If you’re a coffee-lover, you are probably among those who cannot start their day without a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Even if it is an inseparable part of our daily routine, there are probably many things that you don’t know but are greatly curious about this mystical drink.
To quench all the coffee lovers’ curiosity, I will share answers to the 26 most asked coffee questions!
The answer to this question depends mostly on how much you drink coffee. According to a study by Harvard Health, moderate coffee consumption (between 2-5 cups each day) has some fantastic health benefits. However, drinking coffee in excessive amounts can also be harmful.
Recent studies show that drinking coffee in moderate amounts is linked with various health benefits, like fewer chances of developing type-2 diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer, depression, and Parkinson’s disease.
Then again, too much coffee can also lead to anxiety in those with anxiety or panic disorders. As coffee contains a lot of caffeine, too much of it may cause nervousness, restlessness, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, increased heart rate and breathing, and various other issues.
Matcha tea, kombucha, golden milk, chai tea, lemon water, chicory coffee, rooibos tea, and yerba mate are some of the best coffee substitutes.
If you are a coffee lover but tired of constantly getting caffeine jitters or wish to spice it up one morning, there are some fantastic alternatives you might love! A completely caffeine-free option that tastes similar to coffee is chicory coffee.
For a healthier choice, matcha tea, golden milk, lemon water, Rooibos tea, and kombucha are some great options. If you still want to incorporate some caffeine in the morning, yerba mate and chai tea can be fantastic choices.
The caffeine content can significantly vary in different types of coffee. It also depends on how you roast the coffee bean, how you brew it, and even at what elevation it was grown.
A standard cup (about 8 oz) of coffee will contain approximately 95 mg of caffeine. An espresso may have around 63 mg of caffeine, and a latte contains approximately 77 mg of caffeine. Overall, it will still vary depending on the type and strength of coffee and the size of the cup.
Latte and cappuccino are both pretty simple coffee and milk drinks. For a simple cup of latte or cappuccino, you will need a grinder, an espresso machine, some coffee beans, and milk. The only difference is that a latte has a different quantity of steamed milk.
For a cup of espresso, you will need equal parts (1/3 part each) of espresso, foam, and steamed milk. But for a latte, you need 1/3 part espresso, 2/3 part steamed milk, and only a thin layer of foam.
To start, you will need to turn on the espresso machine and prepare your shot of espresso. Next, you will need to steam your milk. Fill a frothing pitcher halfway with milk and immerse the froth entirely in the milk.
Turn on the steam and use a thermometer to check the milk’s temperature. Remember to make sure the temp is around 140° F. Keep swirling the milk in the pitcher until it becomes smooth and silky. Finally, pour the required amount of steamed milk into the espresso cup to enjoy your perfect cup of latte or cappuccino.
The total calories in a cup of coffee vary greatly depending on what type of coffee you consume. Adding additives like milk, syrup, and sugar directly impacts the calorie count of your coffee.
A standard cup of black coffee (about 8 oz.) may contain only one calorie. However, on the other hand, a cappuccino may have 60-160 calories depending on what sort of milk you get and the cup size. If you wish to cut down on your coffee calories, it’s best to switch from sugar to sweeteners and from whole milk to soy or skim.
Fair Trade Coffee is a coffee that comes with certain certifications by trade groups that it has met specific sustainability and labor criteria. This certification aims to establish equity and justice in international trade.
The fair trade stamp guarantees that all cooperatives involved in the coffee’s production adhered to the various standards, including: established wages for farmers, environmentally sustainable procedures, a safe working environment, no child labor, and other criteria. Fair Trade coffee is certified by numerous organizations, including Fairtrade America, Fair Trade Certified, and Fairtrade International.
Like any caffeinated beverage, coffee may also have moderate diuretic effects. So it may increase your desire to urinate, but it won’t induce dehydration.
For coffee to have a dehydrating impact on your body, you will need to consume a significant amount of brewed coffee, at least 5 to 8 cups a day. Other than that, a quick cup of coffee now and then can assist you in meeting your daily fluid requirements.
Yes, for approximately 30 to 40% of people, coffee may send you running to the bathroom often. Also known as a “gastrocolic response,” certain people go to the bathroom soon after drinking coffee.
According to the Washington Post, coffee contains chlorogenic acid, which increases your stomach acid content and stimulates gastric acid production. This reaction leads to your stomach wanting to empty itself quicker than usual.
Additionally, another chemical in coffee may stimulate the production of digestive hormones, which results in faster bowel movements. However, it is still unknown which chemical molecule initiates the process.
Yes, you should be able to drink coffee in moderation even while pregnant. However, you must limit your caffeine intake to around 200mg, or around two cups of coffee.
If you consume more than 200 mg or two mugs of coffee while pregnant, it may raise your risk of miscarriage or giving birth to a child with a lower-than-average weight. However, caffeine consumption is entirely up to you. If you wish to reduce any chance of risks to your child, you can minimize your caffeine intake by taking decaffeinated beverages instead.
Coffee is a beverage produced from coffee beans harvested along the “Bean Belt.” Brazil, Columbia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Mexico fall under this category.
Coffee beans are generally collected as cherries from coffee trees and then undergo a dry or wet process to guarantee the beans contain the proper moisture content. After that, the beans are processed and shipped to their final destination. The beans are next roasted and sold whole or ground into coarse or fine grinds for retail sale.
It is essential to clean your coffee machine every month to make sure your coffee tastes lovely and healthy. White vinegar is the essential item to clean your coffee machine—mix water and white vinegar in half-and-half portions to create your ultimate cleaning solution.
You may also use hot water and citric acid instead. Remember never to use baking soda or bleach for this. These substances can be poisonous if you combine them with water and vinegar and destroy your machine.
Once you have your cleaning solution ready, add the filter to your coffee maker and add the solution where you would typically add water. Turn the machine on before removing the filter. Allow it to cool somewhat before rinsing the coffee pot, and repeat the steps with cold water.
Coffee contains some chemicals that may cause stomach distress. Coffee acids, caffeine, and other ingredients such as cream, milk, sweeteners, and sugar can also cause stomach pain.
Other than caffeine, you will find many of these chemicals in decaf coffee. If coffee causes you stomach trouble, there are a few things you can try to reduce these adverse effects. You can try drinking coffee with meals, selecting a less acidic roast, switching to soy or almond milk, and cutting down on additives.
Caffeine’s half-life lasts for roughly five hours. In other words, if you consume about 50 mg of it in coffee, your body will contain 25 mg of caffeine approximately five hours later. If you avoid drinking caffeine-containing beverages for another 5 hours, your body will only contain 12.5 mg of caffeine.
Your body can absorb caffeine exceptionally quickly, reaching peak levels within 45 minutes. The high absorption rate also explains why you experience increased energy and mood enhancement. It also explains why people frequently need another cup of coffee throughout the day, as caffeine decreases dramatically with time. If you are a smoker, caffeine has a half-life of only 3 hours.
There are different ways to decaffeinate coffee. However, even when decaffeinated, traces of caffeine won’t completely disappear. Decaffeinated coffee typically contains between 0.1 and 0.3 percent caffeine.
The entire decaffeination procedure occurs when the coffee bean is still unroasted and green. There are solvent-based methods (direct and indirect solvent) and solvent-free methods (carbon dioxide and Swiss water).
The first method extracts caffeine from coffee beans using chemical solvents. The other process pulls caffeine through solubility and osmosis, while the carbon dioxide method soaks the beans in and pumps liquid CO2 inside them to pull out the caffeine.
Whether you call it a French press, coffee press, or cafetiere, using it is pretty simple. It’s best to grind your beans coarsely as opposed to finely. Coarsely ground coffee beans taste better with a coffee press’s slow extraction.
To start, scoop about a tablespoon or more of coffee into your jar. Then fill it halfway with some pre-boiled warm water. Please note how much space the press needs so that it doesn’t overflow. After that, give the jar a soft swirl before inserting the filter and adding the lid.
About three to four minutes later, slowly start applying pressure to the filter. Once you press it all the way down to the bottom, the coffee should be ready to be enjoyed!
The average person can drink three to five cups of coffee per day. However, it depends on the person as to how much coffee their body can handle.
If you can handle a good amount of caffeine and don’t experience any stomach distress or jittery sensations, you should be fine to drink as much as you want. But if you find that it keeps you up at night or causes headaches, it’s best to limit your coffee to up to 3 cups per day.
Drinking five cups or more a day may cause an increase in cholesterol as well. So it’s best to stick to less than 5 cups.
Caffeine jitters are a widespread side effect of consuming coffee. It is an agitated and jittery feeling that many of us are familiar with after drinking too much coffee.
The jittery feeling you experience after drinking coffee is mainly due to caffeine. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor and naturally constricts and narrows your blood vessels after consumption.
So it may cause the heart to work harder and faster to pump blood, which makes us feel agitated and jittery. Too much caffeine also causes an accumulation of adrenaline that has nowhere to go, causing jitters and palpitations.
If you feel tired after drinking coffee, it’s most likely due to caffeine. Caffeine has various side effects on our bodies, and fatigue is one of them.
Caffeine enhances our alertness by disrupting particular chemical processes working to regulate our brain’s sleep and wake patterns. Once our body consumes caffeine completely, it causes fatigue. The rate at which your body metabolizes caffeine depends on your lifestyle and genetic factors.
Coffee has around twice the caffeine content of black tea, which has the most caffeine content of any other type of tea. An average cup of tea will contain significantly less caffeine than a cup of coffee.
The dry form contains much more caffeine than the brewed form. But once you finish brewing it, the caffeine level drops significantly. Additionally, we will use fewer tea leaves to brew a cup of tea than we do with coffee. A cup of coffee (around 8 oz) will contain about 94 mg of caffeine, while that same cup of tea will contain only 26 mg of it.
Check out our recent article on coffee vs tea.
It may be challenging to remove coffee stains, but not impossible. If you get a coffee stain, it’s best to dab it with tissue or paper and rinse it away with water.
If this simple method fails to wash away the stain and it proves to be more stubborn, you can add vinegar and detergent to the mix. Rub a bit of detergent and allow it to sit for a while. After a few minutes, you can wash it off. You can also combine white vinegar and detergent to make a paste and apply it to the stained area. Scrub and thoroughly rinse to wash away the stain.
The amount of caffeine depends on several variables. Firstly, it will depend on the type of coffee bean you use. Robusto coffee carries the most caffeine, while Arabia coffee contains only half the amount. The caffeine amount also depends on how long you brew your coffee.
Using a French press and brewing your coffee for four minutes will result in higher caffeine content. However, an espresso that takes only 20 to 30 seconds to brew has a comparatively higher caffeine concentration due to its smaller serving size. So the usual coffee contains the most caffeine at 94 mg, and espresso is second with 63 mg.
Many people claim Starbucks has the strongest coffee. Check our recent article on why Starbucks coffee is so strong.
Coffee beans are generally of two main types. They are – Arabica and Robusta.
Robusta beans are of lower quality and grown at lower elevations. They are low-maintenance beans with better disease resistance, resulting in increased production. Additionally, they contain a higher concentration of caffeine.
Arabica beans account for more than three-quarters of all beans produced globally. Most refer to these beans as gourmet beans but hold less than half the caffeine found in Coffee Robusta.
After water, coffee is the world’s most consumed beverage, and it holds a centuries-old tradition. Coffee’s origins date back to Ethiopia and the Arabian Peninsula, and it was just as popular back then as it is now.
One of the best reasons it’s so popular is simple – because it’s delicious and helps us concentrate, enhances our physical performance, decreases inflammation, and even protects us from certain diseases due to its many antioxidants. Other than the many health benefits, it makes you instantly happier and is one of the most affordable beverages for everyone.
Many would agree that good coffee is entirely a matter of taste, while others would disagree. The truth is that it depends on a few techniques.
An easy trick is to purchase coffee beans and grind them as you like. It’s best to grind the beans right before you wish to drink the coffee, as they may grow stale if you leave them in the open for too long.
For those living near hard water, water filters are the secret to achieving smooth coffee and even allow you to monitor the brewing time and temperature. As coffee will always taste like the container you brew it in, the coffee maker should always be clean.
The main difference between instant coffee and filtered coffee is that the first one is pre-brewed, and you can quickly rehydrate it with hot water. Just like its name, it’s instantly ready to drink when you add warm water to it.
Instant coffee is more readily available, and it is most likely the coffee you will find in your office break room. On the other hand, filter coffee is roasted ground beans that you pour boiling water on and then filter to remove everything except the freshest coffee.
Most people prefer the taste of Arabica coffee over Robusta since it’s more flavorful and has a delicious scent. Many Arabica roasts have a smooth, sweet, and almost fruity taste, making them work wonderfully with many flavorings. Robusta is simply too bitter for many people.
Check out our full analysis of both coffee beans. Robusta or Arabica?: The Preferred Coffee Bean
Conclusion
Coffee may be an inseparable part of our morning routines, but there is much that we may still not know about it. If you find yourself curious about the many mysteries of this mystical drink, I bring you the answers to the 25 most asked coffee questions.
I hope these answers satisfy your curiosity. Thanks for reading till now.