We all love our coffee, but for some of us, drinking a cup of coffee leads to a very unpleasant feeling afterward. If you’ve ever had coffee only to experience acid reflux or heartburn, you’re not alone.
A lot of folks have sensitive stomachs and regular coffee doesn’t really suit them. So if you can’t imagine giving up your coffee, but don’t want to experience heartburn and reflux, we’ve picked out some low acid coffee brands that taste great and are easy on the stomach.
We’ll also look at why coffee is acidic an how you can make your existing favorite coffee less acidic.
But first, here’s a quick overview of the best non acidic coffees:
What Is Low Acid Coffee?
It’s important that you don’t confuse acid in low acid coffee with coffee acidity. Acidity is actually a flavor note used by coffee experts to describe the tangy, tart taste that many coffees have.
When we look for coffee without acid, the acid we’re looking for refers to the actual pH level of coffee, which is around 5. Coffees have over 30 different acids in them!
pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a substance is. Pure water is neutral, and has a pH of 7. Anything above 7 is basic, and anything below 7 is acidic. 1 is the most acidic, and 14 is the most basic.
If you think about it, 5 is not too acidic! Orange juice is around 3 or 4 on the pH scale and even more sour juices like cranberry juice are 2 to 3 on the pH scale.
Still, even the seemingly moderate pH 5 of regular coffee can be a bit much for some people with sensitive stomachs, so here are some hacks for making acid reduced coffee.
How To Make Your Coffee Less Acidic
In case your coffee does not sit well with your stomach but you really like a particular blend or roast, there are ways that you can minimize how acidic your coffee is.
For starters, you can change the brew method.
The standard Aeropress recipe makes a really nice and mellow cup with nearly no acidity. That’s because you actually make a shot of coffee and add water to dilute it. Even though you’re diluting the coffee, it still tastes really nice and rich.
The dilution does a fantastic job of reducing the acidity.
You can also try cold brew, which also tends to be less acidic than hot brewed coffee.
Another solution is to add a pinch of baking soda or salt in your coffee. You can also use crushed eggshells, but you may prefer using salt or baking soda since they both dissolve!
Finally, if you like a particular brand of coffee but are flexible with the roast, switch from a lighter roast to a darker roast. Light roast coffee tends to be the most acidic. The more you roast coffee beans, the more of the acids are burned off.
That’s why dark roasts have very little acidity. However, they’re incredibly intense, so not everyone likes them.
How To Find Low Acid Coffees
There are two ways that you can get low acid coffees.
One is to get inadvertent low acid coffee or acid reduced coffee, which is less acidic by nature. Generally speaking, coffees grown at lower altitudes will be less acidic than their counterparts grown at high altitudes.
Some regions tend to produce lower-acid coffee than others, too. In coffee terms, you can call these no acid coffees:
- Sumatra
- South American countries
- Nicaragua
- Guatemala
- Mexico
The other option is to get treated coffee beans, which are not naturally low acid but are then treated with a variety of methods to qualify them as acid free coffee.
8 Best Low Acid Coffee Brands To Try
1. LifeBoost Coffee: The BEST Low Acid Organic Coffee
LifeBoost Coffee is one of the best low acid organic coffees out there, period. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say they are one of the best coffees, period.
If you enjoy overall healthier coffee that tastes great, is certified organic, and low acid, these are the beans for you to try.
LifeBoost gets their coffee sourced from a few exclusive farms in Central America. They are able to control a lot of the production variables and that results in a product that’s free from a lof of chemicals that are commonly found in other coffees.
They sell quite a few different types of coffees, but their signature low acid line is just LifeBoost light, medium, dark, and espresso roasts.
The taste is rich with earthy and chocolatey hints: a very refreshing and satisfying cup every single time.
I’m a huge fan of the medium roast, as that’s the most balanced between bright flavors and intensity. Lighter roasts tend to be too bright for me, and darker roasts are too intense for my taste!
Interestingly enough, LifeBoost’s beans are grown at 5700 feet, but they’re still low in acid. In fact, you can test the acidity of a cup and you’ll find that it comes out to around pH 6.0, which is an order of magnitude less acidic than regular coffee!
You’ll notice that Lifeboost coffee happens to be quite expensive compared to others, but once you switch to LifeBoost you may never go back to any other coffee. It is indeed the best coffee for acid reflux, too.
- Flavor: Smooth, clean, low bitterness
- Best for: Sensitive stomachs, easy daily drinking
- Why this one: Consistently one of the easiest coffees to drink without irritation
2. Mommy Coffee: Decaf Low Acid Coffee
This enterprise is a “boutique coffee company” manufacturing coffee for to-be moms, moms, and for anyone who wants a low acid cup.
This establishment has a wide range of all low acid coffees. However, you can select any of the four unique caffeine content levels according to your needs.
- Full Caff
- Half Caff
- Quarter Caff
- Decaf
The reason Mommy Coffee ranks high on our list is its delicate handling of the pH level. The coffees are not just checked with litmus indicators and shipped off.
Rather, thorough processing and screening are done on the products before they are qualified for pregnant women.
Pregnancy requires the purest and healthiest of diets. Mommy Coffee is low on acids which makes it good for the baby’s bones. Low chemical profile and organic farming of the beans provide natural, toxin-free beverages for new lives.
Many pregnant women wish to avoid any caffeine, too, so the decaf low acid option is a great pick.
And a product that is good for a pregnant woman is actually best for other stomachs. Because during pregnancies, you just don’t care for yourself but, more important, for another life within you.
3. Puroast Coffee
One of the oldest Northern Californian brands, Puroast Coffee offers some of the best organic coffee, low on acids and home-blended.
A researcher in the field of coffee noted that Puroast coffees have seven times the antioxidant levels compared to green tea. Secondly, they are 70% less acidic than any other roasted coffee!
Their secret is quality roasting. According to Puroast, they roast for quality and not for volume or money. They get the best out of the beans that they themselves plant, farm, harvest, and dry.
Puroast fancies a variety of flavors and different roasts. The very first roast by the founder of Puroast is known as “Lost Art Blend.” The “Lost Art” roasting is unique in which the coffee develops without direct heat.
In other words, it is nature that cooks them resulting in low acidity.
You can also try their signature product – Organic Low Acid House Blend. The good thing is that there are no chemicals, no additives, or extractions in this coffee.
It is simply pure and organic goodness that has all-natural ingredients and flavor.
4. Tieman’s Fusion Coffee
If you are looking for a great low acid coffee blend, Tieman’s is what you should go with. Their coffees have an average ph of about 5.85%
The blending of coffee at Tiemans is almost nonparallel to any other brands. Tieman’s Fusion coffee is infused Matcha Green Tea, Rooibos Red Tea, and Goji berry powders.
If you’re scratching your head at this point, you’re not the first one. But trust us, Tieman’s is worth trying!
The coffee is sourced from Guatemala, Ecuador, and Colombia. The beans are all Arabica, balanced first, then blended with the herbs listed above, and then roasted.
You can order grounds and whole beans both. The company offers:
- Dark Fusion,
- Medium Fusion
- and Medium Fusion Decaf (We prefer this one for its fusion and taste.)
The products are not just less acidic. In fact, Tieman’s coffees are reported good for boosting your immune system, especially because of the Rooibos Red Tea. These coffees also provide an extra boost of energy.
Tiemans offer huge discounts on bulk and office orders. Office coffees are designed for commercial use in portion packs. A bulk pack can be 20 percent less than retail and hence greatly economical. The pre-measured portion pack makes it convenient for home use too.