Best Low Acid Coffee Brands in the UK (for Sensitive Stomachs)
The acids in coffee are what give it the bright, tart flavours that many find appealing. But not all coffee drinkers were created equal and for those with sensitivities, they can also lead to heartburn, acid reflux or tooth decay.
Sensitive stomach? Rather than switching your morning cup to decaf (oh god) you can try beans engineered for low levels of acidity, that still taste great. In this guide we show you how to choose the best low acid coffee beans, and give you a range of options.
At A Glance:
- TOP PICK: Clumsy Goat Fairtrade Peruvian Coffee Beans
- BUDGET PICK: Brown Bear Ethiopia Yirgacheffe
- SINGLE ORIGIN PICK: Redber Sumatra Mandheling
How to choose great low-acid coffee
Acidity is measured on the pH scale, which ranges from 0 (extremely acidic) to 14 (extremely basic) with pure water falling square in the middle at 7.
For reference, most coffees typically have a PH balance of around 5, which is actually less acidic than juices like orange (3-4) or cranberry at 2-3 (1). Surprisingly, dark roasts often have less acid than lighter.
| Product | Brand | Details | |
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Clumsy Goat Fairtrade Peruvian Coffee Beans |
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Brown Bear Ethiopia Yirgacheffe |
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Pact Coffee Sitio de Jaja |
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Balance Coffee Stability Blend |
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Redber Sumatra Mandheling |
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Volcanica Coffee Papua New Guinea Reserve |
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Volcanica Coffee Komodo Dragon |
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Decadent Decaf Signature Espresso Blend |
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You’ll hear 2 major terms thrown around when looking for coffee with low levels of coffee: Treated low-acid coffees and inadvertent low-acid coffees (2). What do these means?
Treated low acid coffee beans are put through processing techniques designed to reduce acidity. E.g. a naturally high-in-acidity coffee may be roasted using a very slow or interrupted roasting process will have a positive effect.
Inadvertent low acid coffee refers to coffees that are naturally low in acid. Coffee plants grow at low altitudes tend to be low in acid (as a general rule). If you like the sound of this, look for bean from regions such as:
..as these regions tend to produce inadvertent low acid beans. Hooray!
Can you reduce the acidity levels of normal coffee?
Maybe you have a favourite coffee already that you don’t want to stop drinking?
The short answer is: yes, there are a few things you can do to reduce the acidity in your favourite coffee without compromising the taste (too much). Take a look at our article on coffee acidity here where learn a few simple hacks. But here are the ones you should try: first:
Avoid light roast coffee’s altogether – The more of coffee is roasted, the more acids (flavours) are killed. It’s a fine line – you don’t want to remove all the acids, just the stomach upsetting ones, when roasting. But if you struggle with acidity; a medium to dark roast is a better choice for you. You could try dark roast coffee as a general rule, but keep reading as we have some great recommendations.
…Or, cold brew your light roast coffee – Light roasted beans are typically higher in acidity, but cold brewing can reduce those levels down to manageable levels. So if you find a light roast that you really love, just cold brew it and you should be OK.
Additives help – In the article we mentioned earlier, there are a few suggested additives that will reduce acidity problems. When brewing and drinking coffee, adding milk, salt, or eggshells (yes, eggshells) can combat high acidity. Find out more how and why here.
But since you’ve read this far, I’m guessing you’re looking for a cup of Joe that’s known to have less acid naturally. Here are our top picks, in no particular order.
Top 8 Low Acid Coffee in the UK
1. Clumsy Goat Fairtrade Peruvian Coffee Beans – Best Overall
Roast level: Medium
- Origin: Peru
- Tasting notes: Walnut, caramel, milk chocolate
- Ground or whole bean: Whole bean
Clumsy Goat’s Fairtrade Peruvian single-origin coffee beans make a delightfully rich and smooth brew. It isn’t just a great low acid coffee; it’s great coffee that happens to be low in acidity. That’s why it’s our top pick this year.
The 100% Arabica coffee offers enticingly sweet walnut, caramel, and milk chocolate flavours. It’s a crowd-pleaser perfect for enjoying on a daily basis, and it’s versatile enough for every brewing method, from Chemex to espresso.
The beans are sustainably sourced from a small coffee collective in Peru’s Andes Mountains. Most of the region’s coffee farmers are from the indigenous Quechua and Aymará tribes, and the Fairtrade certification ensures they are appropriately compensated for their efforts. Clumsy Goat is coffee that your conscience will appreciate as much as your tastebuds.
2. Brown Bear Ethiopia Yirgacheffe – Budget Pick
Roast level: Medium
- Origin: Ethiopia
- Tasting notes: Red berries, Lemon
- Ground or whole bean: Either
These Ethiopian coffee beans from UK roaster Brown Bear are our budget pick because they are the least expensive on this list, but don’t let that fool you into thinking they are low quality. These 100% Arabica beans from one of the world’s top coffee growing regions, Sidamo, Ethiopia, are top of the line.
Often Ethiopian coffee is known for its lighter roast and bright acidity. But these beans break the mould, providing a way for anyone sensitive to acidic coffee to experience the region’s renowned flavours. Brown Bear’s medium-roast Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee features juicy berry flavours with just a hint of lemon tartness and a complex floral aroma.
Brown Bear Coffee takes its name from its charitable affiliation. Buying this coffee doesn’t just net you a delicious cup; it supports the rescue of bears through Free The Bears UK.
3. Pact Coffee Sitio de Jaja – Best Dark Roast
Roast level: Dark
- Origin: Brazil
- Tasting notes: Dark chocolate, Cocoa nibs
- Ground or whole bean: Either
The Sitio de Jaja coffee beans from Pact Coffee are a micro-lot coffee grown on a single farm in Brazil. Farm owner Jaceline ‘Jaja’ Campos has been dreaming of her own coffee farm since childhood, and in 2015, she made that dream a reality. Her lifelong passion for coffee shows in the quality of these beans. Like many farms in Brazil, Jaja’s is at a relatively low elevation, just 1200 m, limiting the acidity in the coffee beans.
The coffee itself is a naturally processed dark roast with more nuance than many darker brews. It features rich flavours of dark chocolate and cocoa nibs but is nicely balanced with toffee sweetness and just a hint of apple acidity. This coffee tastes as delicious black as it does with milk.
4. Balance Coffee Stability Blend – Best Medium Roast
Roast level: Medium
- Origin: Colombia and Mexico
- Tasting notes: Milk chocolate, hazelnut, fig
- Ground or whole bean: Either
The Stability Blend from Balance Coffee is one of the brand’s best selling coffees thanks to its light acidity and pleasing flavours of milk chocolate, hazelnut, and fig. We love drinking this one black to experience its natural sweetness, brewed either as a pour over or French press.
Balance Coffee sources their 100% Arabica coffee beans from only the top 5% of farms worldwide, always looking to ethical and sustainable business and environmental practices. Then they test all their beans extensively – more than most other brands – to ensure they are free of mould, mycotoxins, and pesticides.
The Stability Blend pairs just two origins, Mexico and Brazil, which can be traced to the individual farms where they were grown. The pairing of the two medium roasts creates a balanced (no pun intended) brew that is truly more than the sum of its parts.
5. Redber Sumatra Mandheling – Best Single Origin
Roast level: Dark
- Origin: Indonesia
- Tasting notes: Toasted caramel, chocolate, tobacco
- Ground or whole bean: Either
Some regions are well known for their low acid coffees, and one of these is Sumatra, Indonesia. Sumatra has a much moister climate than most coffee growing regions, which necessitates a unique form of processing called wet-hulling. This method inevitably results in extremely low acid coffee, usually accompanied by a creamy mouthfeel and rich earthy flavour best suited to espresso and other pressurised brewing methods.
This dark-roasted Sumatra Mandheling from Redber Coffee Roasters is a perfect example of the genre. We love its sweet flavours of chocolate, toasted caramel, and tobacco. Its heavy body and syrupy mouthfeel make it ideal for espresso, Moka pot, or French press. Redber roasts and grinds their bags of coffee to order, so even buying through Amazon, you can be confident your coffee will arrive fresh and full of flavour.
6. Volcanica Coffee Low Acid Blend – Best Blend
Roast level: Medium
- Origin: Brazil, Indonesia, Others
- Tasting notes: Chocolate, nuts, tangerine
- Ground or whole bean: Either
This delightful Low Acid Coffee Blend comes from Volcanica Coffee – a leading online coffee bean company that supplies some of the finest gourmet coffees on the market. Volcanica’s large variety of whole bean options are sourced from the best growing regions around the world, and especially those defined by rich, volcanic growing soil – a condition renowned for yielding incredibly high-quality beans.
The blend itself is made from beans that are naturally low in acidity, which brings the added benefit of not needing to be dark roasted to achieve that low acid label. The beans are sourced from Arabica varietals in lower altitude growing regions like Brazil and Sumatra. These factors allow this exquisite blend to deliver a unique flavour profile that is both scrumptiously low-key and naturally gentle on your stomach.
7. Volcanica Coffee Papua New Guinea Reserve – Most Exotic
Roast level: Dark
- Origin: Papua New Guinea
- Tasting notes: Toffee, Molasses, Brown sugar, Tropical citrus
- Ground or whole bean: Either
The more you explore coffee, the more you discover the exciting variety of flavour profiles that arise from different growing regions. Turns out, single-origin coffee has terroir just like wine. And even if you’re sensitive to acidity, there are plenty of unique regions to explore – for example, Papua New Guinea.
This South Pacific island is home to many specialty coffee farms, and Volcanica has found something truly special with this limited edition Reserve coffee. It is descended from Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee plants first established on the island nearly 100 years ago! Volcanica paid well for this premium coffee, and it is Fairtrade certified.
The dark roast of these beans minimizes their acidity, leaving behind sweet flavours of mango, papaya, and rich molasses. We suggest brewing with a paper filter method like a pour over or Aeropress to enjoy a clean cup with a full body and tropical fruit aromas.
8. Decadent Decaf Signature Espresso Blend – Best Decaf
Roast level: Dark
- Origin: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, and Rwanda
- Tasting notes: Soft cocoa
- Ground or whole bean: Either
If you’re sensitive to caffeine and acid, you’ll be thrilled to discover the existence of amazing low acid decaf options! We love the full line of Decadent Decaf Swiss Water decaffeinated coffees, and you can sample them all by buying a subscription or variety pack. But their best-selling Signature Espresso Blend is a fantastic choice for something reliably low in acid.
This nicely balanced blend is carefully crafted, combining four origins – Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, and Rwanda – to take advantage of the best features of each. It has a heavy body, creamy mouthfeel, and produces a rich layer of crema. It makes delicious espresso, but the robust cocoa flavour means it is equally excellent as a base for a milky drink like a latte or cappuccino.
The Verdict
All of the options reviewed in this article are great for certain subsets of the population. But if you’re looking for an all-around pleaser with low acid and great flavour, opt for Clumsy Goat’s Fairtrade Peruvian single-origin coffee beans.
Now that you’ve selected the right beans, learn how to brew with them with your brewer of choice. If you enjoyed this round-up, please share it with your friends.
FAQs
Yes, decaf coffee has less acid than caffeinated coffee, all other things being equal. If you have a sensitive stomach, decaf can be an excellent choice. However, decaffeinated coffee also has fewer antioxidants and health benefits than regular coffee.
No, Arabica coffee is not less acidic than Robusta. Robusta lacks several of the acids found in Arabica coffee, like citric and phosphoric acid. This is why many people without acid reflux problems prefer Arabica coffee; the acidity gives it brighter and more complex flavours.
Yes, espresso is less acidic than drip coffee for several reasons. First, if you order an espresso at a cafe, it is likely to be a darker roast and it may even contain a portion of Robusta beans, both of which are low-acid options. Second, the faster brew time of an espresso extracts fewer acids into the cup.
References
- How to Find Coffee That Won’t Bother Your Stomach – Scientific American Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-find-coffee-that-won-t-bother-your-stomach/
- 4 Burning Truths About Making Low Acid Coffee – Grumpy Goat Coffee Co Retrieved from https://grumpygoat.com/4-burning-truths-about-low-acid-coffee/
