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How to Make Acid Free Coffee
High acidity levels may lead to stomach issues such as heartburn and even prevent them from enjoying their morning cup of coffee.
However, it is possible to reduce the acidity of coffee. This may help relieve symptoms associated with acid reflux in many people. Here are some methods for making low acid coffee:.
1. Use Alkaline Water
Cations found in water have an enormous influence on how acidic coffee tastes, so using alkaline water in your brew is one of the best ways to lower acidity and enhance your cup.
Alkaline water can neutralize acids found in coffee beans and reduce bitterness for an easier, smoother tasting cup of java that will be more accommodating for those suffering from reflux disease.
There is an array of alkaline water available today. From grocery store jugs to specialist companies that specialize in providing high-alkaline waters like Waiakea Water. Their naturally alkaline bottled water contains minerals such as magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium for maximum benefit.
Acidic food and beverages can often trigger acid reflux, although the exact causes vary among individuals. Some individuals may be sensitive to methalxanthine in chocolate while others have issues with caffeine’s relaxing ability on their LES.
For maximum effectiveness in avoiding acid reflux from coffee, brewing it with alkaline water should be used when possible. While this approach may help, for the best long-term solutions follow an overall healthy diet which includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins as part of a varied daily regimen.
2. Use Coarser Grinds
Your coffee grind size plays an integral role in its extraction and acidity levels. Finely ground beans have more surface area for faster extraction of solubles (including acids). On the other hand, coarser grinds experience slower extraction, often producing mellower beverages with reduced acidity levels.
However, to decrease acidity in coffee it’s essential that you experiment with different grind sizes and extraction processes until you find one that best fits you. Cold brewing has long been known for reducing levels of acidity; another method could include cold press or even cold brew brewing for optimal results.
Temperature of water also has an effect on the acidity of your brew, with hotter water tending to extract more acids from grounds; this can be mitigated by using cooler water or altering brew time accordingly.
If your coffee tastes too sour or acidic, it could be because not enough ground material was extracted from it. Bitter tasting coffee can often indicate overextraction – this can easily be solved by grinding finer (up to 2 notch finer). Once this step has been taken and repeated several times with similar dose and time settings and dose amounts used again before brewing again with more gentle low notes to soften any acidic bites in a brew session – both pour over and french press options work with this approach
3. Use Paper Filters or Mesh Bags
Another effective method of reducing acidity is using paper or reusable mesh coffee filters, designed to fit inside the filter basket of your coffee maker and allow water to pass through grounds while also filtering out any sediment or waste products, thus helping reduce carbon footprint and waste production.
Socks make great coffee filters. Simply insert it into a container with the grounds, pour hot water slowly over them, and allow the brew to collect in another. This inexpensive and user-friendly alternative to paper filters may help lower acidity by up to 70%!
Metal coffee filters offer another excellent way to filter your brew. Not only can they remove some of the extra acidity present, they may also impart a stronger taste with increased oils from ground coffee beans. Unfortunately, using metal filters may make your brew more sedimenty so care must be taken when cleaning them thoroughly.
French Press coffee offers another method for producing acid free beverages, with less acidity than its regular counterpart due to being made using coarsely ground beans soaked in cold water for 24-48 hours, so oil in the bean dissolves more slowly when exposed to cool temperature; creating a smoother taste.
4. Add Eggshells
Coffee is acidic, and while a certain level of acidity is necessary to create delicious coffee drinks, too much acidity may lead to heartburn and other uncomfortable symptoms. Luckily, there are multiple methods available for decreasing its acidity level in your brew.
One simple and quick solution is adding eggshells. While they may seem out of place in your cup of coffee, eggshells have alkaline properties which help neutralize acidity in beverages like coffee.
Eggshells can add texture and depth of flavor to your coffee brew by breaking them up into small pieces and placing them directly in your brew. Depending on how much coffee you need to make, the number of eggs may differ – one should suffice in most pots. Before crushing eggshells for consumption, be sure to rinse and sanitize them first to eliminate dirt or bacteria that might accumulate.
Crushed eggshells can help lower the bitterness of coffee that has an acidic flavour, as this ingredient is alkaline and absorbs some of its acidity. While its exact cause remains unknown, many believe this could be down to eggshells’ alkaline properties which absorb some of the acidity present.
Eggshells can be an effective way to reduce the acidity of campfire coffee for those who enjoy camping and the great outdoors, and will keep grounds from sinking to the bottom while it boils, as well as lessen any bitterness which might otherwise exist in it.
5. Don’t Overheat
While many may seek low acid coffee for health reasons, others also desire a more balanced flavor experience. One way of accomplishing this goal is by adding milk or creamer as this increases fat content to help lower acidity of their coffee beverage.
Before brewing your ground beans, try adding a dash of salt. This can help balance out the tart and acidic notes found in overextracted coffee, as salt increases pH levels in your drink’s pH level and thus decreases its acidic flavor.
Some people enjoy experimenting with various kinds of coffee beans to find ones with less acidity. Roasting can have an impactful effect; lighter beans typically have higher acidity due to retaining more of their natural acids found within. But over-extraction of acids from beans could result in over-sour, bitter flavour.
Other sources of acidity in coffee come from chlorogenic and citric acids, which add fruitier notes to certain varieties. Unfortunately, however, their fruitier notes often get lost or diminished during roasting processes. Phosphoric acid can also add some tart or bitter flavors.
6. Add Milk
If you want a cup of coffee that’s low in acidity, there are various strategies you can try when brewing it. A paper filter or mesh bag may block fats that release acids from ground beans; using coarser grinds may slow the extraction rate and lower acidity levels; cold brewing has even been proven to reduce total acidity levels by as much as 67% according to one recent study published in Scientific Reports.
If your coffee tastes acidic, adding milk can help to restore its pH level and brighten its flavors. Milk’s proteins also bind with tannins and chlorogenic acids (CGAs), responsible for adding brightness. Just remember not to overdo it as too much milk may curdle your drink!
If all other methods have failed to alleviate acidity in your coffee brew, adding baking soda may help. Doing this will increase carbonate concentration which acts as an acid buffer. Or you could purchase low acid coffee from retailers such as Java Planet, LifeBoost and Mommee Coffee that specialize in it; or roasting beans yourself and creating low acid brew. However, this may take more time and practice.