Does cream make coffee less acidic? The Answer WILL Shock You

The other day I was thinking to myself ‘Does cream make coffee less acidic?’

It’s a logical assumption to make but is it true or not? I did research and I’d like to share with you what I found which will help you get a better understanding of coffee acidity.

Let’s dive straight into it.

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Does cream make coffee less acidic?

Yes it can considering that in your cup is going to be less coffee. A typical cup of coffee is 240mL, if you add a serving (15mL) of coffee cream then your coffee is going to be 225mL. Less coffee in your cup means less acid.

What you should know about acidity in coffee?

Let’s go over all the important aspects of acidity in coffee.

What is coffee acidity?

Acidity is one of the major components of coffee along with bitterness, sweetness, aroma and aftertaste. In essence, it adds a real kick to your coffee and makes it unique in its taste. The way it can be described is sweet tangy and crispy. Different kinds of coffee beans have different levels of acidity.

What influences the level of acidity?

One of the major factors that affect the level of acidity in coffee beans is the roast level.

For example, dark roasts are less acidic than medium and lighter roasts. The reason being the longer coffee beans are roasted the more acidity they lose. Another factor is the type of coffee beans. Typically, there are 2 types of coffee: Arabica and Robusta.

Robusta are less acidic than Arabica.

3 best coffees with high acidity

Here are the 3 best coffees for acidity:

Kenyan
Guatemalan
Costa Rican

All 3 have clear bright acidity as they grow at high altitudes.

2 best coffees with low acidity

Let’s take a look at the 3 best coffee with low acidity:

Sumatra
Brazilian

The climate and the way they harvested make coffee beans from these places low in acidity.

How to brew low-acidity coffee?

As mentioned above one of the most important factors of the acidity level is the roast level.

So, if you want to brew coffee low in acidity, I suggest you go for dark roast coffee beans. They are typically chocolatey and have a rich sweetness. But if you want to drink more acidic coffee opt for light roasts that are tangy and have distinct citrus flavours.

Another thing to consider is to use filtered or bottled water for your water as tap water normally is acidic and contains hard minerals including magnesium. Plus, if the water in your area is high in hard minerals the chances are it will spoil the taste of your coffee.

Cold Brew Coffee is low in acidity

You might be wondering ‘How is this possible?’

The process of making Cold Brew is unique: All you need to do is pour cold (or room temperature) water into a container and add coffee beans. Let them in there for 10-30 hours; all the flavours and aromas will be extracted and you’re going to make a rich drink. Interestingly, coffee loses most of its acidity during this long process. So, if you fancy coffee that isn’t that acidic, Cold Brew is your go-to coffee.

The regions that produce coffee beans low in acidity

Let’s talk about the 2 main regions that produce the most known coffee beans low in acidity.

Sumatra

Sumatra is a large Indonesian island where coffee beans grow and are known for their distinct herbaceous flavours. They are Arabica coffee beans and are typically roasted as dark coffee beans and for this reason, they are low in acidity.

Brazilian

Brazil is the number 1 producer of coffee beans with mellow flavours that are normally dark roasted. They grow in high altitudes and for this reason, they are low in acidity.

Does the brewing method affect acidity?

The answer is: yes it does

If your brewing process is short, not much acidity ends up in your cup whereas when you brew your coffee for longer, meaning that you brew at a lower temperature your coffee is going to be more acidic. And as you might have guessed temperature also plays a role in the level of acidity in coffee.

As mentioned above the process of brewing Cold Brew is pretty effective to reduce coffee acidity, but it needs cold or temperature water to achieve this.

Common ways of reducing acidity in coffee

Let’s go over 6 different ways you can use to reduce acidity in coffee:

Add a pinch of cinnamon: cinnamon is great in coffee (especially cappuccino) and reduces the acidity in your coffee.
Acid reducers: This is another solution you can use to reduce the acidity in your coffee and the good thing is you can find them easily
Add a pinch of salt: salt funnily enough makes your coffee sweeter and of course, reduces the acidity level.
Baking soda: this is another way, but it’s wise to use just a little bit of it because too much baking soda in your coffee can spoil its taste.
Milk or coffee cream: these are also ways that you can make your coffee both sweeter and less acidic.

Can a paper filter reduce acidity?

The answer is: yes it can reduce acidity

Here’s how:

In general, a paper filter does a better job of filtering out coffee oils and lipids during the brewing process. Acidity is extracted during the brewing process meaning that when you filter your coffee with a paper filter less acidity slips through the filter and into your cup.

The good news is you can find coffee filters pretty much everywhere and you can either go for brown or white ones. Brown coffee filters don’t contain chlorine and are eco-friendly.

Let’s wrap it up

Does cream make coffee less acidic in the end? The answer is that cream can reduce the acidity in your coffee but there are also other ways you can reduce it. One of the most common ones is to go for dark roast coffee beans and bottled or filtered water.