The short answer
Choose filter coffee for the fullest, most traditional cup; choose instant coffee for speed, consistency and no equipment. Filter coffee is brewed from ground roasted coffee (in South India, usually blended with chicory) and takes a few minutes and a filter. Instant coffee is brewed coffee dried to a powder: add it to hot water or milk, stir, and it is ready.
Side by side
| Filter (ground) coffee | Instant coffee | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Roasted coffee ground for brewing, often with chicory in South India | Coffee already brewed, then spray-dried or freeze-dried to a powder or granules |
| How you make it | Brew a decoction through a filter, then add hot milk and sugar | Stir into hot water or milk; nothing to strain |
| Equipment | A filter (or press, pour-over or machine) | A cup and a spoon |
| Time | Several minutes for the decoction to drip | Seconds |
| Taste | Fuller, more aromatic, thicker body | Lighter and more uniform; strength set by how much you add |
| Consistency | Depends on the brewer and the decoction | The same cup every time |
| Cold coffee | Works, using chilled decoction | Easiest: dissolve, then add cold milk and ice |
| Best for | Homes, filter-coffee counters, breakfast and tiffin service | Offices, canteens, travel, busy counters, cold coffee and dalgona |
How to make South Indian filter coffee
The South Indian filter has two stacked steel cups: coffee powder goes in the perforated top cup, hot water is poured over it, and a strong decoction drips into the cup below.
- Add the filter coffee powder to the top chamber and press it down lightly with the plunger disc.
- Pour water that has just come off the boil over it, cover, and let the decoction drip through.
- Mix the decoction with hot milk and sugar to taste. More decoction makes a stronger “degree” coffee.
- Serve in a tumbler and davara, pouring between the two to cool it and raise a froth.
Our South Indian Filter Coffee is a blend of roasted coffee and chicory made for this decoction. The decoction also works as a base for cold coffee.
How to make instant coffee
This is the method printed for our Instant Coffee:
- Add 1–2 g of instant coffee to a cup.
- Pour over hot water or hot milk and add sugar to taste.
- For iced coffee, dissolve it in a little hot water first, then add cold milk and ice.
Want the sugar and flavour already in? Our flavoured 2-in-1 instant coffees combine coffee, chicory and sugar: about 15 g in 150–200 ml of hot water, as printed on the Hazelnut Instant Coffee page. For offices with a machine, see coffee premix for vending machines.
Why coffee tastes bitter, and how to fix it
Some bitterness is part of coffee, but a harsh, burnt or sour-bitter cup usually comes from how it was made.
- Water too hot. Boiling water pulls out harsher flavours, from ground and instant coffee alike. Let the kettle rest for a few seconds after it boils.
- Brewed too long or too fine. Ground coffee left in contact with water for too long, or ground finer than the brewer needs, over-extracts and turns bitter. Match the grind to the brewer.
- Too much coffee for the cup. Start with less and add more. With instant coffee, 1–2 g per cup is the starting point.
- Boiling or reheating. Boiling a decoction, or keeping coffee hot on the stove, makes it taste burnt. Heat the milk, not the decoction, and brew fresh decoction each day.
- Stale or badly stored coffee. Coffee that has picked up air and moisture tastes flat and bitter. Keep it airtight, cool and dry, and reseal the pack every time.
- Roast and blend. Dark roasts, robusta and chicory all taste bolder and more bitter. If you like it smoother, choose a lighter or less chicory-heavy coffee and add a little more milk.
Which should you buy?
- For the classic South Indian cup at home or a tiffin counter: filter coffee.
- For a quick cup at home, travel, or cold coffee and dalgona: instant coffee.
- For a sweet, flavoured cup with nothing else to add: a 2-in-1 flavoured coffee.
- For offices and canteens with a machine: a vending coffee premix.
For beans, roasts and the drinks each coffee makes, read types of coffee and how to choose one. For caffeine, see caffeine in tea vs coffee.
Buying filter and instant coffee
Both are made at our FSSC 22000 certified plant in Hyderabad and keep 12 months sealed; store them cool and dry and reseal after opening. Bulk savings apply automatically at checkout: 10% off orders from ₹4,999 and 20% off orders from ₹19,999, no GSTIN needed. For café, office and distributor volumes, see wholesale.
Shop the ingredients
The products this guide talks about, with their prices. Each card opens the product page.
Free delivery in India on orders from ₹499 · ₹99 below
For filter coffee, see our South Indian Filter Coffee (coffee and chicory).
What is the difference between instant coffee and filter coffee?
Filter coffee is ground roasted coffee that you brew through a filter. Instant coffee has already been brewed and then dried to a powder or granules, so it dissolves straight into hot water or milk.
Which tastes better, instant or filter coffee?
Filter coffee usually gives a fuller, more aromatic cup with more body. Instant coffee is lighter and more uniform, and its strength depends on how much you add. Many people keep both: filter for a slow cup, instant for speed.
Is instant coffee real coffee?
Yes. It is brewed coffee with the water removed by spray-drying or freeze-drying, which is why it dissolves completely.
How much instant coffee should I use per cup?
Our Instant Coffee label says 1–2 g per cup, in hot water or hot milk, with sugar to taste. For iced coffee, dissolve it in a little hot water first, then add cold milk and ice.
Why does my coffee taste bitter?
Usually the water was boiling, the coffee was brewed too long or too fine, there was too much coffee, the decoction was boiled or reheated, or the coffee was stale. Use water just off the boil, start with less coffee and store it airtight.
Why is chicory added to filter coffee?
Roasted chicory root is blended into many South Indian filter coffees for a thicker body, darker colour and a slightly bitter-sweet note that stands up to milk.