9 nonsense myths about coffee and caffeine
DARK ROAST COFFEE HAS MORE CAFFEINE AND FLAVOUR
Almost every other coffee commercial we hear a line that goes something like this: 'Feel the aroma of dark roast coffee and enjoy its rich flavour'. While dark roast coffee has some distinct flavours, they are often smoky to ashy, and that's not what we're looking for in coffee. This intense flavour is associated with the idea that coffee has more caffeine in it, but this is a myth. Light and dark roast coffees contain almost comparable amounts of caffeine.
Similarly, there is a claim that the higher temperature of roasting burns off the caffeine, so dark roast coffee contains less caffeine. Again, however, this is a myth.
Coffee changes its texture during roasting, the beans harden, lose their water content and become lighter in weight, so as a result it can be assumed that there is a higher concentration of caffeine in dark roasted coffee because the overall weight of the bean has been affected. However, this has nothing to do with the actual caffeine content of the prepared cup of coffee.
So for a good load of flavour, it is better to choose light roast coffee.
STORE COFFEE PREFERABLY IN THE FRIDGE
Has anyone ever advised you to keep your coffee in the fridge? If so, we hope you didn't listen.
Although it may not seem like it, coffee is quite a sensitive food, it does not benefit from contact with moisture, heat, air, light or strong odours. However, storing it in the fridge is a fool's errand; coffee will become dewy when taken out due to the rapid change in temperature, which can lead to it becoming mouldy. On the other hand, when stored loose, coffee oxidises, losing its flavour profile and unique aroma, which you simply don't want to lose.
If you want to preserve the taste of fresh coffee for as long as possible, you can leave it in its original resealable, one-way valve packaging, which you'll find on virtually all packages of select coffees these days. This will be stored dry at room temperature in some darker place.
You'll do even better, however, if you store your coffee in a vacuum coffee canister. This will prevent moisture, air and various odours from the surroundings.
NEED TO SOBER UP? DRINK COFFEE!
You wake up in the morning and your head is pounding, because yesterday you celebrated hard and there was plenty of alcohol. So the first thing you think of is to have a coffee, why not? Just don't count on being able to get behind the wheel.
The reason why coffee can make you feel better is because it's invigorated you, and it's dampened the fatigue that alcohol has caused. While coffee is beneficial in many ways, it cannot sober a person up.
PREGNANT AND BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS SHOULD NOT DRINK COFFEE
Are you pregnant or just breastfeeding but want to indulge in your favourite cup of coffee? It is certainly not advisable to drink 5 coffees a day, as you may have been used to before. The absorption of caffeine in pregnant women is slowed down. It also passes through the placenta and enters the baby's bloodstream. However, this does not mean that you should deny yourselfcoffee in pregnancy completely.
But pregnant and breastfeeding women should not exceed 200 mg of caffeine per day. Espresso-based coffee drinks contain about 60 mg of caffeine, and you can take in up to 100 mg in a cup of filter coffee. Along with this, you should consider that it's not just coffee that contains caffeine, you'll also find it in tea, chocolate and energy drinks.
In addition to limiting coffee to a few cups a week, there is also the option of decaffeinated coffee. This is not completely caffeine free, but it contains only 2-3% caffeine compared to regular coffee, which is nowadays removed by gentle natural methods such as the sugar cane method, so there is no need to worry about having a mixture of chemicals instead of coffee.
COFFEE DEHYDRATES
Another very popular opinion is that coffee dehydrates. This is based on the fact that caffeine is a diuretic. That is, something that increases the body's production of urine, but just because something is a diuretic, it doesn't necessarily dehydrate you. It also depends on how strong a diuretic it is and how much water you drink along with it.
So then you need to take into account how much water the coffee contains. And while espresso is about 90% water, the amount of water contained in filter coffee is as high as 98.7%. So as long as you follow a proper drinking regime and don't just drink coffee all day, there's nothing to worry about.
COFFEE CAUSES INSOMNIA
I can't have coffee, I won't sleep afterwards. You must know this phrase very well. While daily consumption can affect your caffeine tolerance and make you more resistant to its stimulating effects, that doesn't mean you should deny yourself coffee altogether.
Different coffee beverages have different absorption rates of caffeine, so the peak effect of caffeine ranges from 15 minutes to 2 hours. For example, a cappuccino or other coffee drink with milk will be absorbed more slowly than such an espresso.
The next point then is coffee tolerance, however, everyone's tolerance is different, so you should stick to the amount of coffee that will primarily benefit you. However, if you are only concerned with taste, the aforementioned decaffeinated coffee may be the solution.
COFFEE IS UNHEALTHY
Coffee is unhealthy, causes cancer, is bad for our heart and increases cholesterol. You can find a lot of these and similar claims on the internet. However, the opposite is true, and the fears of negative effects of coffee on human health that have been attributed to it in the past were wrong. They have often been caused, for example, by smoking, which has been associated with the ritual of drinking coffee for several decades or hundreds of years, or by the incorrect preparation of coffee.
Coffee is not a complete cure-all, but it does have some health benefits. These are reported, for example, in a recent study by Harvard University. Among other things, coffee contains various antioxidants such as magnesium, potassium, niacin and other anti-inflammatory substances that reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, several types of cancer, Parkinson's disease and depression. Coffee, or the caffeine in it, also has a positive effect on the functioning of the heart.
It should also be mentioned that unfiltered coffee, such as the classic Czech 'turek', may contain the diterpenes Cafestol and Kahweol, which raise LDL cholesterol levels, and therefore care must be taken to prepare coffee correctly.
I'LL HAVE A LATTE, IT HAS LESS COFFEE
I'm sure you've heard this phrase before, too. However, if you are familiar with individual coffee drinks, you know that this is not true. A Caffe Latte is just like a cappuccino made from a single shot of espresso, which is then topped up with whipped milk in a cup of roughly 250 ml. So the taste of the coffee is weaker due to the milk, so there is less coffee and therefore no caffeine in Caffe Latte.
A GRINDER AS A GRINDER
Do you think it doesn't matter what grinder you grind the coffee in? Unfortunately, this is not true. The right grinder and therefore the right ground coffee is another key to a great cup of coffee. So always choose a grinder with ceramic stones. The ordinary grinder you buy in every other electric store has blades that chop the coffee unevenly, preventing it from reaching its full potential.
Grinding through the stones will provide an even grind, plus this grind releases more oils which then lead to richer flavours in the final cup of coffee. What's more, you can easily adjust the coarseness of the grind on them, so whether you prefer espresso or one of the alternative preparations, you'll find something to suit you.