The Difference Between Drip Bag Coffee and Instant Coffee - How to Brew a Convenient Cup of Coffee at Home

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The Easiest Coffee Choices: Instant vs. Drip Bag Coffee

The most convenient coffee options are instant coffee and drip bag coffee. What are the differences between them?

Three-in-One Coffee Contains 20 Times More Calories Than Ground Coffee

The convenience of three-in-one instant coffee has increased the popularity of "drinking coffee."

However, many people who drink three-in-one instant coffee don't delve deeply into quality. Because three-in-one coffee is cheaper than ground coffee, consumers can't expect high quality from low-priced products. Over time, some people stop caring about what they're drinking.

Have you ever wondered what's actually in convenient, quick-brewing instant coffee?

1. Your "Sugar-Free" Coffee is Actually High-Fat

Daily caloric intake from fat should only account for 10-20% of total calories, not exceeding 30%. When a product's fat calorie ratio exceeds 30%, it enters the dangerous "high-fat" range.

Whether it's three-in-one or two-in-one coffee, the fat content ratio is almost always too high.

Even more surprisingly, behind "sugar-free" two-in-one coffee lies the truth of "high-fat." You might think sugar-free two-in-one coffee is healthier, but the numbers speak for themselves. The fat calories in two-in-one coffee all exceed 30%, with Manabe Classic Sugar-Free Two-in-One and UCC Charcoal Roasted Two-in-One having fat calorie ratios over 50%. Compared to drip bag coffee which has almost zero fat content, your choice of coffee determines your fat intake.

2. Convenient Three-in-One and Two-in-One Coffee Contains 60-80% Creamer and Sugar

Creamer, sugar, and coffee beans all contain carbohydrates. Comparing carbohydrate content (sugar density), we find that the carbohydrate ratio in three-in-one and two-in-one coffee is 6-8 times higher than in drip bag coffee. The difference comes from sugar and creamer.

Take drip bag coffee as an example: its sugar density is 0.1, meaning in a 10-gram coffee packet, only 1 gram is carbohydrate, which comes from the coffee itself.

However, three-in-one and two-in-one coffee are completely different. The sugar density of three-in-one coffee reaches 0.7-0.8, meaning in a 20-gram serving of three-in-one coffee, 12-16 grams are carbohydrates, mostly from sugar and creamer, almost like a sugary beverage.

Although two-in-one coffee doesn't add sugar, creamer also contains carbohydrates. Therefore, while the sugar density is slightly lower than three-in-one, it's still around 0.6, with only UCC's Charcoal Roasted Two-in-One being lower (sugar density 0.4).

Without accounting for serving size differences, single-serving packages of various three-in-one coffee brands can have 1.6 times more calories. Compared to drip bag coffee, the calorie difference exceeds 20 times.

For example, UCC Original Blend Convenience Brew Coffee (drip bag style) has only 4 calories, while UCC Select Blend Three-in-One has 78.6 calories—a 20-fold difference. Seattle Instant Mantenin and Benesong Classic Mantenin both exceed 90 calories, with differences reaching 23 times.

Calorie density refers to calories produced per gram of food. If the density exceeds 4, it's considered a high-calorie food.

Research findings:

▼ The calorie density of every three-in-one coffee brand exceeds the standard.

▼ Two-in-one coffee shows polarization. While UCC and Benesong Sugar-Free Two-in-One have lower calorie densities (3.8 and 3.2 respectively), Nestlé and Brilong Two-in-One have calorie densities soaring above 5.

▼ Drip bag coffee has calorie densities ranging only from 0.4 to 0.6.

3. Unable to Verify Coffee Quality and Content

In fact, whether it's three-in-one or two-in-one, instant coffee powder has the disadvantage of insufficient aroma from the start. The most important aspect of drinking coffee is its aroma, but this aroma is destroyed during the freeze-drying process of instant coffee, leaving only a bitter, burnt taste.

Estimating factory price at one-quarter of retail price, assuming a pack of three-in-one coffee costs 12 yuan, the factory price would be 3 yuan. After subtracting packaging costs (1 yuan), and accounting for sugar, creamer, and profit, the coffee itself probably costs only 0.5 yuan. But brewing a 120cc cup of ground coffee requires 7-10 grams of coffee beans. One pound (454 grams) of coffee beans can brew 45 cups. If one pound of coffee beans costs 400 yuan, then one cup of coffee requires 9 yuan worth of beans. So it's a ratio of 9 yuan to 0.5 yuan worth of coffee—in other words, the cost of ground coffee is 18 times that of three-in-one coffee.

And once ground and mixed with sugar and creamer, three-in-one coffee makes it impossible to judge coffee quality.

Would choosing three-in-one coffee made with Arabica beans guarantee better quality? Not necessarily. Variety doesn't guarantee quality, as quality also relates to harvesting techniques and quality control. Choosing Arabica is certainly better, but you can't confirm whether its content is 100% or only 5-10%.

How can we judge the amount of coffee content? According to food hygiene management regulations, when food contains two or more ingredients, they should be listed in descending order of content. Therefore, the most-used ingredient comes first, the least-used last.

Analyzing the contents of various brands' three-in-one and two-in-one products, they either list "creamer, sugar, coffee" or "sugar, creamer, coffee." Only Seattle Instant Latte and Mocha Blend Three-in-One have coffee as the first ingredient.

For two-in-one coffee, only UCC Charcoal Roasted Two-in-One and Mocha Sugar-Free Latte Two-in-One have coffee as the main ingredient. The rest all list "creamer, instant coffee."

4. Besides Creamer and Sugar, There's Also Starch and Flavorings

The biggest problem with three-in-one coffee is the creamer. Most three-in-one coffee ingredients are creamer, sugar, and instant coffee—seemingly simple, but creamer actually contains glucose syrup, hydrogenated vegetable oil, sodium caseinate, stabilizers, emulsifiers, anti-caking agents, and other artificial additives.

Beyond the complex composition of creamer, "three-in-one" coffee is actually "six-in-one" or even "seven-in-one." Some products also add coloring, flavorings, salt, etc., while others incorporate maltodextrin, dextrin fiber, and other starch additives to increase thickness. For example, Benesong Classic Mantenin Sugar-Free Two-in-One coffee contains sweetener—maltitol. During the plasticizer incident, various syrups and emulsifiers became frightening artificial additives. Some sugar substitutes also have health controversy concerns. If you want to eat real food, it's best to stay away from artificial additives.

5. How to Brew a Good Cup of Coffee Yourself?

When we really don't have time and want to quickly brew a cup of three-in-one or two-in-one coffee, are there smarter, healthier ways to drink it?

If you want to brew your own coffee, coffee experts suggest mastering the following three points.

Drip Bag Coffee

1. Choose simple ingredient drip bag coffee. Drip bag coffee is a convenient option for people without time or equipment to brew coffee. However, it's best to buy hang-drip bags made by coffee shops. Compared to large food manufacturers, coffee shops have smaller markets and less inventory, so the coffee powder is fresher. Additionally, before drinking, you can check if the powder has any abnormalities and smell for any rancid odors.

2. The smart filter cup uses drip brewing principles, saving time and requiring no technique practice. When you don't have time to slowly brew coffee, you can use a smart filter cup—similar to traditional coffee filter cups but with a latch at the bottom. Just place filter paper, add coffee powder, pour hot water and stir, wait 1 minute, place the filter cup on a mug, press the latch to start dripping, and within 5 minutes, you can brew 2-4 servings of coffee.

3. For those who can't get used to black coffee, it's recommended to choose good sugar and milk and add them in moderation.

As for milk, fresh milk is the first choice.

If none of the above methods suit you, and you still want to buy three-in-one or two-in-one instant coffee, it's recommended to check whether coffee is listed as the first ingredient on the food label, and confirm there are no additives other than creamer and sugar.

FrontStreet Coffee's drip bag coffee is made from Arabica coffee beans, ensuring both flavor and health. On average, the most affordable option costs only 4 yuan per drip bag, making it an excellent value.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473