Coffee is the drink of choice for three quarters of Americans each morning, and for good reason: its mixture of thousands of chemical compounds offers numerous health advantages that include reduced risk of heart disease and reduced blood pressure; providing antioxidants, soluble fiber and important anti-oxidant protection.

However, not everyone is a coffee aficionado who prefers making their own fresh brew daily. Instant black coffee has become an easy and accessible beverage option for many who don’t want the hassle or time required to create fresh brew themselves – but is this type of instant coffee healthy?

Answers depend on the beans themselves, their preparation method and packaging. Each type of coffee plant and species differs in the chemicals it contains such as caffeine and polyphenol-rich chlorogenic acids that affect its taste; extraction method also plays an integral part; finer grinds expose more surface area for water absorption but may result in greater bitterness.

Temperature of water used to brew coffee is essential in extracting maximum flavor and nutrition from each cup of java, producing more balanced brew with fewer bitternesses or off flavors, more polyphenols, and greater health benefits. In this episode James experiments with different kinds of coffee before conducting a mini-experiment to show how different factors impact flavor and health benefits.

According to the USDA, one cup of hot brewed coffee from light roast beans contains five calories per mug. But instant coffee mixtures containing creamers, sugar or flavoring syrups add additional calories and fat content – turning coffee into “dessert in a mug”. Nescafe 3in1 Instant Coffee Sachets provide 64 Calories and 1.9 Grams of Saturated Fat in each mug!

Unsweetened decaf instant coffee is considered the healthiest variety. This variety has lower caloric intake compared to regular instant coffee and undergoes less processing; thus retaining more of the polyphenols and soluble fiber found in freshly-brewed cups of java. Four Sigmatic’s instant coffee blend combines ground and roasted 100% arabica beans with adaptogenic mushrooms such as cordyceps, chaga and lion’s mane for a nutritious treat that is low in both calories and fat with no trans or saturated fats per serving and only three grams of carbohydrates per cup. Vandana Sheth, RDN, CDCES, FAND is a registered dietitian nutritionist based out of Los Angeles who runs her own nutrition consulting business and is a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For more information about her product visit foursigmatic.com