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I love coffee! It’s one of my favorite beverages and one I often need to get me going in the morning. But coffee is a heartburn-trigger food. Drinking coffee comes with a cost if you suffer from frequent heartburn and acid reflux issues.
If you can’t give up coffee, consider cold brew coffee. Cold brew coffee is the best brewing method for reducing your risk of heartburn.
An added bonus of cold brew coffee is that it’s simple to prepare. Just steep the grounds in cold or room temperature water as opposed to heated water. You can even make it in larger volumes to keep on hand in the refrigerator. There’s only one negative. It has to be prepared ahead of time. Coffee has a longer steep time in cold water than in hot water.
Related Content: Does Coffee Cause Heartburn?
Why Is Cold Brew Coffee Better For Heartburn Sufferers?
The acid levels of cold brew coffee can be up to 65% less than conventionally brewed coffee. Lower acid levels are great for those who have acid reflux issues or other digestive disorders. As a bonus, the lower acid levels create a mellower, less bitter coffee.
Don’t worry. If you like your coffee hot, cold brew coffee can be heated after brewing.
How To Make Cold Brew Coffee
Cold brew coffee can be made in any sort of large container, French press, or even a canning jar. I use a large canning jar.
1) Choose Your Cold Brew Coffee Beans
Low acid coffee beans are the best coffee bean option for people with heartburn, acid reflux, and other digestive disorders.
Different coffee roasts have different caffeine, acid, N-methylpyridium (NMP), and levels of coffee oil. All four can affect heartburn. The darker the roast the better level for each of the four above. If you’re having trouble with heartburn when drinking coffee, consider a dark roast coffee from one of the many low acid coffee brands.
2) Grind the Coffee Beans for Cold Brewing
Most cold brew coffee recipes I’ve found stress the use of coarsely ground beans. I, however, prefer finely ground coffee beans. The finer grind will extract more flavor. The only reason I can find for the coarser grounds is to prevent the coffee from becoming cloudy. I prefer taste over the coffee’s looks and have not found my coffee to be cloudy.
Grind enough coffee to combine water to coffee grounds at a 3:1 ratio. The amount needed will depend on the size of the container you choose for brewing your coffee. You might start with a 4 cup batch made up of 3 cups water and 1 cup coffee.
3) Combine the Ground Coffee Beans and Water
Pour your coffee grounds and filtered water into your chosen container and agitate to combine. I use a large canning jar. I just put the lid on and shake. You can stir with a plastic or wooden spoon. Metal has the potential to change the taste of coffee.
4) Wait for the Cold Brew Coffee to Steep
Cover and let it steep for 12 to 24 hours at room temperature. Don’t rush this step. A long steep time is required to properly extract the flavors. You can drink it after this stage or steep it in the refrigerator for another 24-48 hours. I steep mine for a total of 3 days, 24 hours at room temperature, and another 48 in the refrigerator. Occasionally agitating the mixture will extract more from the coffee grounds. I agitate mine 2 or 3 times.
5) Filter the Cold Brew Coffee
Cheesecloth, a fine-mesh sieve, and paper filters can be used to separate out the grounds. First, I filter it through a mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Secondly, I filter it through a paper coffee filter placed in the mesh sieve to remove the fine silt. If your filter clogs at the end of this step, you can gently clear the sediment to let the remaining coffee filter through.
6) Refrigerate the Cold Brew Coffee
What you have after filtering is concentrated cold brew coffee that will keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator. I make larger batches since it keeps well.
7) Enjoy Your Cold Brew Coffee
Don’t forget you’ve made concentrated cold brew coffee. When you prepare your coffee, dilute it with water to your liking and serve over ice. I dilute mine by about 50%. If you like you can add milk, cream sweetener, or flavoring. Enjoy your cold brew coffee!
Related content:
- Coffig Coffee Alternative: Is It Right For You?
- Does Coffee Cause Heartburn?
- Low Acid Coffee for People with Heartburn and Acid Reflux
Hello, thank you very much. I have reflux, not quite sure if it is the same as heartburn, but I think they might be somehow related.
I just put freshly ground coffee and three times its amount fridge-cold spring water together in a transparent glass jar and stirred with a wooden spoon leaving it to room temperature. It feels quite thick, so if I do not stir more liquid with it, would I add some more water at once without it becoming too diluted/mild?
Is related seal (rubber) between a lid and a jar for benefit or can it harm a process somehow? It makes sure that the jar is tight.
Hello Tuomo, heartburn is one of the possible symptoms of acid reflux.
Great to hear you’re making some cold brew coffee… To answer your questions, the coffee grounds and water will be thick. You’re making a concentrate that you’ll delute before drinking.
The rubber seal should not harm the process. My jar has the seal too. It will make sure the jar is sealed if you shake the mixture and may help keep it fresh longer.
Thank you Steve! I did not press the grounds very much when I measured them. A little though. And I put the same volume of water like the coffee grounds – I did not compare their weight. 😉 I think then would it be a way too thick.
Cold brew coffee, I heard, has some more caffeine than hot brew… still many benefit from its lower acidity, unless the problem is caffeine sensivity.
I am not brewing coffee in French press, but I have such, but not filter paper. Then I think I may filter the 3 days brewed coffee, however, through French press if I do not want to buy some paper or other filters like gauze/tissue…
Hi Tuomo! You are welcome! Thank you for reading our articles!
Caffeine can cause heartburn. It weakens the ability of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to close and keep stomach contents in place. Many people have to switch to decaf.
Cold brew coffee once fully prepared may or may not have more caffeine. The concentrate that you are making will have more until it is diluted.
Your cold brew mixture should have less acid. If you want to reduce the acid in your coffee further, there are some great low acid coffees on the market. To learn more about low acid coffee, we have an article… Low Acid Coffee for People with Heartburn and Acid Reflux.
Thanks Steve, you saved me a lot of heart ache (literally) with that instant coffee tip. I do hope to be trying your recipe soon, although life without coffee isn’t so bad once you’ve been off it for a while. I’ve switched to Chamomile tea which is supposed to ease acid reflux.. and by golly I think it has helped.
I also tried a Starbucks cold brew coffee they sell bottled. Although a bit pricey, as can be expected, I had zero reflux after drinking it.. didn’t taste bad either.
Hey Joseph! Happy to help where I can. Chamomile tea is great! I’m glad it has helped! Chamomile reduces stomach inflammation and balances stomach acid levels.
I have a list of other teas that naturally treat heartburn if you’re looking to vary things up. There are also a few coffee alternatives mentioned at the very end of the low acid coffee article. Chicory is my favorite coffee alternative.
I’ve not tried Starbucks’ cold brew but I have tried some other brands. If you don’t want to take out the time to make your own cold brew coffee, there are a lot of companies selling cold brewed coffee concentrate these days.
Thanks for the information.. I’m suffering from acid reflux and enjoy my coffee and so I appreciate any info I can get on the matter. In your cold brew recipe, when you say “Grind enough to combine at a ration of 3:1 ratio of water to coffee grounds,” what do you mean exactly?
Thanks
Hi Joe, That wasn’t very clear was it. I’ve updated the article. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. You’ll want to grind enough coffee to combine water to coffee grounds at a 3:1 ratio. The amount needed will depend on the size of the container you choose for brewing your coffee. You might start with a 4 cup batch made up of 3 cups water and 1 cup coffee. I hope that makes more sense. Thank you for reading and commenting! Let me know what you think if you try it… Have you read the article on low acid coffee? Making your cold brew coffee with a low acid version will help you even more. Best wishes!
Ok, I figured that’s what you meant, I just wanted to make sure because we’re dealing with difference substances here (liquid vs solid). It seemed like a lot of coffee to use but it makes sense because you’re adding more water later on in the recipe. Have you ever tried a Nescafé Frappé cold coffee? It’s the most popular coffee drink in Greece and it really is delicious. I haven’t tried it since this GERD has hit me and am hoping it’s low acid since it’s brewed cold. Will be trying it soon and will let you know… here is the recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbmWtPtZIZA
Hey Joseph, I’ve not tried making the Nescafé Frappé cold coffee. It looks tasty! Nescafé is instant coffee so it won’t work the same way as making cold brewed coffee. Instant coffee is made from a dehydrated coffee extract that dissolves in water. The original brewing process is a hot brewing method made similar to regular coffee so it will still have the higher acid levels you are trying to avoid. Hot brewing methods of making coffee or when instant coffee is developed cause more acid to leach out of the bean when compared to cold brewing.
thanks for this nice recipe for preparing anti-acid coffee.
You are very welcome! Enjoy! 🙂