Is coffee acidic? How can you reduce the acidity?

Coffee is a drink that provides a boost powerful enough for us to make it till the end of the day. One of the most popular drinks in the world, the many styles of coffee accentuated in taste by the strong flavour of caffeine make it a beverage that is adored by people of all ages, castes, gender, and religions. Some coffee drinkers might be concerned about whether it has any acidic content, for foods high in acidity tend to lead to problems like heartburn, acidity, or acidic reflux. Today, we will look at the composition of coffee and see if it is indeed acidic in nature.

Yes, coffee is acidic in nature, and in fact it contains a lot of different acids. Although the word ‘acid’ may raise eyebrows when describing food, it is a desirable quality when it comes to choosing the best coffee. Since coffee naturally contains a lot of acids, there is a tendency for people to experience discomfort in the form of a burning sensation in the stomach or oesophagus caused by too much acidity in the body. There are a few ways to reduce the acidic content in coffee, but before getting to that, let us take a look at the role that acids play in the beverage.

There are over thirty organic acids present in coffee, and one of the main acids is called chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant which is responsible for giving coffee the distinction of having excellent antioxidant properties. Another important acid is called quinic acid, which is responsible for giving coffee its unique taste and smell, while also causing people to feel a sour sensation in the stomach after drinking coffee.

Lucky for those with digestive problems or those who can’t handle the high acidic content of coffee, there are a number of ways in which the acidity can be reduced. Try any one of these methods to bid goodbye to any unpleasant consequence of too much acidity in coffee.

The roasting process of coffee beans determines qualities like colour, flavour, and acidic content. The darker the roast, the less acid the beans retain, therefore lighter roasts contain more acid and darker roasts contain less acid.

Apart from resulting in more well rounded and less bitter beans, coffee that is cold brewed has lower acidic content than most other types of coffee. Because cold brewing uses cold water rather than hot water to extract flavour from the beans, less acid is drawn into the finished brew, resulting in coffee that has as much as 70% less acid than other coffees.

Many coffee brands are giving customers the option to buy what is called low acid coffee. The idea is to manufacture coffee that is low in acid while still maintaining the flavour, and this can be achieved in many ways. By roasting the beans very slowly, or interrupting the roasting process, or removing the waxy outer layer of the coffee beans before roasting, the acidic content reduces significantly.

This might sound a little gross, but egg shells work like magic to reduce the acid in coffee. Egg shells by nature are alkaline, and adding them to your coffee beans not only neutralizes the acid, but it also reduces the bitterness. Make sure you rinse the shells well before crushing them and adding them to the beans.