A reader recently asked this question. Is organic coffee acid free? The short answer is no but there is more to the story. What makes coffee acidic? First of all the average acidity of black coffee is a pH of 5 where water is neutral at 7, cow’s milk is 6 and lemon juice is 2. The things that make coffee acidic are the things that give it taste and the antioxidants that provide many of the health benefits. But not all coffees are the same in this regard. Higher Grounds wrote about coffee acidity.

Coffee enthusiasts and aficionados identify acidity as the dry, bright, and sparkling sensation that sets a high-quality, high-grown coffee apart from a mundane, lower-grown coffee. Admittedly, this is the rather snooty way of looking at the issue, though it is true that many highly-prized coffees are grown at high elevation and are characterized by their bright, nuanced qualities.

If you are looking for a less acidic coffee you want something grown at lower altitude such as a Colombian Caturra.

Caturra evolved from the Bourbon cultivar near the town of Caturra, Brazil in the early 20th century. Caturra has a higher yield than the bourbon variety. It matures quickly providing coffee beans two years after planting. The caturra plant is short and more disease resistant than older Arabica-based varieties.

In the Colombian coffee growing axis, the Eje Cafetero, growers plant Caturra at around three to four thousand feet on much gentler slopes than where more traditional Arabica varieties are grown. The plant does well in nearly full sun although it is commonly planted interspersed with plantain. In the photo Caturra is planted in the foreground at around 3,500 feet and larger traditional Arabica varieties are planted on the higher slopes in the background.

Full Roast

You can also dark roast the heck out of your green coffee beans which degrades most of the natural acids in the coffee and typically removes flavor as well. If you go the dark roast route pick a coffee with an earthier natural flavor which may survive excessive roasting.

Latte Anyone?

Several coffee house coffees add milk or creamer to the original Java. This may be for flavor but it also serves to buffer the acidity.

Breve and Latte

Both of these are made with espresso and foam. Latte is made with steamed milk and breve is made with half and half. For latte think “coffee with milk” or café au lait and for breve think “coffee with milk and cream.”

Cappuccino

Cappuccino is made with espresso plus hot milk plus lots of steamed foam.

Mocha

Mocha is for coffee and chocolate lovers. It is made with espresso plus chocolate syrup plus milk.

Coffees Advertised As Low Acid

And you can simply look at the label to see if the coffee is advertised as low acid. If it is then it is probably a low altitude coffee. Just make sure that it is also certified organic coffee as well.