Tap to Read ➤

How to Make Acid-free Coffee

Dr. Sumaiya Khan
Acid-free or low acid coffee is free or low in its acidic content. It is a healthy option for people have acidity problems.
There are many of us who just cannot do without their morning cup of coffee. According to a study that was done in 1998, it is estimated that on an average, 6.7 million metric tons of coffee is consumed on a yearly basis. However, unfortunately, there are many coffee lovers that have had to cut down on their intake of coffee.
The main reason for this is that a research revealed around 60 million Americans suffer from heartburn at least once in a month. Furthermore, around 35 million Americans who have had to face stomach acid problems had to cut down on their morning cup of coffee. These people truly miss out on their cuppa and so have been on the lookout for alternatives.

Difference Between Acid-free and Regular Coffee

Many coffee lovers love their coffee but simply cannot bear the heartburn that follows after consumption of even one cup of coffee. So, how does coffee that is low, or free of acid help in overcoming this problem?
Coffee side effects include iron deficiency anemia, heartburn, acid reflux disease, and may eventually be responsible for triggering certain chronic life-threatening illnesses. On the other hand, consuming low acid coffee is on an average, as proven by medical testing, to be almost ten times healthier when compared to regular coffee.

How is Low Acid Coffee Commercially Made?

On most occasions, it is claimed that the beans used in making coffee that is free, or nearly free of acid are Arabica beans. It is claimed that the roasting process is such that the various harmful contents and irritants are removed from the coffee beans during the roasting process.
It is said that the beans that are roasted first undergo a purification process. When the coffee beans are still in their green state, they are treated with a high pressure steam and a vacuum procedure so as to reduce the irritants that are present in them before they are eventually roasted. Thus, you have a bunch of acid-free coffee beans in your hands.
However, there is a lot of thought that goes into roasting the beans too, because a bean that is roasted too little remains green and does not taste good while a bean that is over roasted makes the coffee unnecessarily acidic and can give the coffee a burnt flavor.

How to Make Low Acid Coffee

If you are not interested in buying coffee brands which claim to be free or low on their acidic content, then you can try a small and simple variation in your coffee recipe and see if this works for you.
So, if you are wondering about how to make coffee that is low in its acidic content, take one pound of fresh ground, organic coffee, and add that to eight cups of water in a glass bowl. Place this mixture in a cool, dark closet and allow it to soak for around fifteen hours.
After that, filter off the liquid extract through either a coffee or a fabric filter into a glass jar that can be tightly sealed. This extract is highly concentrated, so much so, that just two tablespoons of this when added to eight ounces of hot water will give you a cup of mellow, acid-free coffee.
This mixture can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed jar and will stay fresh for a couple of weeks. You can change the measurement of the recipe to suit your needs and frequency of drinking coffee.
However, initially make only small amounts of this mixture because the amount of acid drained from it may not be sufficiently low for you and so, you may still land with mild discomfort after drinking this coffee. Hence, it is best to first try out a small amount of this coffee and see if it suits you.