Updated on December 18, 2022
Simply said, absolutely. Coffee contains acid. However, it is not acidic in the sense that you might assume. Like most things we like to consume, coffee has a natural acidity. By physically giving protons to taste receptors, acids provide flavor. Other popular beverages including beer, soda, fruit juice, and wine are naturally acidic because of this (and are all more acidic than coffee, in fact). Continue reading to learn about coffee’s pH.
How Acidic is Coffee?
The pH scale, which indicates how basic or acidic a water-based solution is, is typically used to measure acidity. The scale has a 0 to 14 range. Any solution that measures between 0 and 7 on the scale is regarded as acidic, whereas those that measure between 7 and 14 are regarded as basic.
So, if you’ve made coffee your go-to beverage every day, it would be prudent for you to at least have a basic understanding of how roasted coffee is made. Although the amount of acidity varies depending on the type of brew, a cup of black coffee typically has a pH of around 4 or 5.
If you routinely drink coffee, you should be aware of its acid content, but we don’t believe your education should end there. We compiled the data below because we think coffee drinkers should understand how the acidity of the beverage relates to other meals and beverages.
Why Coffee Makes You Feel Sick
The amount of acid in coffee has minimal bearing on stomach discomfort, motion sickness, or diarrhea. If you think that the acid in coffee is what makes you feel queasy, here is a test: unless juice, beer, wine, or soda makes you feel the same way, acidity isn’t the issue. The likely offenders instead are:
Bean leftovers
This is the quantity of residual bean solids (particulate matter) in your coffee. To lessen this
Utilize a paper filter and a filtered brewing technique (far better than wire mesh filters).
Because there is no filter in a French press, you are more likely to consume the grounds.
Avoid dark roasts since they are more delicate and difficult to grind because they have been roasted for a longer period of time. However, the pH of dark and light roast coffees doesn’t alter significantly.
Caffeine
As mentioned before, caffeine will continue to be removed in the stomach in proportion to the amount of bean material in the brew. Generally speaking, caffeine causes the body to create more gastric juice. Americanos and espressos contain less caffeine than drip coffee, which highlights the importance of the brew method once more.
Milk
The total coffee-drinking experience will undoubtedly be made more pleasant by adding milk and its proteins, but just to the palate. Dairy proteins encourage the formation of gastric fluids in the stomach. This may be a recipe for pain for many people in the presence of other acids.