Is Freeze dried coffee the same as Spray dried coffee?

Why are some coffee divided into Freeze Dried Coffee and Spray dried coffee? What is the difference and which is better? We hear these questions all the time, so it is time to compare!

When it comes to instant coffees, there are two types of dried beans: freeze dried and spray dried.

Before we distinguish them, let's define what is instant coffee. Instant coffee is a type of dissolvable coffee made from brewed coffee beans. To make a cup of coffee, all you need to do is mix instant coffee powder or crystals with water or milk.

Spray dried coffee is made by spraying hot water onto coffee beans, The water instantly evaporates , leaving behind dry coffee powder.

Freeze dried coffee is made by freezing coffee beans and then exposing them to a vacuum .The ice to turn into gas directly , leaving behind dry coffee powder.Freeze dried coffee can have higher quality and better taste due to the flavor preserving process.

Both methods involve removing the water from coffee to leave behind coffee extract, but the process is quite different.

Freeze drying coffee beans is a slow and expensive process, but it results in a product that retains more flavor and aroma. The fresh beans are first frozen and then placed in a vacuum chamber, where the instant coffee crystals sublimate directly into vapor.

Freeze dried coffee has a long shelf life and can be reconstituted by adding water. In contrast, spray-drying is a much faster and cheaper process, but it causes the coffee to lose some of its flavor and aroma. During the process, it removes the moisture content. In addition, spray-dried coffee don’t have a long shelf life like freeze dried coffee, it also needs special preservation conditions.

So which kind of coffee is better? This depends on your needs. The price of frozen -dried coffee is more expensive, but it has a longer shelf life, the taste and aroma are better, and the price of Spray Dried coffee is cheaper, but it has a shorter shelf life than freeze dried coffee.