What makes a beverage appealing? Aside from taste, there are numerous factors that grant a concoction worthy of royal titles. Plus, everyone’s preference is different. For many, one major influence in their best beverage requisites is a low level of difficulty, especially for those in the food and drink industry who are often serving large crowds.
During rush hour, when demands are high, offering a quality beverage that’s quick to prepare provides lots of benefits. It keeps the customers satisfied with your service and products, enticing them to return. Apple cider makes a great, variable gift—from rich, aromatic teas to cozy ambient candles. Plus, it comes in two easy-to-use versions: powder and concentrate. Here is all you need to know about apple cider concentrate vs. powder apple cider mix, so you can decide which is the best option for you.
Powder Apple Cider Mix
Like hot cocoa packets, powdered apple cider provides you with a dry powder mix of apple cider ingredients and flavors. They typically include apple juice solids, sugar, added acids, and various spices. The ingredients often vary depending on the brand and whether it’s homemade. When brewing the beverage, they simply require hot water and a stir.
Apple Cider Concentrate
Apple cider concentrates, as their name suggests, are concentrated apple cider mixes with minimal to no water content. They come in a thick liquid or paste form and, like their powder counterpart, only require hot water and a stir to enjoy. At Mountain Cider, our cider concentrate includes simple ingredients: fresh apple cider from pressed apples and natural spices.
Use and Functionality
Both powdered and concentrated versions of apple cider provide a quick and easy way to enjoy the rich flavors of this favored autumnal drink. Like microwaveable meals, they mitigate the number of steps needed to create such a delicious treat and provide a ready-made product that just needs one final step before relishing.
Without the powder or concentrate, making apple cider from scratch involves an array of ingredients and lots of time. Between prepping the ingredients, cutting the apples, measuring out the various spices, simmering the fruit, and straining, making apple cider from scratch takes around three hours on average. Plus, buying all of those ingredients easily adds up fast, especially the spices. Powdered and concentrated apple cider mixes do most of the work for you, capturing the necessary flavors and offering them in a more user-friendly package.
Powder and Concentrate Similarities
Aside from their two distinct forms, powdered and concentrated apple cider mix hold some similarities.
Two-Step Recipe
Both powdered and concentrated apple cider mixes require water and a stir. Their two-step recipe is one of the many reasons why these cider variations came to fruition. As previously mentioned, making cider from scratch is an intricate and lengthy process. Many don’t want or lack the time to try their hand at cooking up some cider, which can exclude them from enjoying the deliciousness of this cozy autumnal beverage. Powdered and concentrated mixes allow everyone to experience the joys and tastes of cider, by providing a swift and easy creation process.
Easy-to-Store Cider
Unlike fresh-made apple cider, powdered and concentrated variations stay fresh longer. Most powders include preservatives, and the acidity in the concentrate naturally preserves the mixture. Both have an extended shelf life, making them easy to store. They lack the need for refrigeration, saving you space in the cooler and allowing you to hold onto and enjoy cider for longer. Plus, their easy-to-store properties make them portable, accessible, and worth buying in bulk for high-demand services.
Multifunctional Ingredient
Apple cider exists as a delicious drink and flavor. In the cooler months, many apple cider-flavored items come onto the market as the aromatic tastes embody comfort and festive spirits. Apple cider donuts, cakes, cocktails, and various baked and non-baked delights arise, providing people with a diverse range of ways to enjoy cider’s sensations. Powdered and concentrated mixes equip people with cider-flavored ingredients and seasoning. Both make great contributions to various recipes and dishes, and their structural form makes them easy to implement.
Benefits and Disadvantages
Along with holding similarities, apple cider powder and concentrate also differ in certain aspects, offering varying benefits and disadvantages.
On-the-Go Abilities
Between the two cider forms, the powder offers more portability. It often comes in small canisters or single-serve packets, making them easy to travel with and carry around. Concentrate, on the other hand, typically gets packaged in a large container that’s harder to slip into your backpack for picnics or flights.
Flavor Quality
Concentrates carry more flavor. Without any water content to dilute the taste, concentrates are more potent. A little bit of concentrated cider goes a long way. Powders require a few more scoopfuls to reach the same quality of rich flavoring as one scoop of concentrate.
Margin of Error
Compared to concentrates, using powders comes with a larger margin of error. If not stirred properly or mixed with the right water temperature, the powder doesn’t dissolve well. It creates a grainy liquid with dustings floating on the surface. Plus, they come pre-sweetened, increasing your risk of an overly sweet beverage if you get the measurements wrong.
Other Pros and Cons
Other pros and cons between the two cider mixes include:
- Concentrate Pro: Naturally self-preserving
- Concentrate Con: Harder to come across than powder
- Powder Pro: Comes in single-serve packets
- Powder Con: Requires various additives to maintain quality
Which One Is Right for You?
When serving cider at your restaurant or for family and friends, opting for a premade variation—powder or concentrate—offers multiple benefits. They are easy to buy and make in large quantities, take little time to make, and are easy to store for the long term. Choosing between apple cider concentrate vs. powder apple cider mix depends on numerous factors, from preferences for natural ingredients vs. additives to portability and flavor quality.
Powders are known to get the job done. They provide a quick and simple drink to enjoy. However, concentrates offer better quality. Their concentrated flavors make the cider pungent and more natural tasting, especially when you buy from us at Mountain Cider. Our spiced cider concentrates feature natural ingredients, rich aromatic flavors, and all the benefits of a cider concentrate. Enjoy and serve quick, easy, and quality apple cider with Mountain Cider concentrates.
