Coffee Form Comparison: Whole Beans vs Ground vs Bags vs Instant vs Pods

Coffee is available to buy in many forms for home brewing. If you want to explore all the amazing ways to make coffee, it’s recommended that you understand these different coffee forms and their pros and cons.

There are five main coffee forms that you can buy for home use: whole beans, ground beans, coffee bags, instant coffee and coffee pods. In this post, we’ll ‘pour over’ each of these.

Whole beans

This is the rawest form you can buy your coffee in. Technically, there’s still a lot of processing that goes on before the beans on a supermarket shelf – each bean is roasted, rested and then packaged. The level of roasting affects the flavour (read more here about coffee roast levels).

Buying coffee in whole bean form often provides the best flavour, freshness and aroma. Coffee also lasts longer in bean form than it does in ground form.

Of course, if you want to turn your beans into a coffee drink, you’re going to need to buy a grinder. The advantage of buying coffee in bean form is that you have full control over the grind size. However, grinding beans manually is extra work and some coffee lovers don’t want the extra hassle.

You can compare coffee grinders online. Hand grinders are the cheapest but most labour-intensive option, while electric grinders cost more but make grinding easier.

Ground beans

Buying beans that have already been pre-ground prevents the need to invest in a grinder and helps to cut out some of the preparation work. You can buy ground beans in various different grind sizes. The five main grind sizes are:

Coarse: This coffee has a chunky appearance and is used for brewing coffee in a cafetiere (French press).
Medium-coarse: This grind size is slightly less chunky and is often used when preparing filter coffee.
Medium: Medium ground coffee has the consistency of sea salt. It can also be used for filter coffee – especially drip coffee makers.
Medium fine: This grind size has the consistency of table salt and is used for Aeropress-brewed coffee.
Fine: Finely ground coffee has the texture of granulated sugar and is used to make espresso. You should also use finely ground coffee when brewing coffee in a Moka pot.

Remembering which grind level is right for which brewing method can be a little confusing for some people. Some sellers like Horsham Coffee Roaster use labels like ‘espresso’, ‘filter’ and ‘cafetiere’ to make things easier.

Ground beans are typically the best choice if you like to brew your coffee in a specific way and want the convenience of not having to grind them yourself. If you prefer to switch between different brewing methods, it may make more sense to buy whole beans – rather than buying lots of different bags of coffee in different grind sizes, you can buy a single bag of whole beans and grind them to meet the individual demands of each brewing method.

It’s worth noting that ground coffee doesn’t last as long as whole beans once opened, and may not be as potent in taste and aroma as whole beans. However, the flavour is still richer than instant coffee and coffee bags – especially if you choose high quality ground coffee.

Coffee bags

Coffee bags are essentially tea bags, but with ground coffee in them instead. You put the bag in a cup of hot water, let it brew for several minutes and then it’s ready to drink.

The result is a taste that’s much richer than instant coffee. In fact, it’s more similar to using a French press, but without the need for a French press.

Quality can vary by brand and you may find that coffee bags lose some of their flavor when stored for several months. However, they’re otherwise a high quality portable form of coffee that requires less work to brew than using whole beans or ground coffee.

Instant coffee

Instant coffee is the most convenient form of coffee. You simply put the instant coffee granules in a cup, pour hot water on top and then it’s ready to drink. No waiting around for it to brew as is necessary with coffee bags.

What exactly is instant coffee? It’s essentially coffee made using grounds that have been brewed and turned into a liquid, then dehydrated and turned into a powder. It’s the coffee equivalent of a pre-cooked meal that you simply have to heat up.

Because of all the processing instant coffee has been through, it doesn’t have the same boldness of flavour or aroma. Of course, the brand you choose does ultimately affect the quality (check out this guide to the best instant coffee brands). However, you’re never going to find instant coffee that tastes just like freshly-brewed coffee.

That said, instant coffee is the most popular form of coffee, because nothing can beat its speed. You also don’t have to learn any complex brewing methods, plus instant coffee is cheaper to buy than any other form of coffee.

Coffee pods

Coffee pods contain a small serving of finely ground coffee and are designed for use in a pod machine. They offer a richer taste than instant coffee, while providing similarly easy preparation.

Pod machines are essentially simplified home espresso machines that aim to provide brews similar to what a barista might make. As a result, you get coffee pods that infuse all kinds of popular coffee bar syrup flavours like vanilla, hazelnut and caramel. Milk pods also allow you to make simplified lattes and cappuccinos. You can also buy hot chocolate pods to prepare simply hot chocolates.

Coffee snobs will tell you that using coffee pods tastes nothing like a barista-made coffee made using fresh grounds, and they are kinda right – but it’s worth stressing that using coffee pods and a coffee maker is a lot more convenient and affordable than buying a barista-level espresso coffee machine. Ultimately, coffee pods are a fun way to enjoy specialist lattes and mochas at home. The quality and cost depends on the brand you use.