Keurig is a popular single-serve coffee maker because it gives you coffee instantly, pop in a K-Cup, hit a button and there comes your coffee! But just because it gives coffee instantly, does it mean it is Instant Coffee?
Is K-Cup Coffee Instant Coffee?
To quickly answer your question, the answer is no, K-Cups are NOT instant coffee. They contain pure coffee grounds just like you would using a drip coffee maker.
First, let’s define what Instant Coffee is: It’s the type of coffee you scoop into a mug, add hot water, dissolve the coffee in the water and you’re done. It’s the cheapest and fastest way to brew a cup of coffee, but it’s not necessarily the best. Instant coffee is made of coffee crystals and powder, which are derived from brewed coffee, that’s why it can dissolve in water.
Brewing a cup of coffee using a Keurig K-Cup is just a fast as instant coffee, the machine forces hot water through the K-Cup and you get a nice cup of coffee in under a minute. This is where the confusion happens…. K-Cups are just as convenient as Instant Coffee, but it’s not instant coffee.
What’s Inside a Keurig K-Cup?
K-Cups are available from many different coffee brands: Starbucks, Green Mountain, Dunkin’ Donuts, Tully’s and many more. These K-Cups are loaded with the optimal amount of coffee ground (actual coffee ground that doesn’t dissolve in hot water), for the best cup of coffee.
[Image source: CoffeeForLess.com]
Each K-Cup has:
- An airtight seal that seals in coffee ground freshness.
- an advanced filter so the coffee ground doesn’t make it to your cup
When you hit the Brew button on your Keurig coffee maker, the machine forces hot water through the K-Cup at optimal pressure and temperature. And that’s how you get a cup of fresh coffee, instantly.
See What’s Inside a K-Cup In Video
Do Coffee Grounds in the K-Cups Dissolve After Brewing?
No, the grounds remain in the filter inside the K-Cup, and you can check for yourself after you brew a pod (make sure to wait until it has cooled off!)
If the grounds have dissolved, that would mean that they contain instant coffee. But as I already mentioned, K-Cups are not made of instant coffee.
Can I Use Instant Coffee in a K-Cup Pod?
Let’s take this the other way around. Assuming you have a refillable k-cup pod that you want to fill with coffee. Can you use Instant coffee instead of coffee grounds?
No, you can’t and shouldn’t. In fact, there’s no point to it. Instant coffee is a soluble type of coffee that requires no machine to prepare, why would you want to use it in a brewer?
If you have instant coffee, then it is best to make it directly in a mug by adding hot water only. To use a refillable k-cup pod, you’ll need medium-ground coffee.
Is a K-Cup Considered Filtered or Unfiltered Coffee?
If you look at the graph above, you’ll notice that the pod actually has a paper filter inside it. This paper filter holds the coffee grounds and keeps at much coffee residue as possible. With that, it is safe to say that K-Cup pods are in fact filtered coffee.
Can You Use K-Cups Without a a Keurig Machine?
Technically, it is not possible to use K-Cup pods as intended without the use of a k-cup brewer. However, if you find yourself in a position where you have pods but not the machine, you can empty out the pods of the coffee and use the grounds with another type of brewer available to you. This is, obviously, an ‘emergency’ type of situation. You shouldn’t buy pods for that purpose only, it’d be such a waste of your money.
Can the Coffee Inside a K-Cup Be Used as Instant Coffee?
No. The coffee grounds inside a K-Cup pod needs some sort of tool to be brewed, it will not dissolve in water immediately. You can use something like a French Press for example, or any manual coffee brewing tool. Do NOT use it with a stovetop moka pot, though. This tool required really fine coffee grounds, and k-cup’s contain medium ground coffee.
Want To Buy a Keurig Coffee Maker?
We’ve written many articles on many Keurig coffee makers that will hopefully help answer your questions and help you make an informed decision. Here are some suggestions:
