Coffee

Buy packs of instant coffee online now at Cromwell. We stock a huge range of brands and flavours to suit your tastes in refill packs and in bulk to keep your guests and employees' thirst quenched. Choose from well-known brands, like Nescafé®, Kenco®, Tassimo®, Lyons® and more.

What is instant coffee?

Instant coffee is made from roasted, ground, and brewed coffee beans that are then freeze dried and packaged. A spoonful (or more) of these solids is then paired with boiling water or hot milk to make a cup of instant coffee.

Why buy instant coffee?

The main reason to buy instant coffee is in the name. It's instant and doesn't require any grinding or filtering to make a decent cup of coffee.

When instant coffee?

Instant coffee is a quick and convenient solution to providing hot beverages in coffee breaks and meetings.

Instant coffee types

There are two distinct differences to instant coffee. That is whether its caffeinated or decaffeinated and the processing method before packaging.

• Spray-dried instant coffee   -   This type of coffee is roasted and brewed and mixed into a paste before being sprayed with hot steam to dry it. It's then ground and packaged.

• Freeze-dried instant coffee   -   This is made using a similar process to spray-dried coffee, except that instead of steaming, the paste is frozen at temperatures of -40°C.

• Microground instant coffee   -   Much like ground coffee, this type of instant coffee is unprocessed and hasn't already been brewed before packaging to retain much of its natural flavour. Its so finely ground that it completely dissolve in the cup and leave no residue behind.

Considerations when choosing instant coffee

• Bean - to get the best flavour from your coffee, choose an instant that has been made with Arabica beans which have been grown in consistent, hot climates. The alternative is the Robusta bean, which is grown in changeable, harsh climates. It gives a strong flavour without the sweetness and character of the Arabica bean.

• Location - coffee beans will display regional characteristics that reflect where they're grown, for example, beans from Indonesia give a full-bodied flavour, while central and South American beans are plummy with a hint of chocolate.

• Roast - there isn't a universal strength system when making instant coffee, however, brands indicate the strength of flavour by stating the type of roast the beans have had. For a strong coffee flavour, choose a high roast, while a medium roast will have a smoother taste.

FAQs

What's the best way to store instant coffee?

Have you ever noticed your instant coffee granules discolouring and clumping together? This is because once you've removed the seal, air can get into the jar and start to oxidise the coffee. The best way to store coffee is in an airtight container out of direct sunlight. A cool cupboard is ideal.

What's the difference between ground coffee and instant coffee?

The essential difference between ground and instant coffee is processing and preserving. Both types of coffee start off the same way, as beans, and both are roasted to bring out the flavour. However, after this ground coffee is simply ground and packaged, while instant coffee goes through the process of brewing, mixing, and preserving in packaging. This processing affects the essential oils and removes much of the flavour by the time it makes it into our coffee cup.