Cold Brew Coffee Hurt Your Stomach? Skip It & Learn Alternatives

Ice Coffee vs Cold Brew Coffee

People love cold brewed coffee beans, especially during the raging summer we’ve been having. Maybe you’re not in on the secret of cold brew, and think it’s the same thing as iced coffee – it isn’t. Cold brew isn’t just brewed coffee with ice in it – there are big differences between the two, and maybe you found this out the hard way. For a lot of people, cold brew coffee can hurt the stomach, but before we dive into that, it’s necessary to understand how cold brew is different from iced coffee. For a long time, I myself was under the impression that cold brew is just another name for iced coffee, but boy was I wrong. First popularized by the coffee giant, Starbucks five years ago, cold brew has exploded onto the North American market.

According to professionals, the key difference between iced coffee and cold brew is the brewing method. Whereas iced coffee is brewed hot and then poured over ice, which can water it down, cold brewed is not. It goes through a process of brewing that lasts 12-24 hours, using cold or room temperature water. What this brewing method does is remove a lot of acidity from the coffee, causing the resulting taste to be somewhat smoother than traditional iced coffee. However, some people claim that cold brew coffee hurts their stomachs. This could be because not all old brews are made equal.

Recently, Consumer Reports noted that some cold brews that are sold as “ready to drink” in bottles at Starbucks and convenience stores contain added sodium and sugar, both of which can upset one’s stomach. However, purchasing cold cups straight from a coffee shop that brews it themselves can help you avoid these additives. If you still feel iffy after consuming this additive-free version of cold brew, then just forget the whole thing. Cold brews clearly are not for you, and that’s alright. On the plus side, cold brew is usually much more expensive than its iced coffee alternative, as its brewing process requires nearly twice as many beans as traditional brewing methods.

Alternatives to Cold Brew Coffee

There are tons of alternatives to cold brewed coffee. Some ideas are normal iced coffee, iced lattes, or a nice iced mocha. If you’re worried about staying healthy, you can pretty easily avoid the sugar by just asking for your drink to be either black or for them to go light on the chocolate in the mocha – just be up-front and you’ll get what you want. Iced coffee is a great alternative, providing all of the benefits of coffee without the additional price a cold brew demands, like antioxidants, fiber, energy, and all the rest of that jazz.

While some people report cold brewed coffee to be a smoother experience, many people actually prefer that strong acidity in their morning brews. So, if you’re one of those people where drinking a cold brew ruins you for the rest of the day, then stop stressing and just get an iced coffee, and indulge in the savings. You don’t have to stay hip and indulge in every newfangled trend just because Starbucks went and popularized it.

And if you are caught up into pop culture, be sure to learn about the dangers of CBD oil-infused drinks too – read here.