What is Freeze-dried Coffee?
It can certainly be challenging to physically get moving in the morning without that shot of caffeine for an extra push. While brewing coffee may take some time, freeze-dried coffee is here for the rescue. Coffee that has been dehydrated and made from coffee that has already been brewed is known as freeze-dried coffee. Coffee that has been frozen is rehydrated by soaking it in hot water. After being rehydrated, it can be used just like any other brewed coffee with a guaranteed aroma and flavor!
What is Freeze-Drying?
Foods are typically dried using a process called freeze-drying, which removes water from the food in order to extend their shelf life. There are several steps in the process of freeze-drying:
Step 1: The product temperature is initially lowered, typically to around -40°C, resulting in the free water freezing.
Step 2: Later, the equipment's pressure is reduced, and the frozen water sublimates (primary drying).
Step 3: Finally, the bound water is removed from the product, typically raising its temperature and subsequently lowering its pressure inside the machinery to achieve the desired residual moisture level (secondary drying).
What is Freeze-Dried Coffee?
A crucial step in the production of instant coffee is freeze-drying. After being roasted and ground, coffee beans are dissolved in hot water. By using this method, the flavor, aroma, and color of coffee are extracted from the coffee grounds, and a highly concentrated liquor is produced (typically, the final coffee solution contains between 15 and 30 percent coffee by mass).
The gentle drying conditions and extremely low operating temperatures of a freeze-drying process when processing food avoid aroma and color loss as well as nutrient deterioration, making it particularly suitable for producing high-quality goods.
How is Freeze-Dried Coffee Made?
The process of attaining freeze-dried coffee include the following:
Step 1:
In order to make freeze-dried coffee, coffee beans must first be processed into a coffee concentrate using high pressure. This makes it possible to extract materials from water that is above the boiling point but doesn't actually boil.
Step 2:
The concentrate is then frozen in a vacuum chamber to cause the water molecules to crystallize, which is done to remove the water from the concentrate.
The coffee flavoring components separate as a result of this crystallization and solidify into a mass. In order to prevent the formation of large ice crystals, the development of a porous quality, and an unfavorable color change, the coffee granules are frozen very quickly during the freeze-drying process.
Step 3:
The frozen mass is then placed in a drying chamber (vacuum chamber), typically on a metal tray, and the chamber is created to create a vacuum strong enough to dry the coffee very quickly. To ensure the quality of the finished product, drying speed is crucial.
The drying chamber is heated either through radiation, which is the most common method, through conduction, or through convection, which is rarely used because uneven drying rates can reduce the quality of the finished product.
Step 4:
The water is then expanded using a condenser, which causes the granules to enlarge ten times as the water vapor is expelled from the chamber. Condensation is followed by the granules being packaged for sale.
Usually, the vacuum chamber's frozen concentrate is heated to a temperature just above freezing, but the vacuum's effect prevents the concentrate from melting. The ice does not melt; it turns into a vapor.
Only the coffee residue remains after the vacuum chamber has vented this vapor out. Many of the valuable flavors of the coffee are preserved because the water is removed without using heat.
Why Choose Freeze-Dried Coffee?
If you are looking for prolonged quality of aroma, freshness, and flavor, then this is for you! The extremely low temperature and gentle drying conditions of the freeze-drying process preserve the quality of the coffee’s aroma and flavor.
More so, freeze-dried coffee has several advantages, which include the following:
- Coffee that has been frozen-dried is very portable. Both large containers and small packets that fit in pockets, purses, or lunchboxes are available.
- Additionally, equipment like a coffee maker is not needed to prepare freeze-dried coffee. A cup and some hot water are all that are required.
- Faster than freshly brewed coffee, freeze-dried coffee is ready. Once the coffee crystals have dissolved in the water, it is finished.
- Since coffee drinkers can simply add more crystals or water until they reach the strength they prefer, it is difficult to get the coffee's strength incorrect.
In conclusion, if you are a coffee-drinker on the go, the freeze-dried option is for you! Look for Alicafé Arabia’s premium freeze-dried coffee for a taste of absolute bliss in a cup of coffee with a dandy flavor and aroma.
