What is Acidity in Coffee?

Acids, what are they, and how acidic is coffee, really? We’re going to talk about perceived acidity, actual pH, brewing problems that can make even the best coffee taste bitter or sour, and so much more.

Coffee is less acidic than a lot of beverages. Coffee has a pH of 4.5-6. When it comes to pH, lower means more acidity.  Let’s put that into context compare to other common drinks.

Coffee has less acidity than orange juice (3.5 pH), soda (2.5 pH) and wine (around 3.5 pH).  Our stomach generally has a pH far lower than any of these beverages (as low as 1). Did you have any idea that wine was more acidic than coffee?

Of course, the xenomorph from Alien has been theorized to have blood with a pH of negative 4. Thankfully coffee is not terribly acidic in comparison to soda or wine or even very scary aliens.

The biggest myth of all in coffee is that coffee that has an acidic taste has a lower pH than a coffee with a less acidic taste. How can that be true? It’s because of how tasting works.

That brings us to the concept of “perceived acidity”. More simply, this is how we describe the flavor. Just like a peach or a mango can have an acidic taste to it, so can coffee. Many flavors can have an acidity in them. Acidity is considered to be a prized flavor component in coffee. Many of the world’s best coffees contain a multitude of nuanced acidities in their flavor profiles.

You might be simply looking for a coffee with the least amount of perceived acidity in the flavor profile. That’s great. We have some wonderful options for folks looking for less acidic coffee.

If you must have a coffee with the lowest perceived acidity, then I think you should give our Frutado from Brazil a shot! This delicious coffee is grown at a lower altitude, processed with care, and expertly roasted to bring out a whole bunch of sweet chocolatey flavors in the cup.

What about a coffee bursting with fruity flavors? Like we mentioned before, fruity flavors are also known as acidity in the world of specialty coffee. It’s a good thing! Try something like our “Guava Banana”. It’s from our friends at El Vergel in Colombia and loaded with a whole bunch of fruit notes.

Of course, even the most flavorful coffee can taste terrible when it’s brewed incorrectly. If you are getting a lot of bitterness, sourness, or other off flavors, take a look at your brewing method. It might make a big difference if you used hotter water, and even a scale to measure your brew ratio of coffee to water.

We recommend starting with 18 grams water to 1 gram of coffee with our coffees. For 12oz of coffee that’s roughly 330g of very hot water and 18.5g of freshly ground coffee. Don’t be afraid to use water that’s at least 205F. Using hot enough water and a correct brew ratio will really make your coffee at home pop with sweetness an flavor.

We hope this helps you think differently about your cup of coffee. We want to welcome you aboard to a whole new world of incredible adventure and flavor. Join us!

Still have questions about flavor, acidity, or something related? Just reply to this email and we will get back to you just as soon as we can.

Until Next Time,

The Farmers Union Coffee Roasters Team