No coffee, no cream - just sugar. Why is the 3-in-1 coffee drink dangerous?

The rhythm of life of a modern person can hardly be called measured, and therefore goods that do not require an investment of time are becoming increasingly popular. This is especially true for cooking - what could be easier than defrosting ready-made semi-finished products, pouring boiling water over the noodles and... making coffee in 1 minute? 3 in 1 coffee in individual packages is easy to take with you, because it does not require grinding beans, diligent cooking in a Turk and adding milk or sugar. Of course, true lovers do not recognize such a surrogate as real coffee, but ordinary people are increasingly making a choice in favor of speed of preparation rather than taste.

History of 3 in 1 instant coffee bags

Powdered portioned coffee began to be produced in 1909.
People have been accustomed to drinking coffee since ancient times: they grew grains, dried them, ground them, brewed a strong drink, adding spices and milk to it. In the 19th century, the production of instant coffee in cans began, but carrying such containers with you is not the most convenient option. Then they began to think about producing the drink in small soft packaging, but mass-portioned bags began to be produced only in 1909, then they were simply black instant coffee, later sugar was added to it, then dry cream, and the drink acquired its usual image and taste.

Thanks to the convenience and speed of preparation, 3-in-1 coffee in small sticks quickly gained popularity. Nowadays, instant drinks are a whole branch of production: how many things can be mixed with familiar ingredients, what different flavoring additives there are, it’s hard to keep track, for example, cinnamon, caramel, etc. It’s easy to find packaged coffee of different strengths on the shelves, and how varied are the specimens, which are sold along with another small bag, which may contain topping or grated chocolate.

Is three-in-one coffee harmful?

Of course, 3 in 1 coffee cannot replace a natural drink either in taste or in its effect on the body. The packaged analogue is more convenient both in transportation and in preparation, but it is not recommended to drink it every day. Don't forget that it contains a lot of sugar and trans fats. At the same time, doctors claim that consuming high-quality semi-finished products in reasonable quantities will not cause significant harm to health. As they say, everything is good in moderation.

Milkshake with coffee

Coffee is a tonic drink that energizes the body.

At the same time, the packaged analogue contains it in minimal quantities and has virtually no effect on alertness.

But it contains much more calories and may well contribute to weight gain. For example, one serving of McCoffee contains 1440 kcal.

There are practically no contraindications to this drink. Of course, you should use instant coffee with caution if you have diabetes. Otherwise there are no restrictions. There is no clear answer as to whether it is possible to drink it during pregnancy. As a rule, doctors recommend limiting the consumption of natural coffee, as it increases heart rate. At the same time, the soluble analogue contains caffeine in small doses, so it definitely won’t harm pregnant women. However, the presence of artificial additives in the composition is alarming and it is better to reduce the consumption of this drink to a minimum.

Compound

Carrying out a composition test
The average consumer rarely thinks about the composition and benefits of a 3 in 1 drink, assuming that the name speaks for itself and there are only 3 ingredients in the bag: coffee itself, sugar and powdered milk or cream. It is the latter that make up the majority of the drink. Outwardly, they are difficult to distinguish from natural ones, but they are only vegetable fat: coconut or palm oil, so they have nothing in common with a real dairy product. In addition, the composition of vegetable cream includes:

• glucose syrup;
• milk protein;
• lemon acid;
• flavor enhancers, stabilizers, emulsifiers;
• anti-caking components.

In a proper 3-in-1 coffee, the coffee itself must be present; it usually comes first in the composition. However, some manufacturers do not add it to the bag at all, replacing it with chicory, nut kernels, chopped chestnuts or acorns.

Unfortunately, even in the most expensive packaged drink the coffee content does not exceed 13%, and therefore such a drink can hardly be called a source of vigor.

As for sugar, its content in a bag labeled “3 in 1” is often much higher than we would like. This is due to the fact that the use of low-grade coffee or its substitutes makes the taste of the drink unpleasant, and therefore there is a need to disguise it. A large amount of sugar makes coffee cloying and overpowers the bitterness.

Many manufacturers indicate on the packaging the content of flavoring additives, for example, coconut, citrus, hazelnut. Just don’t count on the fact that these products are actually inside. The inscription “flavored”, which is what is usually written on the bag, literally does not mean the presence of coconut pulp or crushed nuts, but only artificial flavors with their smell.

Most types of this drink contain artificial harmful additives.

In itself, 3 in 1 instant coffee is not very healthy, and additives and sweeteners, emulsifiers and flavor enhancers do not provide this property. Therefore, it is better to avoid those types of drinks that contain them. To do this, you should carefully study the composition. It must be indicated on each bag and be legible.

You should choose the bag where coffee is listed in 1st place, because the order of the ingredients is not random: the higher the content in the product, the closer the component is to the beginning of the list.

Counterfeit coffee is often found on the coffee market, so it is better to buy the product in specialized stores.

Despite the relatively low cost, packaged coffee from well-known brands is still counterfeited. A counterfeit can be distinguished by blurred inscriptions or a name containing an error, replacement of letters, etc. In addition, on a non-original product, the composition, information about the manufacturer and addresses for claims are often present only on the cellophane packaging in which the bags are supplied, but on them these inscriptions may not exist. Each stick must contain a notch for easy opening and a clearly printed expiration date and production date.

How much harm does it cause, is there any benefit?

Packaged coffee of questionable composition should not be consumed at all, even occasionally.
In moderate quantities, a 3-in-1 drink is unlikely to cause serious harm to health, however, if consumed regularly, it can lead to unpleasant consequences:

1. Addiction. Coffee from a bag, like any other coffee, contains caffeine, which can lead to disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system and become addictive. When consumed frequently, caffeine leaches calcium from bones, destroys tooth enamel and leads to dehydration.
2. Heart problems. The content of transgenic fats negatively affects the condition of blood vessels, leads to their blockage, and, as a result, disruptions in the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
3. Excess weight. The high calorie content and huge sugar content in the drink, when consumed daily, can lead to the accumulation of excess body weight.
4. Diabetes. The negative effect of vegetable fats on the functioning of the pancreas can cause excessive release of insulin, which will lead to the development of type 2 diabetes. For those suffering from this disease, the instant drink is completely prohibited, because the glucose level in it is off the charts.
5. Oncological diseases. Of course, coffee in individual packages on its own is not capable of leading to the growth of cancer cells, but becoming a trigger mechanism - yes, this especially applies to heavy smokers and people who are at risk for one reason or another.

You can cause irreparable harm to your health
If you treat yourself occasionally to 3-in-1 drinks, the threat to a person’s condition is unlikely to be even slightly significant. In addition to its direct purpose, i.e. brewed with boiling water, this coffee can be used for making desserts and baked goods, added to homemade liqueur and prepared as an impregnation for sponge cake, in this case it will add an interesting shade of taste and aroma, and the negative impact will be completely minimized.

Calorie count and caffeine content

The manufacturer’s desire to reduce the cost of the product and eliminate the unpleasant taste of low-quality raw materials leads to the addition of a huge amount of sugar to the soluble powder. In this regard, the number of calories in a seemingly harmless bag increases significantly, so the energy value of 100 g of dry powder is 358.25 kcal, which is equivalent to a piece of smoked sausage of the same weight.

The calorie content of one sachet is very high due to the large amount of sugar

At the same time, the carbohydrate content is also at a high level of 69.84 g, which is about 26% of the daily requirement required by a person; this figure relative to the “empty” product is amazing, especially in relation to fats (10.35 g) and proteins (2.33 g ).

In instant coffee with sugar and cream, caffeine does not exceed 0.5% of the total mass. And this is in the best case, because a low-quality product may not contain it at all. The invigorating effect of such a drink is questionable, since strong black tea contains caffeine from 2 to 4%.

What does the drink consist of?

It's no secret that three-in-one coffee has a complex composition, usually consisting of more than 10 components. The basis consists of only 3 components:

• instant coffee,
• vegetable cream,
• sugar.

It is ideal when all 3 basic components - coffee, cream, sugar - are contained in the composition.
Most of the list of ingredients indicated on the packaging consists of vegetable cream. Their development made it possible to obtain a dry product instead of the usual liquid consistency, which is convenient to add to packaging. In addition, the shelf life of this ingredient has increased significantly. In appearance, dry cream is very similar to natural cream, although in reality it is vegetable fat.

The drink recipe is carefully designed so that the ingredients responsible for tartness, sweetness, and flavor characteristics are harmoniously combined with each other. A low-quality coffee drink may contain coffee in the last place, and some examples may not contain it at all. Therefore, you can often observe deception when “natural coffee” is indicated on the packaging, but there is absolutely no evidence of it in the composition.

Popular brands that produce 3 in 1 coffee

Russian brand Petrovskaya Sloboda
The high popularity of 3-in-1 bags allowed coffee producers to include such a drink in their product line. Some companies specialize only in instant forms, others produce absolutely all types - from grain to packaged. In Russia, the most popular brands have deservedly become:

• McCoffee. A true leader in the production of ground coffee. Reasonable prices and memorable advertising earned the brand the love of Russians. The brand's drinks are rich thanks to the careful processing of grains collected in Asia. The correct recipe and different degrees of roasting made it possible to create a tasty and aromatic 3 in 1 instant coffee. The line includes drinks marked “soft”, “classic”, “original”, “strong”, also available in this format: latte, cappuccino and caramel latte . The cost per bag starts from 12 rubles.
• Arabica beans in the composition allow you to get a rich, rich taste and high strength of coffee. Drinks from this brand dissolve perfectly even in warm water, leaving no sediment. The choice of flavors is huge: from “classic” and “soft” to “coffee charge” and “strong”; for gourmets there is coffee with creamy and caramel aroma. The price per stick starts at 10 rubles.
• An Asian company that introduced its products to the Russian market more than 20 years ago. The use of cheap flavorings, chicory and other substitutes for natural grains gives the drink a strong aroma and bitter taste, so its sugar content is higher than others. The granules do not dissolve well and leave sediment at the bottom of the cup. The line includes coffee of different strengths.

One of the most common brands on the post-Soviet coffee market.
It is fundamentally different from other drinks of the Cappuccino di Torino brand, it has an excellent taste and aroma, a delicate coffee foam forms on the surface, and a nice bonus is the included bag of grated chocolate. If a standard 3-in-1 bag costs about 9 rubles, then the new exquisite dessert has more weight and a price of 25 rubles and more.

• Petrovskaya Sloboda. A Russian brand that produces one of the best 3-in-1 coffees. The harmonious taste and rich aroma are enjoyed by the residents of our country. A special feature of the brand is a rich collection of drinks: there are classic ones of different strengths, and gourmet ones, with the aroma of hazelnut, condensed milk, almonds, caramel, coconut or ice cream. The price is more than affordable - for a bright bag you will have to pay about 12 rubles.
• Jockey. The brand, which has long been known throughout the world, recently launched a 3-in-1 drink format on the market, which is not inferior in quality to more expensive and famous competitors. Unfortunately, there are only three coffee options in the line so far: “soft,” “delicate,” and “strong,” which can be purchased for an average of 9 rubles.

The Jockey brand has launched the production of three varieties of coffee in bags.
The 3-in-1 coffee format is very popular all over the world. Its main and, perhaps, only indisputable advantage is quick and simple preparation. The product contains low quality coffee raw materials or even its substitutes. Vegetable fats can also hardly be called healthy, and their calorie content is high. However, lovers of instant coffee continue to drink it with pleasure, because it is prepared in seconds, and the taste of the drink is sweet and pleasant.

Cooking rules

Coffee in 3-in-1 bags has gained great popularity due to its ease of preparation. You need to do the following:

1. Open the package and pour its contents into a cup.
2. Pour boiling water into the container.
3. Stir the resulting liquid with a spoon.

After this, the coffee is ready to drink. Such actions can be performed in any conditions where there is boiling water. Therefore, 3-in-1 bags are often taken to work or on a trip.

Three-in-one coffee is very popular in all corners of the planet. Its main advantage is the speed and ease of preparation. True, no more positive qualities are noted. The product contains many chemical elements, and coffee beans are often completely absent. True, sublimate lovers are not embarrassed by this fact; they continue to drink it day after day. After all, it only takes a few seconds to prepare, but the end result is a tasty, sweet drink.