Many of us wait till we get our aromatic cup of morning coffee before we can start our days. Espressos are a widely consumed form of coffee. However, you might hesitate to go for such a potent cup of coffee if you are sensitive to acidity.
You might worry that the acidity will induce acidity or make your stomach feel upset. So, here we are going to discuss whether espresso is less acidic compared to other forms of coffee and its implication in daily life.
Is Espresso Less Acidic Than Regular Coffee?
Caffeinated coffee enhances your stomach’s natural acid production, which facilitates the onset of acid reflux and heartburn. Since espresso is often made from dark-roasted coffee beans, it is typically less acidic compared to regular coffee.
Coffee beans have a lower acid level the longer they are roasted. Since medium-roasted coffee is the most common, espresso has less acidity than normal coffee. Furthermore, as the coffee brews quickly, it reduces the amount of acid that filters into your cup, lowering the acid content.
Is Espresso Less Acidic Than Drip Coffee?
Yes, espresso is less acidic than drip coffee.
The latter is brewed using a slow brewing technique in which lukewarm water is dripped through the grounds to let them soak up the flavor. On the contrary, espresso is made by brewing coffee grounds with hot water and under high pressure. Thus, this high pressure forces the water to flow through the grounds quickly, resulting in a shorter brew time.
As we know, the lesser the brewing time, the lesser the extraction of components from the coffee grounds, implying a low acidity. So, espresso has a low acid content than drip coffee.
Also, since espresso is usually made with dark roasts while drip coffee is typically prepared using light or medium-roasted beans, it adds to the less acidity of espressos.
Is Espresso Less Acidic Than Brewed Coffee?
Cold brew coffee has a minimum acidity level. Because of the brewing process and temperature, cold brew coffees are less acidic than any type of coffee.
As said earlier, espressos are made by allowing hot water to pass through coffee grounds. In contrast, cold water is used in cold brew coffee and is brewed for an extended time. This cold water doesn’t allow a high amount of acids to be released from the beans, making the coffee less acidic.
Thus, although both cold brews and espressos are some of the best low-acid coffee alternatives, the former is relatively less acidic.
However, using low-acid coffee beans while making your espresso will produce less acidic coffee than a typical cold brew.
Why Is Espresso Less Acidic Than Coffee?
The pH of espresso is typically around 5.5 to 6, and that of regular coffee is 4.5 to 5, which implies that the latter is more acidic.
The longer and higher temperatures the coffee beans are roasted, the chlorogenic acids get disintegrated and are lost in the process. Thus, dark roasts tend to become less acidic than medium or light roasts.
As regular coffee is usually made from light or medium roasts, whereas being typically dark roasted, espressos will have less acidity than regular coffee.
Is Espresso Bad for Acid Reflux?
Although espressos are less acidic than regular coffee, they tend to produce acid reflux due to the presence of more caffeine per volume. However, their less acid percentage and anti-inflammatory properties make them easy on your stomach.
Thus, you must ensure to consume espressos in moderate amounts so that your caffeine consumption is within a threshold and not too high to cause acid reflux. Also, people with high caffeine sensitivity are recommended not to have espressos much. Decaf coffee acts as a fantastic alternative for such people and others since it has small amounts of caffeine.
How to fix sour espresso?
To fix sour espresso, you can do the following:
- First, finely grind your coffee beans.
- Next, brew for only about 25-30 seconds.
- Then, balance the coffee and water ratio.
Conclusion
So, the answer to your query ‘is that espresso less acidic’ is YES. It is less acidic than most forms of coffee, despite having more caffeine and a stronger flavor. However, switching to low acid espresso is best if you have a sensitive stomach and are susceptible to acid reflux.
