Instant coffee
A quick-dissolving coffee beverage derived from processed brewed beans.
Instant coffee is a beverage derived from processed brewed coffee beans that enables consumers to quickly prepare a hot coffee beverage by adding hot water or milk to powdered solid coffee extracts. The product was invented in 1890 in Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand. Instant coffee solids are commercially prepared by either freeze-drying or spray drying coffee beverage, and are also manufactured in a concentrated liquid form.
- invented
- 1890
- inventor
- David Strang
- place_of_invention
- Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand
- field
- Food and beverage
- known_for
- Soluble coffee powder
- patent_number
- 3518
Lore & Background
The invention for powdered soluble instant coffee was filed on 28 January 1889 and patented in 1890 by David Strang of Invercargill, New Zealand, under patent number 3518, and sold as 'Strang's Soluble Coffee Powder', citing the patented 'Dry Hot-Air' process. Some modern sources have credited French humorist and writer Alphonse Allais with the invention. The invention was previously attributed to Satori Kato, a Japanese scientist working in Chicago in 1901, who introduced the powdered substance in Buffalo, New York, at the Pan-American Exposition. George Constant Louis Washington developed his own instant coffee process shortly thereafter, first marketing it commercially in 1910.
In 1938 Nestlé produced a more stable, free-flowing instant coffee powder under the Nescafé brand, composed of 50% soluble coffee solids and 50% maltodextrins. Nescafé instant coffee became known world-wide during the Second World War through inclusion in the rations of the US Army. In the 1950s, General Foods introduced an instant coffee product made from 100% coffee solids without added carbohydrates. The first freeze-dried instant coffees were produced in the late 1960s, followed by agglomeration of spray-dried soluble coffee together with aromatisation.
Reader's Guide
Instant coffee has advantages over coffee brewed from ground coffee beans including speed of preparation, lower shipping weight and volume, and long shelf life—though it can spoil if not kept dry. However, the beverage made from ground coffee is considered to have superior quality and taste. Instant coffee also reduces cleanup since there are no coffee grounds. At least one study has found that instant coffee has a lower environmental footprint than drip filter coffee and capsule espresso coffee, on a prepared beverage basis, disregarding quality and appeal. Close to 50% of the world's green coffee is used to produce instant coffee. In some countries, such as Portugal, Spain, and India, instant coffee is commonly mixed with hot milk instead of boiling water. In South Korea, instant coffee commonly comes pre-mixed with non-dairy creamer and sugar and is called 'coffee mix'. Said to have been popularised in the UK by GIs during World War II, instant coffee still accounts for over 75 percent of coffee bought to drink in British homes, as opposed to well under 10 percent in the U.S. and France and one percent in Italy. Instant coffee is also used in non-beverage applications, such as in Caffenol, a home-made black-and-white photographic developer, and as a dye to stain paper to give the impression of aging.
Did You Know?
- Instant coffee was invented in 1890 in Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand, by David Strang.
- Close to 50% of the world's green coffee is used to produce instant coffee.
- Instant coffee has a median caffeine content of 66 mg per cup, compared to 112 mg for drip or filter coffee.
- Instant coffee can be used as a dye to stain paper and give the impression of it being aged.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Instant coffee?
Instant coffee is a quick-dissolving beverage made from processed brewed coffee beans, first created by David Strang in 1890 in Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand. It holds patent number 3518 and is best known as a soluble coffee powder in the food-and-beverage field.
What are Instant coffee's powers/role?
Its signature ability is letting anyone produce a hot coffee drink in seconds by simply stirring in hot water or milk. Commercially, the product is made through freeze-drying or spray drying, and it also appears as a concentrated liquid form.
Where was Instant coffee born?
Instant coffee traces its origin to Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand, where David Strang developed the process back in 1890. That small-town setting makes it one of the earliest processed coffee products in recorded history.
How does Instant coffee's story end?
Instant coffee has no dramatic final chapter; it simply became a permanent, shelf-stable staple in kitchens around the world. Its legacy endures as the go-to practical alternative to freshly brewed coffee, available in powder, granule, and liquid formats.
Why is Instant coffee important?
It removed the need for brewing equipment, making a hot coffee drink accessible to virtually anyone with a cup and hot water. Strang's 1890 invention fundamentally changed how everyday people interact with coffee, turning a multi-step ritual into a single pour.
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