Instant coffee was invented in 1901 by a Japanese scientist and commercially introduced by Nescafe in 1938. It gained popularity during the 1950s and 1960s but lost favor with the advent of drip coffee makers. It is still used for flavoring desserts and beverages.
Instant coffee is essentially ground coffee that has been freeze-dried. When rehydrated with hot water, it produces a beverage that is somewhat similar to coffee brewed from ground, roasted beans. It doesn’t require a pot or preparation time, making it ideal for travelers or camping, or anytime when brewed coffee isn’t available.
Satori Kato, a Japanese scientist working in Chicago, invented instant coffee in 1901. It was primarily a concept until the Nescafe Company commercially introduced it in 1938. This beverage gained in popularity over the following years and was included in C-Ration packets released in the field to soldiers during World War II.
Instant coffee is made by placing wet coffee granules on large trays and freezing them. The air is then extracted from the freezing chamber to avoid condensation and the chamber is heated. The resulting motifs are packaged for sale. Manufacturers often use low-quality coffee beans for roasting and grinding, which contributes to its generally poor taste.
In the United States, the 1950s and 1960s were decades of emerging foods and appliances, so it’s no surprise that this product was most popular during these years and the 1970s. The use of this type of coffee, like many other food fads, was considered “progressive”. Those who preferred brewed coffee could be considered a bit old fashioned.
With the advent of drip coffee makers, brewing fresh coffee is suddenly back in fashion. Percolators can be difficult to work with, but the drip machine was easy: People could just put the little paper filter in the basket, pour coffee into it, then pour water into the tank out back. Ten minutes later, they had a well brewed cup of coffee. Those who had all but forgotten what brewed coffee tasted like were buying drip coffee makers, and instant coffee began to rapidly lose favor.
As the “gourmet” coffee trend has taken hold, instant coffee drinking is, in some quarters, heavily looked down upon. This product does have its uses in the kitchen, however. It is good for flavoring desserts such as mousse or filling cream when strong brewed coffee would add too much liquid. This type of coffee is also used in frappes and other beverages that require a coffee flavor, but not necessarily from brewed coffee. It is still readily available in most supermarkets, and most cooks keep a jar of it on hand, just for these uses.
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