How to Make Coffee Less Acidic with Baking Soda: Is it Worth it?

Ever crossed your mind ‘How to make coffee less acidic with baking soda?’

Many claim that this is probably 1 of the best ways to reduce the acidity level in your brew. But does it spoil the taste of your coffee? Stick around, in this article, I’m going to chat about all you need to know about baking soda and whether it’s a good idea to put it in your coffee.

Let’s jump straight into it. 

What you should know about baking soda

Baking soda, along with salt and black pepper, is 1 of those products that you’ll find in almost every household. 

It became a popular product back in the 1920s with Arm & Hammer being the leading brand advertising it in women’s magazines and distributing booklets full of recipes with baking soda and soon it established itself as an essential product. 

What about its science? 

Baking soda or Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is a popular chemical component with many different uses its annual production is estimated to go over 2 million tons.

It’s a product that won’t be obsolete anytime soon or even become less popular than it’s nowadays. One of its latest uses is as a pesticide repellent to fruits as it naturally prevents apples from such microorganisms. Plus, it’s also going to be used more as a somewhat affordable yet effective cleaning agent for coal-fired power plants. 

Uses of baking soda

Here are some of the more popular baking soda uses: 

• Baking: probably the most popular is for baking as it works as a leavening agent. It’s an alkali and when it’s mixed up with acidic ingredients including lemon juice it produces carbon hydrate bubbles which force the dough to inflate, so your cake is going to rise and become more fluffier.

• Crispy chicken: you can rub the chicken with baking soda before putting it into the oven to make it crispy and really delicious. All you need is a pinch of baking soda and this will be enough to make a whole lot of a difference.

• Brighten up your veggies: baking soda can make your vegetables look white; before putting them into the oven, sprinkle some of it, and your carrots and peppers are going to look more appetising. 

• Cleaning your kitchen: it’s also an excellent cleaning agent; popping some on your sponge and going over the surfaces will make your kitchen look clean and shiny.

• Whitening your teeth: you can use baking soda instead of toothpaste every now and again to brush your teeth as it’s going to remove stains on your teeth from coffee, tea, or soft drinks. 

• Neutralising coffee acidity: a little pinch of baking soda will be enough to reduce the acidity level in your coffee, so you avoid the risk of acid reflux or other stomach issues excessive amounts of coffee can cause. 

Is it OK to put baking soda in coffee?

One of the many uses of baking soda is to neutralize acidity in coffee.

Why is that? 

Because it’s an alkali, when baking soda is mixed up with coffee acids including chlorogenic and quinic it makes coffee smoother, less acidic, and sour in taste. 

How to go about it

All you need to do is add 1/8 tsp of baking soda to your brew and give a good steer for a moment. This is going to do wonders, especially for those who suffer from acid reflux or any other stomach issues in the past. If you’re having such health issues and experiencing heartburn, it’s wise to give up on coffee completely for a couple of months until all the unpleasant symptoms are gone – adding baking soda to your brew to neutralise the acidity in coffee won’t be enough to heal your stomach, and it’s not worth taking the risk of drinking coffee while facing stomach issues. 

Taste enhancement

Plus, baking soda enhances the taste of your coffee.

Whether your coffee tastes sour or bitter a little pinch of it can make your coffee taste better. 

Warning: 

Go for just 1/8 tsp of baking and not more as a bigger amount might ruin the taste of your coffee. Baking soda produces bubbles of CO2 (Carbon Hydrate) making your drink too bubbly and tasting like a soft drink. 

Health benefits of baking soda

Let’s chat about a bunch of the health benefits of baking soda. 

Helps with heartburn

 Consuming food and drink high in acidity is one of the most common heartburn causes. It happens when stomach contents slip through the stomach and move toward the mouth. Baking soda neutralises acidity in food and drinks, preventing heartburn to an extent or any other stomach issues. 

Better exercise performance

Studies have shown that baking soda can improve your exercise performance. 

Ηigh intensity exercise leads to burning, forcing our cells to produce lactic acid that makes us get tired. Regular consumption of baking soda leads our body to neutralise the lactic acid we produce when working out, keeping us at the peak of our performance for longer. 

Good for sunburns and itchy skin

It’s common to have sunburns or itchy skin in the summer due to severe heat (much like in Cyprus where I’m based).

A bath with baking soda will help you relax and soothe your skin. All you need to do is fill the bath up with warm water and sprinkle 220-440 grams of baking soda and will do wonders for your skin.

Soothes canker sores

What are canker sores? These are ulcers on the inside of your mouth; different reasons make them develop and grow in your mouth (one of them is anxiety and stress). 

By doing mouth washing with baking soda it helps your body soothe and heal them faster without causing much pain and discomfort. ‘

Slows down the development of chronic kidney disease

Studies have shown that baking soda might slow down chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Kidneys are vital to our body as they filter blood and remove waste from it. Consuming baking soda on a regular basis might help those suffering from this disease, so they will have their kidneys functioning for longer. 

Let’s wrap it up

You made it to the end of this article and I believe you learned how to make coffee less acidic with baking soda. Stay tuned, I’m going to be publishing more articles about making coffee and other ingredients you can add to your brew to make it less acidic. Till next time, enjoy less acidic coffee. Have you tried Ethiopian coffee?

FAQ

Let’s go over a bunch of FAQs and learn more about baking soda and coffee.

Can you add baking soda to coffee for weight loss? 

There’s no correlation between coffee with baking soda and weight loss. If you add sugar and baking soda to your coffee, the calories are going to be the same as coffee with sugar and no baking soda. The same goes with creamer; the calories of coffee are going to be the same. Plus, baking soda doesn’t really reduce your appetite for food or sweets, so I don’t think baking soda helps you directly with losing weight. 

Does baking soda make coffee less acidic?

Yes, it’s an alkali meaning that has 8-9 pH and when you add it to your brew it brings down the pH of your coffee making it less acidic. 

What is the best acid reducer for coffee?

Using alkaline water to brew coffee is probably one of the best acid reducers for coffee as its pH is higher than regular water (9 vs. 7) and since 97% of your coffee is water this is going to make a whole lot of a difference. 

How can coffee be acid free?

It’s impossible to make coffee acid free, it contains different acids including citric, quinic, and chlorogenic which give coffee its distinct aroma and flavour. Even Cold Brew and decaf coffee contain acidity (not good if you’re suffering from acid reflux) but don’t get me wrong, some coffee is less acidic than others.