Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

We. Love. Coffee. Coffee, coffee, coffee. This blog post wouldn’t exist without this morning’s first, and maybe second, cup of coffee. Our office Keurig is a constantly flowing vehicle for happiness and productivity. So, after our third cup, we got to thinking, what is the pH of coffee?

After doing a little research, it turns out, the pH of coffee can affect taste, and the search for “low-acid” coffees is actually becoming a thing for some people. For you coffee aficionados out there, we wanted to dive into this subject a little further.

If you’ve ever seen a graphic of the pH scale, you’ll often see that the example used for a substance with a pH of 5 is black coffee. So, right from the get-go, we know coffee is acidic. Therefore, people with heartburn or acid reflux who still want that cup of joe in the morning might have to sacrifice some discomfort.

Coffee acidity can differ depending on the coffee bean, how it’s processed and roasted, and the way it’s brewed. So, if you’re looking for a low-acid coffee, there are a few things to consider.

Some coffee beans are less acidic than others. Coffee grown in naturally low acidic soil can be found in regions such as Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Guatemala and Indonesia. Shade-grown coffee can also result in lower acidity. Alternatively, in places where the soil is more acidic, coffee beans may be treated with antacid compounds.

Coffee beans can be processed using different methods. Coffee that is dry processed is usually less acidic. This method is a natural process by which the fruit from a coffee plant is picked, sorted and dried in the sun for several days. Additionally, coffee that is dark roasted in a slow roasting process tends to reduce acidity.

Finally, the brewing process can affect acidity. Cold brew coffee can have much lower acid levels than conventionally brewed coffee. Cold-brewing extracts less acid, oil and bitterness from the coffee bean. Not a fan of cold coffee? Heating it up will not affect acidity because the extraction process is already complete. As we know from other blog posts, the pH of water can also vary slightly by region. Using tap water versus natural spring water or distilled water could affect the pH level.

Other options? Some people might add acid reducers to their coffee after making a cup. There are brands of coffee reducers, like Coffee Tamer or CalciBlend, but you could also just add some baking soda to your cup for the same effect.

Healthwise Gourmet Coffees performed their own little test of several national coffee brands to find the pH level. Here were their results:

We don’t know exactly how they performed their test, but we have a few suggestions for how you might try it on your own. We suggest using one of our narrow-range pH test strips in ½ unit increments. Brew your cup of coffee as usual, then wait until the coffee has cooled to room temperature to perform the test. Hot coffee can read at a higher pH, and the strips may not work well at higher temperatures.

Dip the test strip into a sample of coffee. We tried this out in our kitchen and found that waiting a few seconds to read the results actually worked better than reading them immediately. Just don’t let the strip dry out. Do you find a difference in results when testing different brands or brewing methods? What about adding cream or sugar? Does that affect the pH?

Our pH test strips are a qualitative test to compare coffee brands, but for more accurate results, we suggest using a pH meter. This is likely how Healthwise performed their test to get more specific pH levels.

Or maybe, you really don’t care about the pH of your coffee, and you just want to continue enjoying your cup as you have every day, in which case, carry on! We support all coffee drinkers alike!