Instant coffee, also called soluble coffee, coffee crystals, and coffeepowder, is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans that enables people to quickly prepare hot coffee by adding hot water to the powder or crystals and stirring. Instant coffee is commercially prepared by either freeze-drying or spray drying, after which it can be rehydrated. Instant coffee in a concentrated liquid form is also manufactured.
Advantages of instant coffee include speed of preparation (instant coffee dissolves quickly in hot water ), lower shipping weight and volume than beans or ground coffee (to prepare the same amount of beverage), and long shelf life —though instant coffee can spoil if not kept dry. Instant coffee also reduces cleanup since there are no coffee grounds, and at least one study has found that it has a lower environmentalfootprint than other preparation methods.
