- Coffee facts
Coffee: Healthy or not?
I love coffee. And I’m not alone: In 2022, 44 gallons of coffee were consumed in Germany – per person. Even beer* and water** can’t compete with that. The motivation may vary – wake-up call, reward, ritual… – but coffee is (almost) always equated with caffeine. Which raises the question of the health effects of coffee with great regularity and every New Year’s resolutions. Let’s try to sort all this out:
Kristin Oldenburg
What does coffee actually do to the body?
So, let’s have a cup of my favorite coffee together and see what happens:
1. Station: The mouth.
In the mouth, on the palate, and in the nose more than 800 aromas, that make coffee so unique, unfold. Whether chocolaty, nutty, fruity-citrusy, or caramel, every – good and gently roasted – coffee has its own characteristic, harmonious aromas, acids, and bitter substances. In a perfectly balanced ratio, these make coffee a very sensual experience (which is my motivation when drinking coffee).
Like wine, there are very flowery names for these aromas, which the “Specialty Coffee Association in America” (SCAA) defined precisely in a graphic in 1995. Take a look here: “Flowery? Nutty caramel? Resinous?” This will give you a first impression of the sensuality that a good coffee like Mount Hagen Organic Arabica has to offer.
You would like to know more about flavors, tasting or cupping? Here you go:
“Short introduction into cupping. Part 1”
2. Station: The stomach.
After about 30 minutes, the caffeine is absorbed via the stomach and small intestine and distributed throughout the body. Coffee and its caffeine stimulate the downstream digestive processes, which is why espresso is so popular after a meal. Caffeine has a very high bioavailability: The maximum concentration in the blood is reached after around half an hour. And then?
Stimulation. This is the general term for the effect of caffeine. It improves concentration in the central nervous system and even has a slight pain-relieving effect (e.g. for migraines and other headaches).
In the heart, caffeine stimulates the release of stress hormones, the heart beats faster, the pulse increases, and so does the blood pressure. However, studies have repeatedly shown that this is by no means harmful. In fact, regular coffee consumption of 3-4 cups a day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. And also that of breast cancer (you can find the sources below).
Let’s take a look at the muscles. Various studies show that coffee and caffeine delay states of exhaustion. It also helps after training: Glycogen stores are rebuilt more quickly if you consume carbohydrates together with caffeine. However, the Olympic Committee removed caffeine from its doping list in 2004. So, the effect seems to be limited.
Take a look at this blog post, which sheds a little more light on the connection between coffee and sports: “Coffee and sports – how does that go together?”
By the way: The story that coffee is dehydrating has been proven to be wrong. Coffee stimulates urine production in the short term because caffeine increases the kidneys’ filter function, but this a) wears off quickly and b) does not dehydrate. On the contrary: 3-4 cups of coffee (without milk, without sugar) can be safely added to your daily fluid intake. So, it doesn’t always have to be water.
What else coffee has to offer besides caffeine.
That is quite a lot: Vitamins, lipids, acids, minerals – to name just the most important ones. There are, for example, the two lipids kahweol and cafestol, which are said to protect the liver cells – and therefore have a positive effect on the entire body. And the range of B vitamins (see info box). And minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
The good thing about coffee is that it contains many antioxidants (polyphenols, including chlorogenic acid, and melanoidins), which “trap” free radicals and thus e.g. slow down the ageing process. In studies comparing the antioxidant properties of various drinks such as coffee, cocoa, green tea, black tea, herbal tea, cola, fruit juices, and beer, coffee proved to be the significantly strongest antioxidant.***
B vitamins in particular are dissolved in coffee:
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
- Niacin
- Pantothenic acid
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
They are needed for energy production, protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, the nervous system, blood formation, and for skin and hair growth.
Of course, the quantities of these ingredients vary from coffee to coffee. However, it can be said that Arabicas, for example, contain more antioxidants than Robustas. Then it depends on the roast: The darker it is, the less chlorogenic acid (an antioxidant) the coffee contains, but this also makes it particularly mild.
If you would like to know more, please click here.
In short: Coffee generally has many good, healthy properties. But it always depends on the coffee.
Is organic coffee better?
Yes, and clearly so. Firstly, because organic coffee like Mount Hagen is grown without chemical pesticides or herbicides. Which ensures that there are no residues of these in the coffee.
Secondly, because Mount Hagen coffee is roasted very gently and slowly – at 392 °F, approx. 11-14 minutes in a drum roaster. Conventional coffees, on the other hand, are roasted very quickly and very hot (2-5 minutes at 446° or more in a hot air or centrifugal roaster). This can produce acrylamide, a carcinogenic substance (just like when frying fries). Apart from that: The aromas of the coffee beans cannot develop during such shock roasting. It’s hard to imagine what this means for the taste. Which brings us back to the starting point.
We love coffee – for its taste, its aromas, its luxurious sensuality. That’s why we treat it with great respect and care at Mount Hagen. This applies to the organic and Demeter cultivation, harvesting by hand and sun-drying, as well as to the refinement of the green coffees in our roastery. Quite an effort, yes, but it’s worth it. Always. With every sip and every cup.
Sources:
www.academic.oup.com/eurjpc/article/29/6/982/6512055
www.eatsmarter.de/gesund-leben/gesundheit/kaffee-gesund
www.breast-cancer-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/bcr2879
www.brandeins.de/corporate-services/kaffee-in-zahlen/kaffee-in-zahlen-2015/wie-wirkt-kaffee-im-koerper
www.kaffeeverband.de/de/kaffeewissen/kaffee-gesundheit
*91.9 liters (Statista 2022)
**approx. 130 liters (Bfze 2023)
***kaffee-wirkungen.de/2024/08/05/antioxidantien/Richelle, M. et al. J of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 49,3438–3442, 2001.
