The Espresso Explorer

Coffee shop & eatery reviews for visitors to live like a local.

  • Home
  • Blog
    • Explore Coffee Shops
    • Explore Eateries
    • Explore Coffee Products
  • Recipes
  • About Me
    • Contact Me
  • Home Coffee Bar Essentials

How to Reduce Acid in Your Coffee

October 5, 2020 by Monica Preston 4 Comments

Just so you know, we may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. We have a full affiliate disclosure that you can find under here.

How to reduce acid in your coffee

Have you ever wished could figure out how to reduce acid in your coffee?

If you have crazy acid reflux or heartburn after drinking coffee, this is for you. Coffee has natural acids that for some people, can cause discomfort. Despite the naturally occurring acids, there are some easy ways to reduce the acid in your coffee. And yes, there are more solutions than just drinking ‘low acid’ coffee!

So I won’t get all scientific because that’s not what my degree is in. But, you don’t have to be a scientist to understand what to do to increase or decrease acidity in your coffee. Let’s start with the beans, before they even make it to your cup.

Psst….don’t forget to check out the home barista essentials to find all you need to create your own home coffee bar!

Table Of Contents
  1. Where coffee is grown
  2. Grind Size Helps Reduce Acid
  3. Water
  4. Experimenting with Your Coffee to Reduce Acid
  5. Water Temperature to Control Acidity

Where coffee is grown

The origins of coffee acidity starts with where it’s grown. Specifically, it’s the elevation that matters. Hard coffee beans are generally grown at higher elevations, which means cooler temperatures. The harder the bean, the more acidic it tends to be.

Acidity also is dependent on how the bean was processed, which just means how was it extracted from the coffee cherry. Coffee beans are either wet/washed, natural/dry, or honey/pulped natural. Natural and honey processed lend to more acidity to shine.

Both where coffee is grown and how it’s processed, are normally not known to the average buyer. You could ask the roaster these questions and they can provide the origin and processing technique for you. But what if you don’t buy directly from the roaster?

Grind Size Helps Reduce Acid

Yep. If you remember last week when I talked about cold brew, I said cold brew typically has less acid than hot brewed. This is because when making cold brew, you use coarsely ground coffee which slows the rate of extraction because of larger surface area. Plus, cold water doesn’t extract oils (which carries the acid) from the coffee. More on that later.

Now, if you happen to want to taste the fruity, acidic flavor of your coffee, grind a bit finer. But be careful; you don’t want your coffee to be sour. One other thing to mention, extraction time is different than brew time. Extraction is the speed to which the aromas and flavors are developed. Brew time is the actual time the grounds spend in the water. You can still make a coarse grind sour and that’s because it was brewed too long.

coffee grind size can help reduce acid in your coffee

Water

Coffee is 94%-98% water so it isn’t just your coffee that needs to be pretty amazing. Brewing your coffee with good water can make or break a cup of coffee. Some minerals act as acid buffers, meaning they are still there, but you won’t taste it in the coffee. Hard water has higher levels of magnesium and calcium which tend to extract more flavors, leaving you with more acidic coffee. But soft water isn’t always the best; the high sodium levels can make the acidity shine.

So how do you make your coffee less acidic? If you know the origin of your beans and you’re following proper grind size and brew time, then play with your water. Try bottled, spring, or filtered and see how it affects the flavor of your coffee. I have reverse osmosis because here in Vegas our water is HARD. I find that brew time and temperature are the most frequent factors I’ve found that affect the acid in my coffee.

Experimenting with Your Coffee to Reduce Acid

Coffee’s flavor and aromas are developed and extracted at different times during the brewing process. If you don’t use enough water, you could still end up with a sour cup because the first flavors to brew are the floral and fruity notes. The next flavors that extract is sweetness and finally bitterness. So if you’re finding you’re consistently getting a sour cup of coffee, pay attention to your water temperature and grind size for the way you’re brewing. If you’re consistently getting a bitter cup, you’re over-extracting with too long of a brew time. You want the perfect brew time for your cup; a balance of sweetness and body.

Water Temperature to Control Acidity

If you’ve been hanging out with me for a hot minute, you know I’ve mentioned a time or two about water temperature and how critical it is to brewing the perfect cup. Welp, turns out water temperature can play a part in how you reduce acid in your coffee.

The hotter your water, the more acid will be present. There are some compounds that won’t extract at certain temperatures which is why cold brew has the lowest amount of acid. This is why cold brew is known for the sweet, smooth, and low acid taste. If you’re looking to reduce the acid in your coffee, play with the brewing temperatures. If you don’t know what temperature your coffee maker is brewing at, you can take a thermometer and test the brewing water as it’s coming out of the drip. Many commercial coffee makers brew at around 185-195 degrees F.

The beauty of making your coffee at home is you can control how it’s made. Mastering these concepts of water temperature, grind size, and getting to know the origins of the coffee you buy all together helps you to make a great cup of coffee, right at home. Go ahead, experiment with different water temperatures, brewing methods, grinds, and find the one that really sings to your tastebuds. Once that happens, you’ll begin to appreciate the coffee experience!

Don’t forget to grab your FREE copy of the Coffee Roast & Brew Guide! It has all of the secrets to brewing great coffee at home, with a bonus of showing you how to pair your coffee with different foods so you can enjoy coffee anytime and not just in the morning. Plus you’ll get on my monthly newsletter where I share new coffee spots, exclusive recipes, and other tips to make great coffee right at home!

Till next time friends!

  • Related posts:

    1. Why is My Coffee Sour?
    2. 5 Reasons Why Cold Brew is Better than Iced Coffee
    3. 5 Reasons to Ditch Your Keurig
    4. 5 Tips to Make Coffeehouse Quality Drinks at Home

    Filed Under: Explore Coffee Products

    « 5 Reasons Why Cold Brew is Better than Iced Coffee
    5 Reasons to Ditch Your Keurig »

    Comments

    1. Russell Volz says

      October 8, 2020 at 3:40 pm

      Monica, how many times have we heard people say that the acid in coffee upsets their stomachs? I contend that 9 out of 10 times, their stomach issues have nothing to do with the acid. Most of their issues are the result of buying bitter and burnt industrial coffee.

      If you like coffee, but it upsets your stomach, then buy fresh roasted (less than 7 days old), light or medium roasted (never black), then brew the coffee via an AeroPress or Cold-Brew. By the way, cold-brew can be heated in the microwave if you want hot coffee. I’ll bet that following these ideas will fix most people’s stomach issues.

      Reply
      • Monica Preston says

        October 8, 2020 at 4:31 pm

        Hey Russell!
        I 100% agree with you! I used to get bad heartburn in my Starbucks days and since I’ve learned better, the heartburn has gone away!

        Reply
    2. Gail says

      January 9, 2021 at 4:55 am

      Fascinating stuff ..thanx bunches

      Reply
      • Monica Preston says

        January 9, 2021 at 1:29 pm

        Glad you like it!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    Coffee Roast and Brew Guide by The Espresso Explorer

    Don’t miss a post!

    Are you tired of sugar filled drinks or burnt tasting coffee? Do you want to learn to make better tasting coffee at home?

    Save your money and sign up for the Coffee Chronicles, a once in a while newsletter delivering coffee shop and eatery highlights PLUS get new recipes and product announcements before anyone else! Your Coffee Roast & Brewing E-Book is waiting!

    Did you click the box just above? If so, your signed copy is just a few moments away! #nowaitinginlinehere

    The Recipe Box

    Recipes from The Espresso Explorer

    Let’s connect online!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Resources

    Home coffee bar essentials by The Espresso Explorer

    Copyright © 2023 · Delightful theme by Restored 316

    Copyright © 2023 · Delightful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT