Coffeeclues

One of the properties of coffee is acidity. Coffee acidity is mostly influenced by factors such as geography, roasting process, processing and brewing. This article describes in detail on how each factor influences acidity.

Coffee Acidity

• Acidity can be described as one of the property on which coffee is evaluated. It causes unpleasant feeling in the stomach. Some amount of acidity is required to maintain the flavor of coffee, however large levels of it is not desired.
• The coffee growing area, variety of coffee, roasting process, bean processing and brewing are some of the factors that determine the acidity of coffee. Generally, coffee grown in high altitudes and volcanic soils tend to have more acidity. However, one cannot judge the acidity levels based on geography itself, other factors such as roasting and processing also come into play.
• Coffee is processed in two different ways, dry and wet method. In dry method cherries so obtained are dried directly in the sun and the shell is removed. In wet method, beans are soaked in water and the skin is removed. In case of dry processed beans the acid content is less when compared to wet processed beans.
• Roasting process also affects coffee acidity. More the amount of roasting less is the acidity. Lightly roasted beans have high acid content. Freshly brewed coffee has more acidity, as the coffee gets stale it looses taste and acidity. Cold brewing reduces the acidity of coffee.
• Different types of acids are found in coffee. The most important among them are chlorogenic acid, oxalic acid, tannic acid, caffeic acid, oleic acid and malic acid. These constituents cause overall acidity of coffee. The caffeine content in coffee causes the secretion of more acids. So, coffee consumption stimulates additional secretion of acids and pose gastric problems.
• Words such as bright, sharp, crisp, bright and lively describe highly acidic coffee. Smooth, sweet and mellow describe low acidic coffee. Therefore, to prevent acidity there is a need to limit coffee intake.