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Is instant coffee the next big thing?

Natascha Mirosch

The new iced coffee: Bottled cold-brew coffee.
The new iced coffee: Bottled cold-brew coffee.Michelle Smith

You might not need that fancy coffee machine much longer. According to a world-leading coffee expert, instant or "soluble" coffee is set to make a comeback.

"There are people rethinking soluble coffee, working on the technology right now, and I think we're going to see it coming back as a specialist coffee," says Professor Dr Chahan Yeretzian, a Swiss chemist, who is head of the Certificate of Advanced Studies in The Science and Art of Coffee at Zurich University of Applied Science.

Is instant coffee making a comeback?
Is instant coffee making a comeback?Marina Oliphant
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Yeretzian worked on the development of the Nespresso machine and was in Australia earlier this month on a whirlwind visit for a series of talks on coffee.

While the news that powdered coffee may be back could cause some coffee lovers to choke on their macchiato, the "new" soluble coffee will be made from a much higher quality coffee, something Professor Yeretzian concedes wasn't usually the case.

As well as "soluble" coffee, we'll see the continued growth of cold-drip coffee, he says.

Coffee expert Professor Chahan Yeretzian enjoys a coffee in Brisbane.
Coffee expert Professor Chahan Yeretzian enjoys a coffee in Brisbane.Michelle Smith

"Normally you wouldn't brew with cold water but it extracts less acidity and is smoother. It's such a slow process to drip through you can't consider it to be 'fresh' but there's a new generation of baristas not bound to the rules, looking beyond freshness."

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Professor Yererezian says that the cold coffee trend will see more bottled coffee available. Interest in filter coffee will continue to grow with the development of new filter systems.

We can also expect to see more "nitrogen brewed" coffee, in a reinterpretation of the builders' favourite, iced coffee. Cold coffee with a frothy Guinness-type cream created through being treated with nitrogen under high pressure, "nitro coffee" comes on tap and is rich, creamy and low in acid. It can be drunk with milk or even mixed with alcohol.

Professor Yeretzian's tips for making a perfect coffee

■ The natural oils in coffee beans mean they are very volatile so beans should be treated as fresh produce. They are best used the week after roasting. After week three, it's all over.

■ Don't put all your beans in the grinder and leave. Use just what you need each time and re-seal the packet. Around 8g of beans will make a 30ml coffee.

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■ Never pre-grind the beans.

■ Keep adjusting your grinder until your get 30ml of coffee in 25 seconds.

■ Keep your coffee machine scrupulously clean to ensure you don't get rancid bits of old coffee in your brew and achieve a good crema.

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