One of the biggest differences between instant coffee and the coffee that you brew, peculate at home or buy from your favorite coffee shop is the bean.

Most all instant coffee is made from Robusta beans as opposed to the Arabica beans that you drink when you buy coffee from Starbucks, Seattle's Best, Blue Mountain Coffee, Columbia, or even (as seen on their new promotional advertisements) McDonald's. I will not get into a lesson about the different levels of quality in the species of Arabica beans, that is for another article on why McDonald can sell Arabica for $1.25 and Starbucks for $2.00. Most instant coffees and large commercial mass production companies use Robusta beans, like most coffees you find on the grocery store shelves. Arabica is a much greater quality bean and cost more to produce, these are the beans you buy from specialty coffee shops.

There are some benefits to using Robusta beans:
1. There is twice as much caffeine in Robusta than Arabica.
2. Because of the growing conditions Robusta is a cheaper bean.

The down side:
1. Robusta beans carry a much more bitter taste.
2. The are a poor quality bean

Most instant coffees have to use a little blend of Arabica to add a more quality flavor.

Instant coffee is a great way to quickly mix a cup of double caffeinated coffee; there is no doubt that for those who are always on the go it if a fast solution for a quick coffee fix.

I will very seldom ever touch instant, but there have been those times running from a hotel, or to a meeting, and I don't have enough time to swing by my favorite coffee shop to get a good cup of coffee that I've thrown together a hot cup of water, and a couple tables spoons of Instant...but it is never for the taste.

Learn more about this author, Samuel W. Connelly.
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