The Bean:

The coffee bean comes from a flowering plant in the family of Rubiaceae. Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora are the two main coffee varieties that are grown and consumed. Examples of coffees in the Arabica family are Ethiopian sidamos, Javan coffees and Jamaican mountain blues, these tend to be the dark roasts that we call French or Italian blends. Canephora coffees or Rubusta tend to be low acidity with a strong bitterness. There are many blends and varieties of coffees, I have read there are over 100 coffee species! In future posts we can dive into particulars for those interested. Today I want to talk about the general plant constituents, properties and healing actions of coffee.

Bitterness:

The main taste attributed with coffee is bitter. You may have heard me commenting in a past blog about bitter being the “missing taste.” There are 5 tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and savory or umami. Coffee has that important taste we have mostly lost in the modern world with processed foods. Because we are not accustomed to this flavor our pallet has lost the affinity for this essential flavor. Why bitter? Bitter flavors are incredible aids in digesting and assimilating nutrients, bitter helps us to flush excess fluids and actually aids in relieving tension.

• Coffee tastes too bitter? Quick fix. How about trying to grind your beans at a coarser setting. Usually that overly bitter flavor (from a fresh, high quality bean) signifies that there has been too much extraction. Bring back the balanced flavor with a coarser grind.
• Coffee tastes too Sour? Quick Fix.  This comes from the opposite effect of a bitter coffee. You want to use a finer grind size as it isn’t being extracted long enough. A smaller grind will allow that extraction process to optimize. Try it out, see if that balanced flavor profile arrives!

Coffee and caffeine:

Caffeine is the main constituent in coffee that gives us the feeling of waking up, being present and feeling more focused. Caffeine is classified as a stimulant drug that increases the activity of the brain and nervous system. In small doses (1-2 cups per day) it can make one feel refreshed and focused, but for many of us that have had the unfortunate reality check with over consumption of caffeine, to much causes side effects that feel like mental short circuiting, lack of patience, inability to sleep, elevated heart beat as well as excess release of cortisol and adrenaline, which causes a whole cascade of unwanted symptoms. 8 oz of coffee has 95-200mg of caffeine (depending on the quality and variety) and 12 oz of soda has from 35-45 mg of caffeine, to give you an idea of the potency. As the famous Swiss herbalist, physician and chemist Paracelsus stated, “the medicine is in the dose.” Coffee and caffeine is no exception to this rule. Medicine is surely in the dose and if we listen to our bodies and the plant medicine coffee can become a teacher and ally. Side note, I am not advocating soda over coffee. Soda is 99% synthetic and lacks the minerals, vitamins and plant constituents that are found in coffee, overall coffee is a better choice. Just choose your dose and listen to your body.