Acid Free Coffee

There are many of us who just cannot do without their morning cup of coffee. According to a study that was done in 1998, it is estimated that on an average, 6.7 million metric tonnes of coffee is consumed on a yearly basis. This number is expected to increase to 7 million by 2010. However, unfortunately, there are many coffee lovers that have had to cut down on their intake of coffee. The main reason for this is that a research revealed around 60 million Americans suffer from heartburn at least once in a month. Furthermore, around 35 million Americans who have had to face stomach acid problems had to cut down on their morning cup of coffee. These people truly miss out on their cuppa and so have been on the lookout for alternatives. One answer that sprung to many peoples mind is acid free coffee. But is this even possible? Given below are details regarding how to make coffee that is free of acid.

How is Acid Free Coffee Different From Regular Coffee?
Many coffee lovers love their coffee but simply cannot bear the heartburn that follows after consumption of even one cup of coffee. So, how does coffee that is low or free of acid help in overcoming this problem? Coffee side effects include iron deficiency anemia, heartburn, acid reflex disease and may eventually be responsible for triggering certain chronic life threatening illnesses. On the other hand, consuming low acid coffee is on an average, as proven by medical testing, to be almost ten times healthier when compared to regular coffee.

How is Acid Free Coffee Commercially Made?
On most occasions, it is claimed that the beans used in making coffee that is free, or nearly free of acid are Arabica beans. It s claimed that the roasting process is such that the various harmful contents and irritants are removed from the coffee beans during the roasting process. It is said that the beans that are roasted first undergo a purification process. When the coffee beans are still in their green state, they are treated with a high pressure steam and a vacuum procedure so as to reduce the irritants that are present in them before they are eventually roasted. And voila! You have a bunch of acid free coffee beans in your hands. However, there is a lot of thought that goes into roasting the beans too, because a bean that is roasted too little remains green and does not taste good while a bean that is over roasted makes the coffee unnecessarily acidic and can give the coffee a burnt flavor.

How to Make Acid Free Coffee?
If you are not interested in buying coffee brands which claim to be free or low on their acidic content, then you can try a small and simple variation in your coffee recipe and see if this works for you. So, if you are wondering about how to make coffee that is low in its acidic content, take one pound of fresh ground, organic coffee and add that to eight cups of water in a glass bowl. Place this mixture in a cool, dark closet and allow it to soak for around fifteen hours. After that, filter off the liquid extract through either a coffee or a fabric filter into a glass jar that can be tightly sealed. This extract is highly concentrated, so much so, that just two tablespoons of this when added to eight ounces of hot water will give you a cup of mellow, acid free coffee. This mixture can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed jar and will stay fresh for a couple of weeks. You can change the measurement of the recipe to suit your needs and frequency of drinking coffee. However, initially make only small amounts of this mixture because the amount of acid drained from it may not be sufficiently low for you and so, you may still land with mild discomfort after drinking this coffee. Hence, it is best to first try out a small amount of this coffee and see if it suits you.

This was all about coffee that is free or at least, low in its acid content. There are many brands available that claim to even sell decaffeinated acid free coffee. Imagine, coffee that is free of acid and caffeine! It doesn't get healthier than that! So, if you are still wondering is coffee bad for you, then rest assured, it isn't if it is acid free coffee! After all, at the end of the day, it is best to always try out such healthy alternatives to regular coffee to ensure that you have a long and healthy life!