Three Ways to Prevent Coffee Heartburn
All too often, I hear people say “I can’t drink coffee because it gives me heartburn!” Yes, acid reflux is a real problem that many people experience after drinking coffee. However, not all coffee is created equal! Many people associate their heartburn problem with coffee as a whole, not realizing that there are very specific reasons that a particular brand of coffee causes it.
In fact, by following these 3 Ways to Prevent Coffee Heartburn it’s quite possible to drink coffee and be worry-free about heartburn and acid reflux.
1. Prevent Coffee Heartburn By Getting a Safe Amount of Caffeine
A big player in the cause of acid reflux is overcaffeination. When your caffeine intake is too high, the muscle that connects the stomach to the esophagus is relaxed.1 When this happens, an opening is created for stomach acid to come up into your esophagus, which causes acid reflux. Ew! That’s pretty gross.
So how do we make sure we have a safe amount of caffeine? Most experts agree 600mg per day (4-7 cups) is overcaffeination.2 For some — such as pregnant mothers, it’s advised to be 200mg (about 2 cups).3 According to Health Canada — the federal health department in Canada — 400mg (just over 4 cups) is a safe daily caffeine consumption rate.4
By making sure the coffee you drink has safe caffeine levels, you can prevent coffee heartburn and enjoy your nice hot cup of coffee without the dreaded consequence of acid reflux. Keep reading to learn the best ways to avoid hyper-caffeinated coffee.
2. Prevent Coffee Heartburn By Only Drinking Shade-Grown Coffee
Did you know there is a difference between Shade-Grown coffee and Sun-Grown coffee? It’s not surprising if you don’t – it’s not something you hear a lot about. Why? Because Sun-Grown coffee is of poorer quality, and much cheaper to produce!
Many grocery-store coffee blends use sun-grown beans to reduce costs. But, coffee isn’t supposed to grow in direct sunlight. By being exposed to the strong rays of the sun, it grows faster — hence being much cheaper — but it then contains more acidity and bitterness. By clear-cutting the forests and planting coffee in rows like corn it also removes the nutrients from the soil without replacing them and creates soil erosion.
Because they have less acidity, Shade-Grown beans are much less likely to cause problems with coffee heartburn. You should always look for coffee that is labeled as Shade-Grown, to ensure you’re getting the smoothest cup without the jitters and to prevent coffee heartburn.
3. Prevent Coffee Heartburn By Only Drinking 100% Arabica Coffee
In addition to drinking shade-grown coffee, you should also consider only drinking 100% Arabica beans. So what’s the difference between Arabica and regular coffee? Well, there are two types of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. (Again, it’s not surprising that you may not know this, because it isn’t advertised by the masses.) Robusta beans are cheaper because they grow at lower altitudes, and they’re more hardy making them resilient to pests. But, the tradeoff is Robusta beans are more bitter and contain twice the caffeine content of Arabica beans.
What does this have to do with preventing coffee heartburn? The extra caffeine in Robusta beans makes you more susceptible to acid reflux and heartburn.
So what’s the solution? Drink 100% Arabica coffee – you’ll taste and feel the difference, and won’t ever want to go back to Robusta beans.
Many people give up coffee because of acid reflux and heartburn. But you don’t have to! Just remember to avoid hyper-caffenation by only drinking 100% Arabica, Shade-Grown coffee.
And if you don’t believe me, check out these testimonials from our customers here. They’ve discovered that Shade-Grown and Arabica beans are the solution to prevent coffee heartburn. Try our 100% Arabica and Shade Grown coffee and see if it works for you. You’ll be glad you did!
Bonus: Preventing Coffee Heartburn when you’re pregnant:
Check out this great blog post, Is a Cup of Joe a No-No During Pregnancy? from our friends at Mom Loves Best.
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Sources
- 1. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/08/13/158097387/got-heartburn-maybe-you-should-rethink-your-drink
- 2.http://www.fda.gov/downloads/UCM200805.pdf
- 3.March of Dimes (2012) Caffiene in Pregnancy http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/caffeine-in-pregnancy.aspx
- 4.Health Canada. (2013) Health Canada Reminds Canadians to Manage Their Caffeine Consumption http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2013/34021a-eng.php
Thank you. I waited to 47 years of age to drink coffee but started getting worse reflux. I knew it was related to the coffee. I now am educated about the things to look for and will not drink just any coffee. I will treat it like i do other beverages i drink i.select carefully. Thank you so much.
Thank you for the education regarding coffee and why it probably gives me heartburn. I notice that a certain brand of ready-made coffee that I buy from a retail shop does not give me heartburn. However when I make coffee at home, it often gives me heartburn after one or two cups, or if I drink it more than twice a week. I will certainly pay attention from now on. Thank you.
What Kuerig type coffees are best to reduce coffee heartburn?
Thank you!
AH
Hi Angie,
Great question. In addition to looking for a low caffeine, shade-grown and 100% Arabica, you want to look for when the coffee was roasted. Small independent roasters who package their K-Cups themselves will have the freshest coffee. This is what Camano Island Coffee Roasters does. We use recyclable pods and freshly roasted coffee, that’s ground and packed in the k-cups all here at our roastery on Camano Island. Here is a link to get $20 off your first order of pods when you become a member: https://camanoislandcoffee.com/pod-club/
Are you guys still open? I wanted to try a bag but the form to try a free bag is broken. Anyways, I’m not here to just score a free bag, I really need a good, non-acidic, fresh delivery coffee source. Thank you!
Hi Tina,
We are open! Our hours are Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm.
Sorry to hear of your problems with the website. We would love to help you. Can you give us a call at (866) 387-5282? We can get you set up over the phone, or you are welcome to stop by!
Thanks,
~TJ
Where are you located?
Hi Tracy,
We are located on Camano Island in Washington state. We import our beans from around the world, roast here on Camano Island, and ship right to your door within 48 hours of roasting.
Thanks for commenting.
TJ
As a puertorriqueña who has had a cup of coffee EVERY morning since about age 19 (now 72 yrs old), I was upset to learn than the intense pain in my gut was affected by my particular choices of brands. Then I developed reflux, and that sent me flying to seek help. My gastroenterologist informed me that I would have to seriously address my dietary choices, and particularly to eliminate COFFEE and chocolate. Uh-uh! So I did a great deal of research, trial and error of various foods/brands/modes of cooking, and discovered that eliminating ALL carbonated beverages (was very fond of a particular brand ginger ale), orange juice and other acids, and not eating offensive fruits/veggies (through elimination dieting on my own), all this led to such relief and a better quality of life. And I found a low acid coffee that satisfied the caffeine need. I won’t reveal the brand/name here since you obviously want us to try YOUR coffee as a solution, but it is available in majority of supermarkets at very reasonable prices. Online also at even better prices. I had been on prescription medication which I ceased taking after learning of effects on bones (and I have osteopenia, so not such a great thing to be ingesting that drug which later the FDA posted warnings). With vigilance and willingness to create a better quality of life for myself, I have been off medications for GERD for over 30 yrs. I have also adopted the GF diet, due to gluten sensitivity, and this also has improved my overall health. There is so much that one can do if you are invested in taking charge instead of just accepting a mediocre quality of life imposed by things that can go wrong with our bodies. So why did I write all this to you? Just because I know firsthand that there is a great deal that I can do for myself, just as anyone else can. As much as I’m sure your coffee is tasty, I’ll stick with my very affordable, GERD friendly coffee. And yes, I do keep appointments with my GI specialists, including endoscopies about every 4-5 yrs. All has been good, and my GI is impressed and supportive of my efforts/results. Oh, and the chocolate? Have not given that up altogether! Found that anything over 43 to 52% can cause acid reflux and pain. Since I love darker chocolate, I have located a brand that makes a great chocolate that does not hurt my system and produces wonderful baking results. Life is good!
I drank Paul Newman’s organic special blend extra bold coffee. I had 2 cups gave me the worst heartburn in my life! I threw up three times it hurts so bad I couldn’t even lay down. From now on I have to drink medium roast or breakfast blend wow no more strong coffee for me. One day I’ll learn!! I can’t drink strong coffee !! I hate Starbucks too
because it’s too strong!??
Hi David,
So sorry to hear about your issues. That sounds awful!
We have many coffee lovers that say similar things and that’s why they only drink our coffee. All of our coffees are low acid and super fresh to prevent heartburn and acid reflux. If you haven’t given our coffee a try, feel free to try it and let us know what you think.
Thanks for commenting.
TJ
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Good job! Personally i really appreciate of your work. Good luck!
This article provides some fantastic tips to prevent coffee-induced heartburn, allowing us to continue enjoying our daily cup of java without the discomfort. I appreciate the emphasis on choosing low-acid coffee beans and the brewing methods that reduce acidity. It’s also great to see the recommendation of adding milk or a non-dairy alternative to help neutralize the acidity.