Editing Instant coffee (section)

{{Short description|Drink made by rehydrating powdered coffee}}
{{use dmy dates |date=August 2021}}
{{Redir|Coffee powder|finely ground coffee|Coffee ground}}
{{For|the Canadian artist collective|Instant Coffee (artist collective)}}
{{Infobox food
| name            = Instant coffee
| image           = Instant coffee.jpg
| alt             = Instant coffee granules
| caption         = Instant coffee granules
| type            = Coffee
| place_of_origin = [[New Zealand]]
| main_ingredient = [[freeze-dried]] coffee
| variations      =
| creator         = David Strang
| region          = [[Invercargill]], [[Southland, New Zealand|Southland]]
}}
'''Instant coffee''' is a beverage derived from brewed [[coffee bean]]s that enables people to quickly prepare hot coffee by adding hot water or milk to coffee solids in powdered or crystallized form and stirring. The product was first invented in [[Invercargill]], the largest city in [[Southland Region|Southland]], New Zealand, in 1890. {{anchor|Coffee powder}}'''Instant coffee solids''' (also called '''soluble coffee''', '''coffee crystals''', '''coffee powder''', or '''powdered coffee''') refers to the [[Dehydration|dehydrated]] and packaged solids available at retail used to make instant coffee. Instant coffee solids are commercially prepared by either [[freeze-drying]] or [[spray drying]], after which it can be rehydrated. Instant coffee in a concentrated liquid form, as a beverage, is also manufactured. 

Advantages of instant coffee include speed of preparation (instant coffee dissolves quickly in hot water), lower shipping weight and volume than beans or ground coffee (to prepare the same amount of beverage), and long [[shelf life]]—though instant coffee can spoil if not kept dry.  Instant coffee also reduces cleanup since there are no coffee grounds, and at least one study has found that it has a lower environmental footprint{{how much|date=July 2022}} than drip filter coffee and capsule espresso coffee, on a prepared beverage basis, disregarding quality and appeal of the beverage produced.<ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1016/j.jclepro.2009.04.011| issn = 0959-6526| volume = 17| issue = 15| pages = 1351–1358| last1 = Humbert| first1 = Sebastien| last2 = Loerincik| first2 = Yves| last3 = Rossi| first3 = Vincent| last4 = Margni| first4 = Manuele| last5 = Jolliet| first5 = Olivier| title = Life cycle assessment of spray dried soluble coffee and comparison with alternatives (drip filter and capsule espresso)| journal = Journal of Cleaner Production| date =2009}}</ref>