Some say that if you put the word ‘culture’ in a pod, place the pod into an espresso machine, press the little button - and out comes millennials.
The sale of instant coffee has been on a fast decline, from £808m in 2013 and expected to reach lows of £700m by the end of 2020. That’s because younger generations have become coffee snobs, throwing out their tins of sand-like coffee and choosing to settle for the ‘finer tastes’, but what’s all the fuss about?
It’s easy to assume that a few properties are lost through the process of instant-coffee processing. Coffee does lose many of its oils that give ground coffee their rich flavor. However, does that also mean that all the health benefits of coffee are lost in the instant-coffee processing too?
Dietitian Melanie McGrice notes that the difference between the instant coffee and ground coffee are pretty negligible, however there may be a small difference in terms of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and caffeine levels. It’s in potassium that ground coffee takes the lead by doubling the amount of that in instant. Though the main difference usually lies in the other “c” word - yes caffeine - according to Body Fusion dietitian, Emily Hardman. She further compares that one cup of instant coffee contains 60-80 mg of caffeine vs ground coffee that averages between 60-120 mg.
It is true that caffeine improves your physical and cognitive performance, mental alertness and decreases fatigue. That being said, more caffeine is not necessarily a good thing and its impact on your health is dependent on the individual and the dosage. There’s a fine line of indulgence between “maximum benefit” and going “coffee cocoo loco”, why moderation is key.
It’s settled then, ground coffee might win this round, but only just. It’s also safe to say that kids these days will do anything for the ‘culture’, (whatever that means). So the next time a 20 year old asks you for a cup of coffee, save yourself the hassle. Give them a cup of Medspresso™ and tell them to chill out.
For further information, don’t hesitate to reach out to Dr Anna, Chief Medical Officer of MJ Medtech, Inc. at dranna@mjmedtech.com
