Is Keurig K Cups Instant Coffee or Brewed Coffee? Believe it or not, the answer to this question depending if we are concentrating on convenience or on the process. Let’s break it down a bit so we can try and figure out how exactly to define it.
Original Concept: The Keurig K Cup Pods
When John Sylvan invented the machine and the pod system in the early 90s, it was so he can find the way to forever banish the stale and bitter office coffee. The whole idea was to provide the freshness and flavor without having to set up a barista in every single room. The brewing was to also be easy and quick, just like opening a sachet and adding hot water, so from that point, I guess there is some instant gratification aspect.
Sylvan has since expressed regret for his invention because pods, though very simple and convenient to use, create quite a big waste problem.
What’s in the K-Cup?
When we are talking about what everyone recognizes as instant coffee, we are talking about the brew that is freeze-dried and brought back to life by the simple addition of boiled water. Freeze-drying, or lyophilization, is a process during which a product is first flash-frozen, and then has all the moisture removed leaving crunchy crumbly remains. If you want to see it in action on other foodstuffs, ask your prepper uncle to show you his stash.
However, what is in those little pods are real coffee grounds.
The Keurig itself is designed to function very much like a classic espresso machine. Water, at the right pressure and at the right temperature, passes through the grounds, then through the built-in filter, to create coffee just like any other machine. This is why you can get your own re-usable pods and fill them with any grounds you like, and use them in any machine.
But what about other K Cup flavors?
Now here is where it gets a bit fuzzy again.
To make it perfectly clear – the tea cups ( such as green tea K cups ) do contain real tea as well. The tea in question is finely milled so it can be extracted in the same way as coffee. The same trick with re-usable K-cups applies: if you want to use your own tea, you just have to grind it down to a powder and use it as usual.
The hot chocolate K-cups also contains real cocoa, which behaves the same.
But when we get into chais, lattes, and others, here we go back again to instant powders and their friends. The main ingredient still remains “real” but those other additions are all ready for instant action.
Conclusion : Is Keurig instant coffee?
Not exactly. All in all, the brewed coffee you will get in your cup is as real and fresh that can be at a push of a button – without having to take out a second mortgage for one of those super fancy machines that not only make your brew but also babysit your kids and do your taxes – and it will be as delicious as it can be without you training to become a barista or getting some pants on and going to your local coffee shop.
