Spray-Dried vs Freeze-Dried Instant Coffee vs Liquid Coffee Concentrate

How is instant coffee made?

Instant (soluble) coffee is brewed coffee with the water taken out. The beans are roasted, ground and extracted with hot water in industrial extraction columns. The extract is concentrated, and aroma compounds can be recovered along the way and returned before drying. What happens next decides the product:

• Spray-drying. The concentrated extract is atomised into a tower of hot air; droplets dry in seconds and fall as a fine powder. The powder may then be agglomerated into larger granules that dissolve without clumping and look more like ground coffee.
• Freeze-drying. The extract is frozen, broken into granules, and the ice is removed under vacuum by sublimation, at low temperature. Less heat means more of the volatile aroma survives.

Spray-dried or freeze-dried: what is the difference?

Spray-dried instant coffee is cheaper and comes as a fine powder or agglomerated granules; freeze-dried coffee keeps more aroma and costs more.

Our published moisture limits for both products are in the table below. Because instant coffee absorbs moisture from the air, the pack needs a good moisture barrier; a product that picks up moisture cakes and loses aroma.

Can instant coffee be packed as private label sachets?

Yes. Beyond bulk cartons for repackers and food manufacturers, instant coffee is supplied in retail sachets under an OEM programme, and freeze-dried coffee in jars or sachets. For sachets, agree the fill weight per serving, the film structure (a moisture and oxygen barrier), the sachet format and the carton configuration, as well as the label for your market. Feasibility and minimums are confirmed per project.

Instant coffee or liquid concentrate for RTD drinks?

Ready-to-drink coffee, iced coffee and dairy coffee products can be made from either powder or liquid concentrate.

A liquid concentrate is usually chosen when the plant already doses liquids and wants a flavour closer to freshly brewed coffee. Instant coffee is usually chosen when dry storage, low freight weight and quick dissolving matter most. Test both in the real recipe: caffeine, Brix and flavour intensity differ between products, so dosing is set on the approved sample.

What should the specification include?

An instant coffee or coffee concentrate specification states the format and the measurable properties below:

• Product and format: spray-dried, agglomerated, freeze-dried or liquid concentrate; blend and species.
• Moisture for powders, and Brix for concentrate, each with a tolerance.
• Solubility: hot and, if needed, cold solubility, tested by the buyer on the approved sample.
• Bulk density and particle or granule size: they change how much fits in a jar or sachet and how it looks.
• Caffeine, if the label or recipe depends on it.
• Colour and sensory reference, held as a retained sample.
• Pack: cartons or bags with an inner liner for bulk; retail jars or sachets for private label; bag-in-box, pails or drums for concentrate.
• Storage condition and shelf-life statement for the selected pack.

For EU buyers, instant coffee falls under the acrylamide rules of Regulation (EU) 2017/2158, which set a benchmark level of 850 µg/kg for soluble coffee. It is a performance indicator for mitigation, not a legal maximum; ask whether acrylamide monitoring results are available for the product you approve.

Our green coffee guide covers the bean side of the decision, and the private label roasted coffee guide covers roasted retail packs.