If you are clued up on your coffee, or even a connoisseur, then you’re likely familiar with the coffee bag – its concept, benefits, and possibly its production. But, there’s also a chance that you may not have heard of them or come across them yet as they are still a relatively new product on our supermarket shelves.

Although on its way to becoming mainstream, the coffee bag isn’t quite there yet. Coffee bags are, however, heading towards being an everyday product and this is due to many reasons, but primarily because they are superior to instant granules and provide a barista-style coffee, without the need for machinery, on the go!

So, what are coffee bags?

Coffee bags are very much the same concept as a teabag. They come in a box or large packet and are individually wrapped for single use. It’s this design that could be appealing to commuters and office workers who want a good quality cup of coffee as they go about their day. Coffee bags provide good, fresh, ground coffee on the go. They don’t have the mess or maintenance that comes with a cafeteria and taste much richer than many instant coffees out there. They’re also significantly cheaper than a shop brought or takeaway coffee.

How to use them

You use a coffee bag in the same way you would a tea bag – put the bag into a cup and pour in hot water, leave to brew, add milk or sugar if you wish, and remove the bag. You’re recommended to leave the coffee bag to brew for 5 minutes for an intense flavour, with the longer it’s left the richer the brew.

Are they worth the money?

Coffee bags are in fact extremely good value. For around the same price of just over 3 cups of medium roast coffee from a global chain coffee shop, you would get 40 coffee bags.

Why would they increase in popularity?

The greatest thing about a coffee bag is that they’re not the same as an instant coffee but a level up and much closer to a freshly brewed cup of coffee from a bistro. However, they don’t come with a bistro price tag and are extremely affordable. They’re also extremely convenient, providing high-quality coffee to anyone, anywhere, who has access to hot water. They can easily meet a gap in the market within workplaces, hotels, and waiting rooms, between expensive coffee machines and cheap instant granules.

Furthermore, they’re set to be a trend! Millennials are responsible for increased demand in the coffee market. According to data, published by the Specialty Cofee Association of America, 35% of Americans aged 18-24 are drinking specialty coffee each day. With the younger generations leading the demand for specialty coffees, anything new and innovative on the scene is set to be a hit.