Coffee is enjoyed by many people around the world. Every single region has its own method of consuming coffee. Some add sugar, some cream, and some salt. Yes, you heard that correctly!
Salt is a common ingredient that is added to coffee in many parts of the world. While many people continue to be confused about the idea of adding salt to their cup of coffee, some understand its true benefits.
Here is all you need to know about adding salt to coffee – why people do it, what are the benefits, does it reduce acid in coffee what is the correct way of adding salt to the coffee, and more.
Does Salt Make Coffee Less Acidic?
Yes, salt does make coffee less acidic. It does so by reducing the bitterness and removing the strong sour taste that a high-acid coffee has. It mellows out high acid coffee ensuring a reduction in acid refluxes.
Salt has a neutral pH of 7 while coffee has a pH of around 4.5. While there is no proven research that says adding salt changes the pH of the drink, it does make a difference in taste and flavor.
Why Do People Add Salt To Their Coffee?
People from different cultures around the world have been adding salt to their coffee for generations. For example, the Scandinavians, Siberians, and Hungarians have for decades brewed their coffee in brackish water.
Due to the high availability of brackish water, people in these regions have used it for all their cooking needs including brewing coffee. Even when clean water was available, they didn’t find the taste of coffee to be the same. Therefore, they continued brewing coffee with brackish water, and so the tradition of using salty water to brew coffee was passed through generations.
Similarly in Turkey, it is a tradition for the bride-to-be to prepare coffee with salted water for her husband and his family. In Taiwan, a famous beverage called ‘sea-salt coffee’ is served. The drink consists of iced americano and is served with salted milk foam on top.
5 Reasons Why You Should Put Salt In Coffee?
More and more people are wanting to try salt in their coffee, due to several benefits affiliated with it. Here are some amazing benefits of adding salt to coffee that can transform your coffee drinking experience:
1. Reduces Bitterness
Studies have shown that sodium present in salt neutralizes bitterness. This happens because our tongue reacts to salty flavor more than bitter taste. Our taste buds are designed to identify five taste zones – bitter, sweet, salty, sour, and umami.
The combination of different types of flavors has different effects. For example, salty and sweet work together enhances the overall flavor and experience. While certain flavors like salt and bitter fight each other.
Salt does a perfectly fine job at masking the bitter taste of coffee, in fact neutralizing it to a great extent. While sugar in larger quantities helps in masking the bitter taste, a little salt helps in neutralizing the bitterness altogether.
2. Improves Stale Water
If you use coffee machines that have water reservoirs, the water in them could last up to several days. Just any other ingredient, water also tends to degrade in quality. This results in not giving you the same taste of coffee, that you would otherwise have with fresh water.
Adding salt while brewing coffee solves this problem. When you add a little salt to your coffee grounds, the water quality improves. Adding salt to coffee combats the stale taste of water and improves the overall quality of the drink.
3. Enhances Flavor
As we mentioned before, salty and bitter flavors fight each other. This means that when salt is added to coffee, the bitter taste is neutralized. This helps bring out the other flavors and deeply embedded notes of coffee beans to the surface.
So, if you thought adding salt to coffee was weird, it is not. Adding salt to coffee in fact brings out the best flavors and aroma that the original coffee beans had.
4. Keeps You From Adding Sugar
If you prefer having coffee with sugar, reduce the bitter taste (which many do). Good news for you, you will not want to add sugar anymore.
This is due to the simple fact that when you add sugar to reduce the bitterness in coffee it masks the bitter taste, but when you add salt it attempts to neutralize the bitter taste.
5. Reduces Acid Reflux
Lastly, adding salt to coffee reduces the bitterness of coffee. Without the tangy taste, the chances of someone having acid reflux reduces. Therefore, if you are someone who added a lot of cream and sugar to your coffee to avoid the strong flavor, try adding some salt.
How Much Salt Should You Put In Coffee?
The popular cookbook author Alton Brown recommends adding a quarter teaspoon of kosher salt to 6 teaspoons of coffee grounds. However, this might vary depending on how many cups of coffee you are brewing and what type of salt you are using.
The best thing you can do here is start adding a pinch of salt to one cup of coffee and see how it affects the taste and flavor of the drink. Depending on that you increase or decrease the quantity according to your own preference.
Should You Put Salt In Coffee Grounds Or After Brewing?
Most coffee experts recommend adding it to the coffee grounds before brewing the coffee, but you can also add salt after brewing the coffee. It doesn’t really matter, as long as it serves its original purpose.
What Does Acid In Coffee Mean?
Out of the many jargon and phrases used to define coffee, ‘acid in coffee’ is one of the most commonly used phrases. Some relate acidity in coffee to heartburn and some to the tingly sensation on the tip of the tongue when you take the first sip of coffee. Let’s understand what acid in coffee means and how it impacts the flavor of the coffee.
The acidity in coffee is often used to describe the quality of coffee. Most coffee enthusiasts associate the acid in coffee with high-quality and high-grown coffee. Some people who suffer from GERD (GastroEesophageal Reflux Disease), associate coffee with an unpleasant taste that gives them heartburn or stomach ache.
But, not all acids in coffee are bad. As a matter of fact, the right balance of acidity in coffee gives you the fruitful, strong, and bitter taste and flavor that we all admire. Acidity is measured on the pH scale. A pH of 7 is considered neutral, numbers below 7 are more acidic and numbers above are less acidic. The pH level of coffee ranges from around 4.7 to 5, while lemon juice has a pH of 2, and milk has a pH of 6.5.
Different Types Of Acids In Coffee And Their Impact
Acid is a chemical compound that is found in many food items such as vinegar, lemon, fruits, and of course coffee. Coffee alone has hundreds if not more acidic compounds. But, only a few of them actually affects how the coffee tastes at its final stage. Let’s look into what these acids are and how they impact the flavor of the coffee.
1. Citric Acid – Citric acid is the easiest flavor to identify. Most commonly associated with citrusy fruits like lemon and orange this acid, adds to the tartness of coffee. However, when present in excess concentration it might also produce a sour-tasting coffee.
2. Phosphoric Acid – Phosphoric acid in coffee makes up to 1% of its dry matter. Study shows that phosphoric acid contributes to a significant flavor profile of coffee. It is also sweeter in taste compared to other acids.
3. Malic Acid – Malic acid is often associated with fruits like apples, peaches, and pears. Malic acid is a huge reason why you can sense a fruity flavor in your brew.
4. Acetic Acids – Acetic acid is most commonly found in vinegar. The right balance of acetic acid lends coffee a pleasant sharpness.
5. Quinic Acid – Quinic acid is produced as other acids in coffee degrade. You can find high traces of quinic acid in dark roast coffee or stale coffee. Quinic acid often has bad effect on your digestive system.
Percentage Contribution Of Different Acid In Coffee
| Acid Type | Coffee |
| Citric Acid | 12.2% |
| Phosphoric Acid | 2.5% |
| Malic Acid | 3.9% |
| Acetic Acid | 11.2% |
| Quninc Acid | 4.7% |
| Chlorogenic Acid | 9% |
What Are The Factors That Lead To Acidity In Coffee?
Talking about the factors that lead to acidity in coffee for that matter, there is no one step that produces the acid present in coffee. To understand this fully, we must take a step back and look at the entire seed-to-cup process and which part has the most impact on the acidity levels of coffee.
The Origin
Yes, the origin of where coffee grows matters. Without complicating the topic, here is what you need to know about the effect origin of coffee has on its acidic nature. Coffee grown at higher altitudes will be more acidic than the ones grown at lower altitudes. So, coffee from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Columbia will be more acidic than the ones from Sumatra or Costa Rica.
Coffee grown at high altitude go through a longer growth cycle, which in turn, allows the coffee beans to go through a longer maturation process. This ensures that deep notes of flavor are embedded.
While coffee grown in low altitudes has a shorter growth cycle. This ensures, that the coffee has a mild flavor and is less acidic.
Type Of Roast
Studies show that dark roast coffee is less acidic compared to light roast coffee. This happens due to high levels of N-methylpyridinium present in dark roast coffee, this chemical slows down the rate at which our stomach excretes hydrochloric acids.
Grind Size
We talked about the origin and roast, but how does grind size affect the acidity in coffee? Coffee grounds when brewed with hot water, extract the oils and flavor present in the grounds.
A finer grind makes it easy for water to seep through and s the extraction princess is much higher. Therefore less acidic. While coarse grind size means longer brew time which means more acidic in nature.
What Kind Of Coffee Has The Least Acid?
Despite understanding the different acids in coffee, many of us still need a cup of joe in the morning to wake us up. If you are someone who has negative effects like heartburn, stomach ache, acid reflux, etc from the acid in coffee, you must look for coffee with the least acid options.
There are several different types of coffee that are less acidic and can still give you a great taste and that caffeine hit. Here are some coffee options that have less acid compared to your regular coffee –
1. Dark Roasts – As we mentioned, dark roast coffee tends to be less acidic than light roast coffee. The presence of high levels of N-methylpyridinium present in dark roast coffee slows down the rate at which our stomach excretes hydrochloric acids. Hence making it a less acidic option.
2. Espresso – Espresso is considered to be another form of coffee that has less acid when compared to other brews. This is due to the fact that espresso has a shorter brew time, which ensures less extraction of acid from coffee.
3. Cold Brew – Cold Brew owes its fame to being a low-acid coffee that is light on your stomach. A sip of cold brew is as refreshing as iced coffee could get, If you are prone to acid refluxes, switching to cold brew is a great option.
4. Low-acid Coffee Brands – If the above categories of coffee do not fit your requirement, switch to a nice low-acid coffee brand. There are specialty coffee brands that are produced in a way it contains less acid than your usual coffee. Continue reading to find out some of the best low-acid coffee brands.
What Are The Benefits Of Low Acid Coffee?
Quinic Acid is said to have the worst effects on your digestive system and is said to be a major cause of acid refluxes. Low Acid coffee is brewed and produced in a way so it has little to no quinic acid in it.
Coffee that contains less acid is likely to be the one that has not been overheated. Low acid coffee has a pH of 6 which is very close to the neutral pH level of 7. Here are some benefits of low-acid coffee:
- Better for your stomach – To those prone to acid refluxes or who suffer from GERD, low acid coffee can be gentler in digestion and feel good to your stomach without causing heartburn or stomach ache.
- Safe for teeth – Acidic drink lowers the pH in your mouth which can cause teeth to demineralize. Therefore drinking low-acid coffee is safer for your tooth enamel.
- Workout friendly – Many people face acid refluxes while working out after they have had coffee. Drinking low acid coffee ensures you feel comfortable and enjoy your workout without facing heartburn or stomach irritation.
Other Methods You Can Use To Reduce Acidity In Coffee
Here are some hacks on how you can reduce the acidity in coffee:
1. Brew It Cold
Cold Brew is one of the best methods for anyone who wants to enjoy a low-acid coffee. Studies show that coffee that is brewed with cold water has around 67% less acid than the ones that are brewed with hot water.
Brewing coffee with cold water is a much longer process than with hot water, however, a good side to this style of brewing is the slow extraction of oils. Cold water ensures that the natural acids present in the coffee grounds do not get released easily.
As a result, leaving you with a low-acid coffee. If you have not already tried cold brew, you must give it a shot. It has a natural sweetness to it and gives you the perfect amount of caffeine jolt without the added acid. Here is all you need to know about cold brew and how to make one.
2. Use Eggshells
Using eggshells for brewing coffee might seem like an absurd idea, but it is backed by proper reasoning and science. Eggshells are alkaline and so they can help neutralize the natural acidity of coffee. For this to work, here is what you need to do:
Take one or two eggshells and wash them properly. Crush the eggshells and add them to your ground coffee. Brew your coffee per usual. Following this method not only reduces the acidity in coffee but also reduces the bitterness in coffee.
3. Try Baking Soda
Baking Soda has a pH of 9 which means it works excellently in reducing the acid in coffee. Add a pinch of baking soda to your coffee grounds to reduce the acid levels in coffee.
Final Thoughts On Acid In Coffee & Using Salt To Reduce It
While salt in coffee might seem very weird to some of you, it is necessary to look at the bigger picture. If you resort to adding sugar and cream to your coffee every single time to reduce the acid reflux and mask the bitter taste, you are indirectly impacting your health.
Not only does adding salt to your coffee, reduce the bitter taste but also provides several other health benefits. Adding salt ensures you enjoy your cup of coffee without depending on creams, syrup, and sugar. We think salting your cup of coffee has more than one benefit in many ways and is worth a shot.
