Making Coffee with Alkaline Water

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For those that have GERD/LPR or any reflux issues, have you considered making coffee with Alkaline water to reduce the acidity? I just did a quick google search and it seems to be quite common, not only to reduce the acid levels, but also improve taste.

I ordered some Black Rifle Coffee. I like it, but it's pricey and don't think it lives up to the hype.
 
A tiny amount of baking soda does the same thing. However, if you reduce the acid the coffee taste will change.

I'm drinking the Beyond Black roast. I use a press pot. 4 minutes brew and it's done. Overbrewing can raise acid levels.
 
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I've had serious GERD problems for years. I dilute my morning coffee with microwave-heated soy milk. Roughly four parts coffee, one part vanilla-flavored soy milk. Sometimes I add a squeeze or two of caramel syrup, then blend for three seconds in the Magic Bullet. Works for me to lessen the acid.
 
Coffee is acidic, as are most foods. Milk and cream are some of the few foods that are alkaline. I'd use cream, not alkaline water.
 
Have you tried a cold brew? I am using that and do not have a problem. i believe it is less acidic.
 
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One nice thing with a manual espresso machine is it allows you to control extraction amount, thus controlling acidity level. Pulling a long shot makes it more acidic. Pulling a short shot gives you the nice flavors, but leaves acidity out.

I use ZeroWater filtered water to make coffee. Haven't tried alkaline water though.
 
I love espresso. The Acid Watcher Diet is great for those that suffer from reflux related issues. Not only does it give you a nice breakdown of all the pH levels of different food, but it also talks a lot about foods that are acid producing. And pepsin as well.

I use almond milk or soy creamer 90% of the time. I gave alkaline water a shot today.
 
Compared to the pH of stomach acid coffee is only mildly acidic. But if you want to adjust the pH why not do so after brewing? If you can measure the pH then you would know how much alkali to add to reach neutral or slightly alkaline.
 
Some coffees advertise low acidity, so trying that may also help.

I drink this one and it does make a difference;

https://www.costco.ca/william-spartivento-sumatra-medium-dark-roast-fair-trade-and-organic-whole-bean-coffee%2C-2-pack.product.100122567.html
 
Originally Posted by kschachn
Compared to the pH of stomach acid coffee is only mildly acidic. But if you want to adjust the pH why not do so after brewing? If you can measure the pH then you would know how much alkali to add to reach neutral or slightly alkaline.


You can do it that way too, but I don't like to dilute coffee.

Some foods are acid forming, despite their pH being mildly acidic or even neutral. But that's going off-topic.
 
Originally Posted by buster
...making coffee with Alkaline water to reduce the acidity?

What's the pH level of your tap water ?
 
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
What's the pH level of your tap water ?

It's going to be near neutral, any slight deviation is meaningless compared to stomach acid since the pH scale is logarithmic. Here in the Milwaukee area the pH is tightly controlled to keep it slightly alkaline, this helps to keep lead laterals passivated. This is typical since acidic water is generally a bad thing in municipal systems and leads to widespread corrosion and leaks.
 
Originally Posted by kschachn
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
What's the pH level of your tap water ?

It's going to be near neutral, any slight deviation is meaningless compared to stomach acid since the pH scale is logarithmic. Here in the Milwaukee area the pH is tightly controlled to keep it slightly alkaline, this helps to keep lead laterals passivated. This is typical since acidic water is generally a bad thing in municipal systems and leads to widespread corrosion and leaks.

That's what I'm getting at..... I suspect the OP's tap water isn't acidic at all but the acidity is coming from the coffee itself.
 
How much does caffeine increase stomach acid production? Your stomach is "wired" to maintain a pH around 5 and go lower to process some foods. What is the pH of your normal coffee? How about the pH of your alkaline water-brewed coffee? I think the consumption of foods and drink (and use of tobacco) which increase stomach acid production are more significant factors than adding 12-24 oz. of an acid (or base) to a system built to maintain a decidedly acidic pH.
 
It's a bit complicated really and depends on what type of reflux issue you are having. All reflux regardless is caused by a malfunctioning LES. For some coffee is a trigger food/drink, for others it is not. It simply depends.

Caffeine is the main issue with coffee more so than its acidity. Caffeine contains methalxanthine, which contributes to loosening the LES (lower esophageal sphincter). Most importantly though caffeine stimulates gastric acid secretion which is why they tell people with severe reflux issues to avoid chocolate as well. This also activates the pepsin receptors which impacts people with Silent Reflux AKA LPR.

So adding alkaline water may work for some and not others and it doesn't address the caffeine aspect of it either.
 
I drink up to 75oz of alkaline water daily (ph of 10) to offset the pepsin. I'm able to get by with drinking coffee. LPR is tricky. Everyone has different trigger foods.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22844861

*I don't drink alkaline water for many of the reasons people do, which is based on a myth that you can change the acid level of your system. I drink it to offset pepsin due to certain foods for LPR. Nothing more. And it works.
 
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