62% of people drink coffee every day, according to recent industry studies. But you might not know that all coffee isn’t brewed equally.
Let’s face it; instant coffee is so easy. Just pour a few tablespoons of ground coffee into your coffee maker, add some water, and wait. But is it really the best way to make and enjoy your favorite coffee?
To find out, you’ll have to keep reading as we explore the differences between the whole bean VS ground coffee!
Whole Bean VS Ground Coffee
So, what’s the difference between ground and whole bean coffee, anyway?
Aside from the obvious, pre-ground coffee comes roasted and ready to brew. As this article on whole beans points out, this takes away a ton of the power from the consumer.
With ground coffee, there’s no need to worry about the proper grind for your machine or what temperature your water should be.
In essence, you’re trading a customizable coffee experience for convenience. And there’s nothing wrong with that! It all comes down to what you, as the coffee drinker, want from your experience.
If you just need a pick-me-up in the morning, ground coffee is fine. But if you want the best of the best, you’ll need to buy whole bean coffee.
1. Cost
If you’re looking at whole bean VS ground coffee cost purely from a value standpoint, ground coffee is actually the better value.
The average canister of Maxwell House or Folgers should make around 150 cups of coffee depending on how strong you like your brew. Typically, you’ll pay about $5 to $7 per canister, making ground coffee a solid deal.
Whole bean coffee tends to cost a dollar or two extra. Likewise, you’re not going to get as much for your money.
With whole bean coffee, you’ll want to buy a coffee grinder, too, so you can have fresh grinds at home. So right away, you’re looking at an additional cost of about $20 at least, furthering the argument in favor of ground coffee.
2. Taste
When it comes to coffee, there’s nothing more important than taste. And though ground coffee may have the upper hand on value, the taste of freshly brewed whole bean coffee is unbeatable.
Much of the taste of a cup of coffee comes from the oils within its grounds. When you grind beans, the oils quickly dissipate, meaning you’ll have to brew immediately for maximum freshness.
While that means you’ll have to grind beans every time you want to brew a pot of coffee, it also means that you’re getting a richer and fuller flavor from your beans.
With instant coffee, there’s little if any oil content, and thus, a blander taste.
3. Flavor
When it comes to buying a coffee bean or powder, we recommend whole grain coffee beans instead of grounded coffee because they taste more natural with decent flavor and aroma.
The whole bean coffee is more has more flavor because you have to grind it while preparing, which adds more flavors of whole beans to the coffee. And if you use grounded coffee, then many flavors are already extracted and less enhanced.
4. Easy to Prepare
You can easily prepare grounded coffee rather than whole beans. One has to grind the coffee beans to extract flavor from whole bean coffees, but in grounded coffee, you only have to mix the coffee in milk and get your cup ready.
It is very easy and efficient to make grounded coffee, but more flavors are available in the whole bean.
Advantage and Disadvantage of Whole Bean Coffee & Grounded Coffee:
Whole Bean Coffee:
- It tastes better, fresher, and aromatic. The beans, when grounded to make coffee, give a decent flavor with beautiful brown color to the coffee.
- It has more shelf life because coffee beans are whole, and no extraction is done. Therefore, one can store it for a longer time.
- But, it takes more time to prepare as one has to extract flavors by grounding it while making the same.
- A Burr Grinder is needed to grind the coffee beans finely.
- The grounded beans are manually ground; hence the size of the coffee powder is different.
It is a more decent coffee when prepared properly. You can get it from any store and store it for more time.
Ground Coffee:
- It saves time and convenient to prepare. One can easily make the coffee through coffee powder. It is available in different flavors and packs.
- Little coarser for some brewing methods. It is also lesser flavorful and fresh.
- It is easily available in the market or any grocery shop. You can buy a small pouch of 5 Rs. To Bigger Bottle of 500 Rs. Or more.
Grab a Bag of Beans and Brew a Cup Today
To recap our take on the whole bean VS ground coffee debate, the whole bean is definitely the way to go. Though you’ll spend a bit more upfront when you factor in the grinder, and you’ll have to put in some extra effort, it’s more than worth it once you take that first sip.
Enjoy the cup of tea and make tasty flavored coffee. Both types are preferable as per the need and requirements of an individual. One can buy as per convenience and make it difficult with different grinding or brewing methods.
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