Can Coffee Upset Stomach? 12 Ways to Manage Stomach Pain from Coffee

crazy by Editorial Staff | Updated on April 26th, 2023

By drinking coffee, several people get stomach pain, and they assume there’s nothing to do. Some will avoid drinking coffee, some will minimize intake, and others will suffer in silence.


The truth is, you don’t have to suffer; there are a few ways to alleviate the effects of caffeine on your stomach.

Upset Stomach

Why does my stomach hurt when I drink coffee

Milk addition, low acid beans, decaf (or half decaf), basic brew type, and particular roast levels seem to be the most effective ways to prevent stomach pain when enjoying a good coffee cup.

There are three other easy suggestions to prevent coffee-related stomach aches. These are simple changes to lifestyles, and they’re very effective. In a little bit, I’ll talk about these coffee-drinking tricks.

Each solution has its benefits and drawbacks, and some approaches will work for you, some will not, but you will be encouraged to choose by being educated.

Does my stomach get hurt by the acid in coffee?

Coffee isn’t have much acid to give you trouble.

People assume that coffee’s acidity is the cause of their stomach aches. Companies that specialize in low-acid processing highlight their coffee’s high pH to draw customers with sensitive stomachs.

The truth is that the pH of coffee is already low enough and coffee acidity, as a chemical property, is not the cause of problems with your stomach. However, the final product is less bothersome than the normal unprocessed coffee by grinding the beans to reduce the acidity.

Why does coffee upset my stomach?

Some field research conducted by Veronika Somoza and Thomas Hofmann, a team of German and Austrian researchers, links the annoying properties of coffee to a variety of substances present in coffee, including caffeine, catechols, and N-alkanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamines.

The research also showed that when the coffee is roasted longer, N-methyl pyridinium (NMP) is produced larger. NMP is a compound downregulating gastric acid release in the stomach with caffeine and catechols’ reverse effect. Here is a little more about gastric acid and NMP.

The common belief that darker roasts have much less effect on the stomach is scientifically verified, in conclusion.

Stomach upset may be due to additives like milk, cream, sweeteners, or sugar that add more than two-thirds of Americans to their coffee. Approximately 65% of people worldwide cannot properly digest lactose, a sugar in milk.

How to prevent stomach pain from coffee

There are a couple of ways to reduce the effects of coffee on your stomach. Heartburn, acid reflux, and stomach pain can be reduced using one or more helpful hints in the list below.

Each solution has its benefits and drawbacks, and some approaches will work for you, some will not, but you will be guided to choose by being educated. The last two tips are the simplest and maybe the most effective to incorporate.

1. Cold brew is tender on your stomach

Cold brew has a 50 to 70% lower acidity level. Cold brew is distinct from any other form of hot brewing, and the taste profile is very distinct. Intricate flavors that are lost when making daily coffee are preserved by coffee steeped at low temperatures.

With no effect on the sensitive stomach, you get a unique, creamy, and perfect-tasting body. A  cold brew lacks the bitter and acid notes synonymous with drip coffee. Some people prefer the bitter-acid notes, and they stick to their regular cup of joe for this reason.

Toddy Cold Brew System

Toddy is an innovative way of  making cold brewing effortlessly. You make coffee for a couple of days and then keep it in the refrigerator. Ground coffee rarely gets wet, so it perfectly retains the flavors.

Of course, if you need a sideline, you can work the French press to do so. You make it today and drink it the next day, and I’ve tried it a few times, but I feel  Toddy is the perfect way to make it. Each day, you do not have to go through the brewing process.

2. Keep Hydrated

Sometimes the simplest treatment is the best one, and this is often the case with stomach trouble. Dehydration is one of the most prevalent causes of digestive difficulties, and as such, drinking plenty of fluids can sometimes assist in alleviating and preventing the discomfort of muscular cramps, bloating, and gas.

However, as you are already aware, avoid drinks containing caffeine and sugar and instead stick to water or the herbal teas recommended.

What drink helps an upset stomach?

If the suggestions above do not work, you can try drinking other fluids like:

  • Sports drinks.
  • Clear, non-caffeinated sodas such as 7-Up, Sprite or ginger ale.
  • Diluted juices such as apple, grape, cherry or cranberry (avoid citrus juices)
  • Clear soup broth or bouillon.
  • Popsicles.
  • Decaffeinated tea.
  • Drinking water.
  • Add Mint to your beverages

3. Choose beans with low acidity

Normally, you can select low-acid beans or specially processed beans, such as Puroast, HealthWise, Simply Smooth Followers, or Hevla.

If you like the taste of coffee and do not give a damn about the content of caffeine, decaf is just the right option. One of the elements that most irritates the stomach is caffeine. Also, you can make it half decaf, half normal, and try it out.

4. Add some milk to the coffee

You can rationally smooth your cup out by adding milk.

5. Choose dark beans for roasting

There are fewer unpleasant  dark roast beans than lighter roasts. The only drawback is that you lose some of the beans’ natural flavors with a darker roast.

This is a big issue for coffee lovers, but when you choose between having a  dark roast and not drinking, the selection is easy.

6. Brew type

Maybe the brew type is an underrated tactic- the less heat, the fewer irritants the coffee will produce when brewing. Cold brew, followed by espresso, French pot, and single Turkish rise, is the number one brew type.

7. Don’t miss having breakfast

Coffee itself does not give you stomach pain, as explained earlier in the post. The compounds present in coffee, however, induce the production of acid. Your stomach produces acid, so when HCL is formed in your stomach, you have to get food to digest food.

The acid can damage the lining of your stomach if there is no food. That’s why you need to eat with a cup of coffee, even though it’s just a little breakfast.

Bananas are alkaline and can neutralize some of the acids in coffee. The same may be said about milk. Sugary cereals don’t do much for you, so if you can substitute something more substantial, like oatmeal or eggs, that’s preferable.

The goal is to spread out the caffeine among various foods so that you don’t digest it entirely in a matter of minutes.

Simply drinking your coffee more slowly can also assist in this situation.

8. Consume herbal tea

Caffeine is sometimes found in tea, although it is never found in herbal tea. Many types of herbal tea might soothe your stomach after caffeine’s acids have upset it.

To reduce inflammation and improve heartburn, choose a flavor with ginger, such as lemon ginger or turmeric ginger. Teas like chamomile and licorice can have the same calming benefits.

Avoid anything containing peppermint or spearmint, as these might aggravate stomach acid issues.

9. In the afternoon, don’t drink coffee

For certain individuals, coffee in the afternoon can cause stomach pain. Please don’t ask me why; as of now, nobody knows. If I had to guess, it is possibly linked to generating more acid in the afternoon.

10. Switch to decaf

Switching to decaf may assist with stomach distress in some cases.

This is especially true if caffeine is the source of your stomach problems.

Nonetheless,  decaf coffee contains coffee acids, including chlorogenic acid and N-alkanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamine, which have been associated with increased stomach acid production and intestinal spasms.

Furthermore, adding milk, cream, sugar, or sweeteners to decaf coffee may induce gastrointestinal upset in people who are sensitive to these ingredients.

11. French press coffee maker – more suitable for stomach

The  French press is a fantastic method of reducing coffee’s acidity. The brewing recipient’s temperature is smaller than most other brewing techniques.

Brew coffee at lower temperatures to decrease the number of gastrointestinal irritants extracted.

It also uses larger coffee grounds. One study found that smaller coffee grounds would extract more acid during brewing. This means coffee from larger grounds can be less acidic

As a consequence, in smaller concentrations, the compounds responsible for irritating your stomach are removed.

With the right drinking temperature, simplicity on your stomach, and with a rich taste and flavor, A Bodum is a healthy way to make your morning Joe.

12. Low-acid coffee

Will low-acid coffee make your stomach better? Is it going to fix all your digestive troubles and have you drink a nice cup of Joe’s?

Drinking low-acid coffee is said to make you enjoy the morning cup without stomach upset, GERD, acid reflux, heartburn, and coffee-induced other bad stuff.

How much honesty is there in this, and what are the easiest ways to enjoy your painless everyday cup?

Science has no proof that coffee with low acidity is healthier for the stomach. Anecdotal proof, however, points to its usefulness. Most people will only drink low-acid coffee.

Puroast low-acid coffee

You need coffee, and for your well-being, a cup per day is fine, but you also need to take good care of your stomach. You don’t have to suffer when you’re drinking your cup.

Puroast is among the low-acid coffee beans that taste best. It gets much better with the French roast.

Puroast says their coffee has 70 percent less acidity and five times more antioxidants than leading coffees than normal beans. I don’t know the antioxidants, but people with weak stomachs love Puroast.

Puroast Decaf

Decaf is already deprived of caffeine, which is partially responsible for inducing stomach disorders. But when you use specially processed beans to minimize acidity, you have a perfect mix.

The brand Puroast is potentially one of the better brands in the low-acid coffee market. Consider trying; a lot of people enjoy it.

The advantage associated with Puroast coffee is that it has a few times more antioxidants than other products, and its unique roasting technique does this.

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Disclosure: No compensation or free products were received in exchange for writing this review.

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Editorial Staff

The editorial staff at Crazy Coffee Crave is a team of coffee enthusiasts & Baristas who enjoy the one thing we all think about as soon as we get up in the morning. Trusted by thousands of readers worldwide.