Picture this: You slept through your alarm, youre running late to work and when you desperately reach for your instant coffee fix, you realize that youve run out (argh). But wait, you have some ground coffee in the back of the cupboard. Still, theres no time to brew a pot. If only you could heat up one quick cup.
You wonder: Can I add hot water to ground beans and drink it like instant coffee?
“In a technical sense, the answer to this question is yes,” says Jon Allen, co-founder of Onyx Coffee Lab. “When you add water to ground coffee, the extraction process begins instantly — and that extraction process is what results in your cup of coffee,” Allen says.
In fact, this trouble-free technique is quite similar to other unfiltered brewing methods such as French press coffee, he says. But can you drink coffee grounds? And more importantly, is this unfiltered process even safe for your health?
Here, we debate the pros and cons (including those related to your health) of brewing ground coffee like instant varieties — plus tips for how to do it for the tastiest cup.
“Instant coffee is dehydrated brewed coffee,” Allen says. “When hot water is added to the dehydrated coffee crystals, they are instantly rehydrated, making for an extremely convenient and mess-free coffee-making experience,” he says.
“In contrast, ground coffee still needs to undergo the brewing process in order to extract out the flavors, aromas, mouthfeel and caffeine from the coffee beans,” Allen explains.
How to Use Ground Coffee as Instant Coffee
Whether youre out of instant and in a pinch, or you simply dont want to use a brewer, follow these simple steps to create a quick, quality cup of coffee every time.
For one cup:
- Boil 1 cup of water.
- Let it cool for a minute.
- Pour it over one to two tablespoons of grounds (depending on how strong you like your coffee).
- Stir well and let it sit for a minute before drinking.
While this unfiltered process is fast, straightforward and convenient, its not without a few downsides. “Unfortunately, there will always be some grounds floating around using this method because grounds do not dissolve like instant coffee,” Yeung says.
Here are a few tips to limit loose grinds for a cleaner cup:
Pour Your Coffee Into Another Cup
“You can also try pouring the coffee into a new cup after its finished brewing, leaving as many of the grounds as you can in the initial cup,” Yeung says.
How To Make Coffee Without A Coffee Maker
FAQ
Can I drink ground coffee like instant coffee?
Can I just pour hot water on ground coffee?
Can I use ground coffee directly?
Can I get coffee before its done brewing?
Can You brew coffee without a filter?
Brewing coffee is a vast and exciting world of methods, filters, and materials. If you’re used to using a method with paper filters, such as a drip coffee maker, you might feel lost at the thought of brewing coffee without a filter. But actually, life without coffee filters does go on. At home, I often make coffee without filters.
Can we drink coffee at night?
This is actually dependent on your genetic profile, more specifically on the ADORA2 gene. Depending on the variation of the ADORA2 gene you poses, caffeine is more or less likely to affect your sleep. Those with the sensitive variation of the ADORA2 gene should avoid consuming caffeine in the afternoon, and no later than 3pm. Those with the less sensitive versions of the ADORA2 gene can consume coffee (caffeine) much closer to bed time without experiencing any negative side effects. Tolerance can also play a role. This means the more regularly you consume caffeine before bed time, the less likely it is to effect your sleep and vice versa.
Can you make coffee without a coffee maker?
Besides, you can always make coffee without a coffee maker. Whether you prefer the reusable or disposable coffee filter, it has an essential role: eliminating the coffee grounds. This way, you get a cup of smooth coffee without any sediment. But there are other ways to achieve the same results.
Can you drink ground coffee without a filter?
Ground coffee is often made to be used with coffee makers, presses, or even with the pour-over method. However, unlike coffee makers and the pour-over method, presses are not associated with coffee filters. This truth makes them, in fact, unfiltered coffee still. Is drinking ground coffee without filtering harmful to my health?