10 or from their website here.

Note: This espresso powder is used for baking only, not drinking.

Illy Clasico

Voted best overall espresso powder by CoffeeAffection, this espresso powder is one you use for drinking not baking.

You’ll get some of those great chocolate flavors from the Arabica beans used, making it a great option for someone who is on the go frequently.

Grab it here from Amazon for $11

Civilized Coffee Co. Espresso Powder

Voted by Americas Test Kitchen as the best choice for espresso powder overall.

While you may not want to try and make a latte with this one, the company recommends adding it to morning smoothies for a bit of a caffeine kick!

you can grab this one here on amazon for $8.50 or off their website, which also offers free US shipping!

Nescafe Gold Espresso

This instant espresso may not be winning any awards, but it was added to this list as it was the one of the only instant espressos I found in my local supermarket.

At a cost of $8 for a 3.5oz, this espresso powder makes it on the list for being an accessible, affordable and convenient option.

There are a lot of instant coffees out there but both Spruce Eats and Serious Eats have put together fantastic lists of their favorite instant coffees.

Below are a few of the most recommended, but feel free to check out both lists in the links above 🙂

Intelligentsia Instant Coffee House Blend

Voted best overall by Spruce Eats, this instant coffee is known its bold brown sugar flavors.

Unlike some instant coffees, it also comes in packets. A box of 5 single use packets will set you back around $12

You can grab it from their website here!

Mount Hagen – Organic & Fairtrade Instant Coffee

I was able to find this one in my local grocery store which is always exciting.

It is highly rated among Spruce Eats but will put you back around $15 which is getting a biiit pricey for my taste.

However, the high ratings absolutely hold up as I think this has become one of my favorite instant coffees to date.

Grab two jars of it from Amazon for $24 here!

Swift Decaf Colombian Instant Coffee

Good decaf coffee in general can be hard to find, so finding a good decaf instant coffee isn’t a walk in the park either.

Serious Eats notes fruity flavors in this one like cherry and grape. In this box you will get a pack of 6 sachets for $12.

Check out this product and more on Swift’s website here!

Trung Nguyen G7 Instant Coffee w/ Cream & Sugar

This last one is a bit different, having both cream and sugar added into the instant coffee mix.

Trung Nguyen produces some of the best Vietnamese coffee out there, so it is no surpise that this was voted as one of Wired’s favorite instant coffees.

This coffee sells for around $8.50 for 20 single serve packets on Amazon. Get it here!

Overall, instant coffee and instant espresso share a number of similarities and differences.

While both can be made either through spray drying or freeze-drying process, instant espresso is made from darker roasted Arabica coffee beans to capture the complex flavor profile of a fresh espresso shot.

These beans may give the instant espresso some fruitier and chocolate flavor notes as opposed to Robusta beans.

Additionally, the instant espresso concentrate that comes from the brewing process may undergo further heating to create an even more concentrated flavor. 

This is to ensure that the instant espresso delivers that rich and bold espresso flavor when combined with hot water.

On the other hand, Robusta beans are primarily used for instant coffee as they are lower quality but also grown more frequently than Arabica beans.

This produces a strong coffee flavor but also has more notes of bitterness or sourness to the cup of coffee. These beans are typically roasted to a medium level before the coffee concentrate is created.

You will find people enjoying instant coffee in the morning while instant espresso or espresso powder is commonly used in baking and cooking to enhance other ingredients flavor profiles.

Most commonly, it is used in combination with chocolate desserts to create a next level fudgy or chocolate taste.

If you haven’t tried instant espresso yet, I absolutely recommend some of the options we listed above! It’s an easy way to switch up from your on-the-go instant coffee if you need something new.

Red Solo Cup: the iconic plastic cup that has swept the nation over the years and has inspired one of Toby Keith’s most well known songs.

The burning question we will be answering today is for all of the college students, campers, or anyone else out there who is in a pinch for a coffee cup.

Can you put hot coffee (or any hot liquid) into a red solo cup??

The simple answer to this question is yes, of course you can pour your coffee into a plastic cup. No one is going to stop you. 

The real question is.. should you be doing it?

It is not unknown that there are some health concerns when you heat up certain types of plastic. So today were going to dive into the nitty gritty of the plastics world!

We will cover what these cups are made of, potential health issues, and some alternative options that may be better for you and the environment.

So, without any more introduction, here is the answer to the question…

To kick off answering this question, we need to learn about the world of plastics. Which types are good to use, which to stay way from and when they start to melt.

The Seven Main Plastics

There are seven different categories of plastics that we mainly use. If you look on the bottom of your Tupperware or plastic coke bottle, you’ll probably see the recycling symbol with a number inside of it.

That number represents what type of plastic material the item is made out of and if you can recycle it.

The seven main plastic types are as follows.

1. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
2. High density polyethylene (HDPE)
3. Polyvinyl chlorine (PVC)
4. Low density polyethylene (LDPE)
5. Polypropylene (PP)
6. Polystyrene (PS)
7. Bisphenol and others

The most commonly used plastic is plastic #1 or PET. Water bottles, Gatorade bottles and condiment bottles are made up of this type of plastic.

You will also find a number of cups being made from #4 (LDPE) or #6 (PS) plastics. These will be your typical plastic or Styrofoam cups.

Since each plastic has a different purpose, there are a few that are suitable to use for food and drink while some you should definitely stay away from.

Solo Cup has a few different types of disposable cups on their website. These are the classic red plastic solo cup, a see-through colored version and a run of the mill plastic cup.

The clear cups are listed as being made with the #1 plastic (PET) that we just talked about while the red solo cups & see through colored cups are made with a #6 plastic, or polystyrene.

Both plastics are able to be recycled and are reported to be BPA free.

Bisphenol A or BPA’s are found in many plastic & metal items we use every day.

Over time, pronounced negative health effects such as hormone disruption and low vitamin D levels have been linked to BPA consumption.

Since then, it has been advised to stay away from BPA’s whenever possible.

A very important things to keep in mind when it comes to plastics is their melting point.

When plastics are exposed to heat, they degrade faster leading to toxic chemicals leaching into the environment around them.

Plastic #1 (PET) has a melting point of 255 degrees Celsius (491 degrees Fahrenheit while plastic #6 (PS) has a melting point of 100-120 degrees Celsius (212 to 248 degrees Fahrenheit).

These temperatures may seem extremely high, but in reality, the boiling point of water falls at 100 degrees Celsius or 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

Note: This temperature drops the higher above sea level you go.

So, if you find yourself in Colorado, the boiling point of water may be closer to 95 Celsius or 209 Fahrenheit due to the high elevation.

With coffee experts arguing that the ideal temperature for a cup of coffee is around 160 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit, the melting point of plastic #6 (and red solo cups) is not far off.

Plastic Leaching & Micro-Plastics

One of the main concerns when it comes to putting hot liquids in plastic cups is plastic leaching and microplastics (a term I’m sure you’re familiar with)

Both definitions are as follows:

Plastic leaching: when the chemicals from the plastic leak out into the surrounding environment.

Although plastic leaching is inevitable, it is known that heating plastics only increases the amount of leaching that occurs.

Microplastics: tiny plastic particles that result from both commercial product development and the breakdown of larger plastics

It may seem like microplastics would not be an issue when it comes to using plastic cups, however, a recent study testing the level of microplastics found in liquid before and after being in a plastic found:

the microplastic abundance in water reached 723–1,489 particles cup⁻¹ after 5 min exposure and increased significantly with increasing residence time

Think you can drink your coffee before the plastic degrades?

Sudha Goel, an assistant professor from the Indian institute of technology, stated that 

In the 15 minutes it takes for (hot) coffee or tea to be consumed the microplastic layer on the cup degrades and releases 25,000 micron-sized particles into the hot beverage.

Essentially, this means that when using any plastic cup, especially with a hot drink, you will be most likely be consuming microplastics and any chemicals leaching from the plastic cup.

Chemicals Released

Many of the extremely harmful chemicals found in plastics are thankfully not used in food & drink items.

However, there are still many chemicals that are found our everyday plastic items.

Nonylphenol is a plastic found on the “chemicals of concern in plastics” produced by the Australian government back in 2021.

Unlike many of the other chemicals on the list that are found mainly in PVC, this chemical is found is Polystyrene or plastic #6.

If you remember from earlier in the article, this is the plastic that red solo cups are made out of.

Common chemicals that can be released as well are BPA’s and phthalates which can lead to other health concerns such as lower fertility rates.

Thankfully, as we discussed before, red solo cups are BPA free.

Side effects from ingested plastics

Obviously, plastics were never made to be ingested. So, the side effects that come with ingesting microplastics and chemicals from plastic cups cannot be great for us.

The Endrocine Soctiey states that the chemicals leached from plastics can contain “endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)”.

These can harm the body’s hormone system leading to a variety of health issues such as cancer and diabetes.

These EDC’s can stay in the body for an extended period of time and cause “cumulative effects over your lifetime.”

The environmental impact of plastic cups brings us back to the microplastic argument.

Plastics are everywhere in our day to day lives. So much so that there is a garbage patch in the middle of the ocean that is filled with plastic we just can’t seem to get rid of.

Plastic cups can be fantastic because of how inexpensive and convenient they are. However, being a single use plastic item, their impact on the environment adds up quickly.

To put it in perspective a bit more, research found that in the United States back in 2020,  “219.73 million Americans used disposable cups and plates in 2020”

Even further, it was found that the entire world “produces around 350 million tonnes of plastic waste each year”.

If you multiply that by the 0.5% of plastic that ends up in the oceans, you get 17,500,000 tons of plastic still making their way in the ocean each year.

Taste Difference

Obviously one of the biggest factors into a good cup of coffee is the taste!

Have you ever used a cheap coffee machine and found it tasted slightly off?  Have you left a bottle of water in the car and when you tried it the taste was a bit funky?

This change in taste happens when plastic, especially when its heated, and starts to degrade. Therefor your quality of coffee might decrease if you decide to put it in a plastic cup.

Temperature Retention

Each material has different insulating properties, meaning each material can keep hot for different amounts of time.

Metal has a very high insulating property, hence why if you get a quality metal thermos, your drinks will stay long for ages.

This property is a one of the many downfalls of using plastic cups for hot beverages.

Although the plastic cup will keep your beverage hot, it only will do so for around 1-2 hours according to The Commons. 

This is a short amount of time compared to the better alternatives we are going to discusses further below.

The good news is that there are so many other options for the type of cups you can use to avoid some of the negative health effects that come with plastic cups.

Some of the more popular options are as follows:

• Glass mugs
• Stainless steel tumblers
• Ceramic cups
• Disposable paper cups

How to choose the right alternative cup

So, you want to make the switch! Congratulations! There are a few different factors to consider before investing in a new travel or reusable coffee mug.

1. Price point

Thankfully at this point in time there are so many reusable cups out there, you can find one at pretty much any price point.

I have found that the majority of reusable coffee cups are in the price range of $10-30 USD, with the higher quality items, like this Stanly, being at the upper end of this range.

A quality reuseable mug may seem like a big investment at first but trust me it pays for itself overtime.

An additional bonus is that many coffee shops offer discounts when you bring it your own cup, so you can save a bit of money on your morning coffee as well.

Tip: If you don’t want to splurge just yet, a popular choice (and one of my favorites) is this Contigo mug. It’s inexpensive and good quality for the price!

2. Durability

I have added this section purely because I am a major clutz and I’m sure a few of you out there are as well.

Some of the most popular takeaway cups on the market, like this Keep Cup, are made of glass or ceramic materials.

These materials are all fantastic alternatives to plastic as we discussed above, but depending on you as a person, some may be better than others!

As I mentioned above, I tend to be prone to breaking things, so having an extremely breakable travel mug is out of the question for me.

So, before you buy one, think about the likelihood of you dropping it or it getting damaged in your day-to-day life.

3. Heat retention

Obviously, this is one of the most important things. No one wants a cold cup of coffee!

I have had travel mugs that kept coffee hot for over 6 hours and some where you had an hour to drink it before it goes luke-warm.

If you want your coffee to stay hot for longer periods, think getting a travel mug in the higher price range.

These typically keep liquids hot for ages and you’ll never have to worry about cold coffee again.

4. Size & Bulkiness

Some companies specifically make their cups to fit cupholders in cars while some you’ll have no chance of getting it to sit in that cupholder.

The size and width of the bottom of the cup may be something to consider if you’re constantly in situations where you need to set it down but have limited space.

Many companies offer various sizes in each model of their mugs, so take a peek to see if your preferred brand has one that works for you!

Bonus: There are cup holder adapters now! Click here to check out a popular option.

Like I mentioned in the beginning of this article, you can absolutely put hot coffee into a red solo cup or any plastic cup for that matter! No one is going to stop you.

Although there are a few benefits to using plastic cups such as convenience, there are some major negatives to putting hot liquids into plastic cups such as

• health risks from plastic leaching and microplastics
• environmental impacts
• taste & quality changes

Because of these risks and negative impacts from using hot drinks in red solo cups, there are some better alternatives out there.

If you’re on a budget, try using solo paper cups.

You don’t have to spend a lot up front, but you still protect yourself from the potential chemical exposure from warm plastics.

Glass, stainless steel, and ceramic mugs travel mugs are also fantastic environmentally friendly alternatives, though the price may be a bit higher.

All in all, I would only recommend using red solo cups for cold beverages only as recommended by the company.

It may be a bit less convenient, but it may be worth it in the long run.

As always, thank you for reading today’s article! Do you have a favorite reusable mug? Tell us below in the comments!

You may also enjoy these other articles on the Procaffinator website.

• Get a Great Deal on Travel Coffee Mugs With Your Student Discount
• 3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Pass On McDonalds Coffee
• Coffee For a Cause: Give Back with Each Cup of Coffee

Do you love cafes? Follow the Procaffinator Instagram to see cafes all around the world!

Have a great rest of your day and keep on procaffinating!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the easiest way to avoid having a bad coffee is to know which one you will like.

The way to do this? Learning the basics of coffee. Like every other subject, coffee can be broken down into many smaller categories: such as roast type, espresso, drip coffee and so on.

I’m going to be completely honest and say that I initially thought white coffee was just another term to talk about lattes, flat whites & other milk drinks. but it is far from it!

Today we will be learning about the 3 main roast categories and specifically what white coffee is.

There will also be some common flavor notes for the main roasts on the market to help you decide which roast might be the best for you!

So, without further ado…

Table Of Contents

• Coffee Roasting: The Most Common Roasts
  • The Three “Pillar” Coffee Bean Roasts
• What is white coffee & where did it come from?
• What does white coffee taste like?
• Why is white coffee becoming more popular?
  • Caffeine
  • Chlorogenic Acid
• Where can you find it?
• Summary: Final thoughts on the differences between white & black coffee

Now, before we get into discussing anything, you need to learn about the process of roasting coffee beans. Hint: It’s the most important step in making coffee

The coffee roasting process is one of the most important steps in creating a great tasting cup of coffee.

Without this process, the coffee beans would stay green (yes, green!) and would have no taste, smell, or pretty much any flavor profile.

The flavors & smell that coffee lovers adore, comes majorly from the roasting process.

The roasting process can be incredibly complex as it varies from roaster to roaster and essentially is a giant chemistry project to make great coffee.

So, to start, we are going to take a quick peek into the three main coffee roasts to see how they are roasted. This will set the baseline for talking about black and white coffee late on.

Do you already know about the coffee roasting process? Click here to skip learn about white coffee!

The majority of coffee on the market will fall into three main roast categories: light roast, medium roast, and a darker roast.

There are many more types of coffee beans that fall into sub-categories of these three.

For instance, you will find your city or cinnamon roasts in the light roast category. But for the most part these are going to be your three most commonly seen roasts on the market.

The coffee roasting process only begins after the harvested beans are processed and dried. After this has been done, the green coffee beans will be placed in roaster.

The amount of time the beans are roasted depends solely on the type of roast the company is trying to achieve.

In general, the green beans are roasted anywhere from 356 to 482 degrees Fahrenheit over a period of 7 to 20 minutes. As you might expect, the longer the beans stay in the heater, the darker the roast it will be.

Note: Black coffee is defined as a dark roast or darker roasted bean.

During this roasting period, a chemical reaction, called the Maillard reaction, takes place between the sugars and amino acids in the unroasted coffee beans.

This reaction creates the delicious flavors we coffee drinkers know and love!

Note: If you want to learn about the nitty gritty of coffee roasting and more about the Maillard reaction, check out the following posts & videos!

• Coffee roasting explained – Youtube Video
• An Introduction to the Maillard Reaction
• The Ultimate Roasting Guide

Now, a very important point in this roasting process is called the first crack.

At around 385 F, a cracking noise will occur when a lot of the moisture inside the beans has evaporated and needs to escape. 

This first crack is important to roasters as the coffee beans have approached the stage of being a light roast once it happens.

Now, because the beans are roasted for different periods of time, the flavors vary from roast to roast. Acidity and bitterness are two major flavors that change with how long the beans are roasted.

Below is a breakdown of the flavor basics for each main roast.

P.S. this is a great way to see which type of coffee you may like! I personally hate acidic coffee so I almost never go for a light roast.

• Light Roast Coffee: roasted at about 356-401 F for 5-7 minutes
  • least bitter
  • more “origin characteristics” (unique flavors from the area the coffee beans were grown)

• Medium Roast: roasted at about 410-428 F for 8-10 minutes
  • a middle ground for acidity and bitterness!
  • bright flavor profiles

• Dark Roast Coffee: roasted between 464-482 F for 12-15 minutes
  • most likely to have a strong bitter taste
  • many dark roasts taste similar as the origin characteristics are lost due to the high heat
  • Produces oily, black beans depending on how dark the roast is

Now that we’ve covered the basics of roasting and the most popular roasts, what exactly is white coffee?

I was surprised to find out that white coffee isn’t a type of drink like a latte or flat white.

Instead, white coffee is a roast of coffee that is even lighter than a light roast coffee.

Like I said earlier, there are the three main roasts when it comes to coffee, but there are many coffees that fall within or outside of these roasts. White coffee is a great example of this!

This extremely lightly roasted coffee originated in the middle east in Yemen, back in the early 1900’s, and was initially combined with hawaji, a spice mix from Yemen.

Hawaji, made up of cardamon, turmeric, cinnamon and more, deepens the nutty flavors of the drink while adding an earthy component as well.

If you want to try out Hawaji for yourself, you can find a great recipe here!

White coffee is typically only roasted at low temperatures, between 300 and 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and only for 5 to 6 minutes.

Now, the beans do undergo some of the roasting process, hence the color change from green to white, but they are taken out of the roaster before that important first crack.

Now, as we mentioned, the beans don’t undergo “first crack” with white coffee, so unlike your typical coffee beans, white coffee has a unique flavor profile that is much more consistent, and subtle.

White coffee has been known to be more acidic than other coffee roasts and also have a nutty flavor component to the roast as mentioned before.

Due to the short roasting process, this roast has almost no bitter aftertaste to it!

I personally have yet to try white coffee so these flavor notes are based off of other people’s experiences and research, but hopefully I will get my hands on some soon!

Although I have yet to come across white coffee in my day-to-day life, the better health benefits of white coffee and increased caffeine content have helped popularity grow over the years.

Let’s go back and talk about that important roasting process now. There are two more topics that come into play with the popularity of white coffee: caffeine content and chlorogenic acid.

Caffeine Content

Remember when I talked about how the first crack happens because of some liquids in the green coffee beans evaporate and need to escape?

The caffeine in the coffee beans makes up some of the liquid that evaporates as the beans are heated.

Therefore, when the beans undergo a shorter roasting time, the higher the caffeine content will be.

White beans will have a higher caffeine content as they are roasted at a much lower temperature for a short amount of time. Comparatively, black coffee beans are roasted at higher temperatures for longer. Thus, more caffeine evaporates, and you are left with less caffeine in your cup of coffee.

Now although there is a difference in the caffeine levels, it is not drastic.

According to Latte Love Brew, the difference in how much caffeine is in a normal espresso shot vs a white coffee espresso shot is only around 4mg of caffeine.

but hey! when you’re looking for a caffeine kick, an additional 4mg doesn’t hurt!

Chlorogenic Acid

While you may have not heard about this ingredient in coffee beans, you probably have heard of the term antioxidants.

Antioxidants are found in a variety of healthy foods that you and I probably try and eat on a normal bases, such as fruit, veggies, whole grains and so on.

The antioxidants found in these foods are known to help your body stay healthy by fighting off free radicals.

Free radicals, or unstable atoms can occur in the body from a variety of things such as smoking and alcohol and can cause damage to the healthy cells in your body over time.

Some health issues that have been linked to free radicals going rogue are:

• Cardiovascular diseases
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Aging skin (including wrinkles and sun spots)

So obviously making sure you have enough antioxidants in your diet is important!

Fortunately, chlorogenic acid is one among them, giving coffee an excellent source of antioxidants.

The chlorogenic acid content in coffee, like the caffeine content, drops as the beans are roasted. As a result, lighter roast coffee has more antioxidants.

This just means that white coffee and other light roasts, aid in weight loss and have more health advantages over darker roasts of coffee.

While you can try to hunt it down in your local coffee shop or grocery store, your best bet for a guaranteed find will be buying it online or at a specialty roaster.

Now, since I haven’t tried white coffee myself, I unfortunately have none to recommend, but Brew Smartly has put together a great list of their 5 recommended white coffee beans for 2023 that you can read here.

If you don’t feel like reading another article, here is a summary of a few of their recommended beans!

• Poverty Bay Coffee Co. White Coffee
• Wired Willey’s White Coffee
• Caffe Appassionato Ground White Coffee

Note: The unique roasting process makes white coffee beans much harder and dense than regular coffee beans. Because of this you will need to have a special coffee grinder if you purchase a non-grounded bag of beans. I came across this article that has a great step-by-step guide on how to brew the best white coffee at home.

The roasting process has so much influence over how the flavor of your cup of coffee will develop. The caffeine content, although slight, does change with the roasting process as well as the acidity and bitterness the beans will produce.

Below is a side by side comparison of the main differences between white and black coffee!

White coffee is an extremely light roast that undergoes substantially less time in the roaster than other roasts of beans, creating a distinct nutty flavor that many people love.

The additional antioxidants found in white coffee only adds to the appeal and this roast has been officially added onto my list of new coffee drinks to try!

I hope you give it a try if you come across it, and if you do, drop a comment below to share your experience!

As always, thank you for taking the time to read today’s post! If you want to learn a bit more about the world of coffee check out these related articles:

• The 8 most commonly ordered coffees (and what they are!)
• Who Makes (the surprisingly great) McDonald’s McCafe Coffee?
• Coffee For a Cause: Give Back with Each Cup of Coffee

if you haven’t already, check out the Procaffinator Instagram here for cafe review & coffee content!

I hope you have a great rest of your day and keep on procaffinating! 🙂

McDonald’s has an absolute staple world wide with a massive 40,275 resturants around the globe, 13,345 of those being in the United States, the birthplace of the iconic chain.

They are known for some of our favorite childhood & college staples like the Apple Pie, Sausage & Egg McMuffin (growing up this was the #1 road trip fuel) and loads of other late night snacks.

The golden arches company took it one step further by creating a new subset of stores that have since become iconic, the infamous McCafé’s.

The History of Mcdonalds & McCafe Drinks

Opening their first store back in 1941, it took the McDonald’s founders, Ray Kroc & Maurice McDonald, 42 years before serving their first drip coffee in restaurants. Fast forward a short 10 years late and the first McCafe Restaurant, serving espresso drinks, was launched in beautiful Melbourne, Australia.

This first location was a great choice on their end as Australian’s love their coffee, with 30% of Aussies drinking three or more cups of coffee per day as of 2021.

The idea behind the McCafe was to offer better coffee drinks than their fast-food chain competitor while serving up some delicious snacks in a comfortable environment.

Since the launch of the first Australian McCafe and the launch of the first North America McCafe in Chicago back in 2001, the McCafe menu & brand has grown rapidly.  McCafe beverages started to be served at every McDonalds Drive through as of 2014.

The McCafe drink menu now contains 20 different coffee beverages (if not more) including some popular espresso-based drinks such as the cappuccino, vanilla iced coffee and macchiatos.

One fantastic thing about McDonald’s restaurants being worldwide is you can get a fun twist on your usual order if you’re traveling in different countries.

Check out some of the coolest McDonald’s around the world here!

However, one thing every coffee lover knows is that you can’t make good coffee without good coffee beans, so who is supplying McDonald’s the beans that make their coffee so good for such a low price?

Who Supplies McDonalds Their Delicious Coffee Beans?

In order to have good coffee, you need to have good coffee beans.

Thats why since the beginning of McDonalds Coffee back in 1983, Gaviña Gourmet Coffee Roasters have been one of McDonald’s main suppliers. The partnership began when the fast food restaurant started serving their drip coffee, and continued on when they added espresso based drinks following the launch of the McCafe.

Gaviña is a family owned and run company that started back in the 1870’s. They are currently based in California where the roasting and packaging of their coffee beans takes place.

Although specific countries were not mentioned on the website, the company mentions that Gaviña sources their coffee from some of the best places to grow coffee such as South and Central America as well as Africa.

This is backed up on the McDonald’s website which states:

They are 100% Rainforest Alliance Coffee Beans from Honduras, Columbia, Peru and Brazil.

Additionally, the beans McDonald’s receives from these countries are 100% Arabica coffee beans.

For those who don’t know exactly what that means, arabica coffee beans are known for producing a smoother tasting coffee. Pretty much they don’t have that acidic taste that is associated with Robusta beans.

One downside to this however is that according to barista supplies, “Robusta beans contain twice the level of caffeine than Arabica beans”.  So, I guess it comes down to preference on if you’re willing to sacrifice a bit of caffeine for the non-acidity that can come with Robusta beans.

McDonalds is not alone in where they source their coffee beans. Some of the other major coffee suppliers such as Starbucks and Tim Hortons, also source their coffee beans from these fantastic “coffee belt” countries. 

Gavina’s Involvements with Sustainability

Gavina Gourmet Coffee is a great company due to the quality of coffee they produce and supply, but one of the most important features of this company is their focus on environmental standards and sustainability.

Since it is now 2023, we absolutely love when large companies make an effort to decrease their impact on the planet. Gaviña coffee roasters does just that by only working with partners who are certified with the Rainforest Allegiance, USDA, and Fair Trade USA.

What does being certified by the Rainforest Allegiance mean?

The seal means that the certified ingredient was produced using methods that support the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental.

The Rainforest Allegiance certification programs cover a broad range of issues by teaching on topics such as healthy foresting practices, responsible land management and helping farmers prepare for a variety of unpredictable weather conditions.

They additionally cover issues in human rights & the livelihood of the farmers and people they work with.

A recent program that ran from 2018-2021 focused on developing

indicators and methodologies that will strengthen the capacity of governments and social partners to negotiate and set adequate wage levels.

Many of the pilot countries used in this project are major coffee producers such as Costa Rica and Ethiopia.

Fair Trade USA & USDA Organic

Making impacts similar to the Rainforest Allegiance, the Fair Trade certification help communities and farmers by having a

Guaranteed minimum price that acts as a safety net for coffee farmers and producers when the market prices are low

among other standards to keep coffee and other product production sustainable and healthy for both the workers & environment.

Extra Bonus Points for Gavina

Lastly, Gavina additionally achieved zero waste to landfill in 2017 and are running a recycling program with TerraCycle to increase the recycling of their product packaging.

You can learn more about their full efforts in sustainability on the Gavina website here.

How much caffeine is in McDonalds coffee?

Everyone reacts to caffeine differently, so it’s good to have an idea of how much caffeine you may be consuming in one of your favorite drinks.

McDonalds states on their website that:

We publish the nutrients in our food as required by the FDA. However, the FDA does not require publishing caffeine levels.

which is…annoying to say the least

however, for all the barista made drinks containing espresso, it is safe to assume that for every shot of espresso in your coffee, you will be consuming around 63 mg of caffeine. There are many factors that can cause this amount of vary, such as the type of bean used, but for the most post, it should be in the 60-70 mg range.

If you’re extremely caffeine sensitive, think about giving your local store a call to see if they can give you a more exact answer.

Where can you buy McCafe Coffee for your home?

There are a number of ways you can brew a cup of McCafe brand coffee in your home, a known popular item being Keurig Coffee pods or K-cups.

The McCafe K-Cups take a step beyond the normal menu with even more flavors available in k-cup pods such as Horchata Latte, French Vanilla, and of course, Pumpkin Spice for fall time. You can get a variety of these K-Cups in light roasts, dark roasts, and a medium roast as well.

You can also find McCafe’s ground coffee in a premium roast (a medium roast), breakfast blend (light roast), Colombian blend (medium to dark roast), and French vanilla (dark roast) if you don’t use K-Cups.

Some of the most popular grocery stores carrying McCafe coffee are Meijer, Costco and Walmart. Meaning you can never be too far from a cup of McDonalds McCafe Coffee.

Summary: The McCafe Coffee Story

McDonald’s is an iconic fast food chain that has grown over the last eight decades and will only continue to grow. After adding McCafe’s to the brand only 20 years ago, McDonald’s McCafe coffee has checked all of the boxes by being a good cup of coffee that you can buy affordable price.

They couldn’t have chosen a better supplier for their beans as Gavina Gourmet Roasters is a company that prioritizes the future of coffee by only working with certified sustainable partners while producing a quality product.

All of this means you can enjoy an environmentally and farmer friendly cup of coffee at your local McDonalds or in the comfort of your own home!

Do you love McDonald’s coffee? Comment your favorite drink below!

Have a great day & Happy Procaffinating!

With an alarming 92% of college students drinking coffee, it is no surprise that coffee shops are a popular study spot.

As an engineering student, I spent the majority of my time in my local coffee shop, trying to understand what was happening in my classes and consume as much coffee as possible.

​While there are benefits to studying in school libraries, coffee shops actually have a number of scientifically backed benefits that make them the perfect study space.

So today were learning about how studying in a coffee shop can lead to increased productivity, increased focus, and overall better information retention!

Easy and frequent access to a caffeine source

Caffeine is pretty much in the blood of every college student, as mentioned before, 92% of students drink coffee!

The addictive drink keeps you moving through the days and the inevitable long nights of studying.

Coffee shops have the ability to create a number of exciting, caffeinated drinks, a great step up from the instant coffee most students use.

Caffeine also has a number of known health benefits such as lowering the risk of depression,, but it also has a few benefits when it comes to learning.

This Open University article states that beyond keeping you awake; caffeine can also:

help to improve alertness and enhance short-term capabilities so that you can easily learn and absorb new information.

Moving on from caffeine, many coffee shops are also a great place to grab some food or a fresh bakery item.

While eating junk food isn’t recommended while studying, many cafes offer a number of foods that stimulate brain activity such as fruit and chocolate.

Bonus: if you’re in Madison or Milwaukee check out Stone Creek Coffee or Indie Coffee House. Both of these coffee shops have great studying environments and fantastic food.

You’re not at home or in your dorm room

When you’re studying for hours on end, a change of scenery can be essential to keeping focused.

Being in close proximity to where you sleep or near your TV can lead to a short break that leads into a longer break and then eventually you just call it a day.

Being in a location surrounded by other people and natural light can give you the extra push you need to keep on studying.

An extra bonus to studying outside of your home is that you don’t have any house clutter or mess around you.

According to a UCAS blog post, a cleaner environment leads to a clean brain which in turn, leads to a more productive study session.

You can create your own perfect study environment

Between the free wi-fi and comfortable chairs, you can create a great study environment in a cafe.

Comfort is incredibly important when it comes to studying. I mean, no one has ever focused on physics when their leg is cramping.

This is the time to choose a larger table (if it’s not too busy) and spread out.

Having a comfortable and clean space to study will help you keep organized and motivated during long hours of studying.

While you should arrive with a plan to get the most out of your study session, using extra study materials like binders can:

There’s A Good Amount Of Movement Around You

This one may be controversial as many people like dead silence when they study but for some reason, I need music or movement when I study.

​There are numerous benefits to studying in an environment that has background noise and a lot of people.

​It has been found that a moderate level of noise

increases processing difficulty, which in turn promotes abstract processing

This abstract processing means that our brains tend to find more creative solutions to problems when surrounded by low level distractions.

​Keep in mind, if it’s too loud in your local coffee shop, the noise may become an unhelpful distraction, so try to avoid studying during peak hours.

Coffee shops are a perfect place for group studying

Last but not least, coffee shops have the perfect environment for a study group.

Having the noisy environment we talked about earlier, coffee shops are extremely easy to talk and exchange ideas in. 

​The campus libraries can be great, but in reality, it can be hard to find a study spot where you don’t feel you’re interrupting someone else’s studying with your group conversations.

It is expected to have conversations at coffee shops, so you have no reason to worry about ruining anyone else’s experience when studying at a cafe.

​Some cafes even have separate areas for people who are there to work on group projects.
​

Tip: If you have a large group, be sure to call ahead and see if you can reserve a table to make life easier