The chemistry behind this is still unclear but what scientists do know is that salt in coffee overrides the reaction on the taste buds which thereby helps to mask the bitterness of the coffee.Īdding salt to your coffee isn’t a new trend thought up by a tattooed, bearded barista wearing skinny jeans. … And this is where salt comes into play. Instead of the normal reaction on the tongue, the taste buds release a calcium ion which in turn transmits a ‘bitter’ signal to the brain. However, the bitter taste on the tongue works in a different way. Just like adding a pinch of salt to your cooking to help elevate the flavors. ![]() Salt, while being an identifiable taste itself, works to amplify these other flavors. Research shows ( 2 ) that the biological mechanism for producing Sweet, Salty, Sour, and Umami share many similarities. Your tongue can identify five of the basic food types: Bitter, Sweet, Sour, Salty, and savory umami flavors. It comes as no surprise that your tongue plays a role in acknowledging the bitterness found in coffee. So unsurprisingly, the darker your roasted coffee beans the more bitter your brew will taste.īut, all is not lost – salt can help with that bitterness! These compounds tend to leave a harsher and more lingering bitter taste on your palate. Phenylindanes are produced when the Chlorogenic acid lactones are broken down by the longer roasting process. The darker you go with your roast level you will have more Phenylindanes compounds present. Light to medium roasted coffee beans typically has a higher amount of chlorogenic acid lactones present which is the dominant reason for the bitterness. The good news is that these bitter compounds are antioxidants which is a good thing, but surprisingly, they are not present in the raw green coffee beans and only appear when the beans are roasted. Most of the bitterness is caused by two sneaky compounds named Phenylindanes and chlorogenic acid lactones. In fact, only 15% of the bitterness found in coffee comes from caffeine. A common misconception regarding bitterness is the amount of caffeine in the beans, while this is part of the cause it isn’t the main reason. I’m sure you’ve all had a cup of coffee that was more bitter than usual, and there’s a reason for it. They are a great place to go to learn more about home brewing, barista skills and of course the coffee itself.Īdding Salt to Coffee Helps Combat Bitterness ![]() ![]() Just in case you haven't heard of the Little Coffee Place, they are a group of experts who love coffee as much as we do. ![]() I found this fantastic article at the Little Coffee Place which I think really explains the benefits of salt and is making me consider giving it a go. I have however looked into the idea and realised that he is far from alone and there is in fact a fair bit of science that backs up the idea. I really love coffee but I haven't followed in my fathers footsteps when it comes to his love of a salty brew. This was where he started drinking the stuff, he followed their example and has never looked back. Now my dad grew up in Zanzibar and as a kid he used to watch the old Arab and African men around Stone Town adding salt into their coffee. It always gets him into a conversation with the server who usually can't believe he's about to commit such an act of beverage sabotage. When we are out at a restaurant it genuinely delights him to see the look on a waiters face when he asks for salt to add to his coffee. For as long as I can remember I have been both parts intrigued and baffled by my dad's inclination to add salt to his coffee.
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