Can Coffee Cause Heartburn & Indigestion? Find Relief

For millions, that first cup of coffee is a non-negotiable morning ritual. But what happens when your beloved brew starts fighting back, leaving you with a burning sensation in your chest or a churning, uncomfortable stomach? You’re left wondering if your daily source of energy is also the source of your daily discomfort, asking the critical question: can coffee cause heartburn and indigestion?

Yes, coffee can trigger heartburn and indigestion in sensitive individuals due to its acidity and caffeine content, which can increase stomach acid and relax the valve preventing reflux. This doesn’t mean you have to give it up entirely. Understanding the specific mechanisms at play is the first step toward reclaiming your coffee ritual without the painful side effects. Leveraging extensive analysis of available data, this guide unpacks the science behind coffee-induced discomfort and provides proven, actionable strategies to help you enjoy your cup in complete comfort.

Key Facts

Coffee is Naturally Acidic: With a typical pH range between 4.85 and 5.13, coffee’s inherent acidity can contribute to an already acidic stomach environment, a key factor in heartburn.

Caffeine Relaxes a Critical Valve: Caffeine is known to relax the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES), the muscle that prevents stomach acid from flowing back into the esophagus, as highlighted by sources like Healthline and Tums.

Cold Brew Can Be 70% Less Acidic: The cold brewing process extracts significantly fewer acidic compounds from coffee beans, making it a much gentler option for those with acid reflux.

Dark Roasts are a Better Choice: The roasting process breaks down acidic compounds, meaning dark roast coffees are generally less acidic and may stimulate less stomach acid production than light roasts.

Consumption Habits Matter: Drinking coffee on an empty stomach or lying down within 2-3 hours of consumption dramatically increases the likelihood of experiencing acid reflux symptoms.

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Yes, Coffee Can Cause Heartburn: Here’s Why and How to Find Relief

If you’ve ever felt that familiar fiery sensation creep up your chest after your morning espresso, you are not alone. The link between coffee and heartburn is well-established for many people. According to medical resources like Healthline, coffee is a common trigger for heartburn, which is the primary symptom of acid reflux. This happens when stomach acid flows backward into your esophagus. Similarly, it can lead to indigestion (dyspepsia), causing that general feeling of an upset stomach or bloating. Tired of choosing between your morning coffee and afternoon comfort? Let’s explore why this happens and what you can do about it.

The primary reasons can coffee cause heartburn and indigestion boil down to a few key factors:
* Acidity: Coffee is an acidic beverage, which can add to the overall acid load in your stomach.
* Caffeine: This stimulant can relax the muscular valve at the top of your stomach, allowing acid to escape upwards.
* Stomach Acid Stimulation: Certain compounds within coffee can signal your stomach to produce even more acid.

The Science Behind Coffee-Induced Discomfort: 3 Key Mechanisms

Understanding exactly how your favorite brew can lead to discomfort empowers you to make smarter choices. It’s not just one thing, but a combination of factors that create the perfect storm for heartburn and indigestion. Here is the step-by-step scientific breakdown.

Coffee’s natural acidity and its ability to stimulate your stomach’s own acid production create a highly acidic environment.
The caffeine in coffee relaxes the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES), the protective barrier that should keep that acid contained.
Your personal consumption habits, such as drinking on an empty stomach, can significantly worsen these effects.

Pro Tip: Think of the LES as a gate. Caffeine can leave that gate slightly open, allowing stomach acid to travel where it shouldn’t.

1. Acidity & Stomach Acid Stimulation

Coffee’s impact on your stomach is twofold. First, the beverage itself is naturally acidic. With a pH typically falling between 4.85 and 5.13, it contributes to the acidic environment in your digestive system. Second, and perhaps more importantly, compounds within coffee signal your stomach to ramp up its own production of gastric acid. These compounds include chlorogenic acids (CGAs), which are present in all types of coffee.

Some studies suggest that specific compounds in coffee, rather than its overall acidity, are the primary triggers for stimulating gastric acid production. This means even a less acidic coffee could potentially cause issues if it contains high levels of these specific stimulants.

This dual-action effect—adding its own acid while telling your body to make more—is a primary reason why can coffee cause heartburn and indigestion is a frequent concern for so many.

2. Caffeine’s Effect on the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES)

This is the mechanical failure at the heart of acid reflux. The Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) is a ring of muscle that acts as a one-way valve between your esophagus and your stomach. When it’s working correctly, it opens to let food in and then closes tightly to keep stomach contents, including powerful acid, from flowing back up.

Caffeine is a known muscle relaxant. As confirmed by numerous medical sources, when you consume caffeine, it can cause the LES to relax or weaken temporarily. This relaxation creates an opening for stomach acid to splash back into the esophagus, which is not designed to handle such high acidity. The result is the painful, burning sensation we know as heartburn.

Quick Fact: If other caffeinated drinks like soda or tea also give you heartburn, caffeine is the likely culprit for relaxing your LES. This helps you pinpoint the specific trigger.

3. The Impact of Your Consumption Habits

Sometimes, the problem isn’t just what you’re drinking, but how you’re drinking it. Your daily habits can dramatically amplify coffee’s potential to cause heartburn and indigestion. Identifying and changing these behaviors can provide significant relief. Do any of these habits sound familiar? Identifying them is the first step toward relief.

Drinking on an Empty Stomach: Without food to act as a buffer, the acid from coffee directly irritates your stomach lining. This can also lead to a more rapid increase in stomach acid production, making reflux more likely.
Lying Down Too Soon: Gravity is your friend when it comes to digestion. Lying down within two to three hours after drinking coffee makes it physically easier for stomach acid to flow back into the esophagus.
Consuming Large Quantities: Drinking several cups of coffee in a short period can simply overwhelm your digestive system, increasing both the acid load and the amount of caffeine relaxing your LES.

6 Proven Ways to Drink Coffee Without Heartburn

The great news is that you likely don’t have to quit coffee altogether. By making a few strategic adjustments, you can often continue enjoying your daily cup without the painful consequences. Let’s find the right strategy for you. One of these simple changes could be your game-changer.

1. Choose Low-Acid Coffee Options

The type of coffee you choose makes a huge difference. Certain beans, roasts, and brewing methods are naturally lower in the acidic compounds that trigger heartburn. Making a simple switch in what you buy can be the most effective first step. Opt for dark roasts, cold brew, or 100% Arabica beans, as they are all naturally lower in the acidic compounds that trigger heartburn.

Coffee Type	Why It Helps	E-E-A-T Cue
Dark Roasts	The longer roasting process breaks down more acidic compounds.	A study suggests dark roasts stimulate less stomach acid production.
Cold Brew	Steeping in cold water for 12-24 hours results in up to 70% less acidity.	Healthline specifically recommends cold brew for GERD sufferers.
Arabica Beans	Naturally contain less acid and caffeine than Robusta beans.	Experts advise choosing 100% Arabica to avoid the harshness of Robusta blends.

2. Modify Your Brewing Method

How you make your coffee is almost as important as the beans you use. Simple tweaks to your brewing routine can filter out or prevent the extraction of harsh, acidic compounds.

Pro Tip: Even a small change, like using a paper filter instead of a metal one, can make a noticeable difference in your coffee’s acidity.

Use Paper Filters: Unlike metal mesh filters (common in French presses), paper filters are excellent at trapping oily, acidic compounds called diterpenes, resulting in a cleaner, smoother, and less acidic cup.
Lower Your Water Temperature: Brewing with water that is just off the boil (around 195-200°F instead of 212°F) can extract fewer of the bitter, acidic elements from the coffee grounds.
Try Pour-Over: Pour-over methods give you more control over water temperature and brewing time, and when used with a paper filter, can produce a significantly lower-acid coffee compared to automatic drip machines.

3. Adjust Your Consumption Habits

Empower yourself by taking control of how and when you drink coffee. These behavioral changes directly counter the mechanisms that cause heartburn.

Eat Something First: Never drink coffee on a completely empty stomach. Consuming it with alkaline foods like bananas, oatmeal, or a piece of toast helps buffer and absorb stomach acid, protecting your stomach lining.
Reduce Your Intake: If you’re drinking more than four cups a day, try cutting back. Less coffee means less acid and less caffeine, reducing the overall burden on your digestive system.
Avoid Coffee Before Bed: Make it a rule to stop all coffee consumption at least three hours before lying down. This gives your stomach time to empty and allows gravity to keep acid where it belongs.

4. Use Additives to Neutralize Acidity

You can instantly make your coffee gentler by adding a simple ingredient to your cup. These additives work by neutralizing some of the acid, raising the overall pH of your beverage to a more tolerable level. Have a splash of almond milk or a tiny pinch of baking soda on hand? You might already have the solution in your kitchen.

Add Milk or a Milk Alternative: A splash of low-fat dairy milk, or even better, an alkaline alternative like almond or soy milk, can help buffer the coffee’s acidity. As an added benefit, milk proteins can bind to some of the chlorogenic acids, potentially reducing their irritating effect.
Try a Pinch of Baking Soda: Baking soda is highly alkaline. Adding a very small pinch to your coffee grounds before brewing can effectively neutralize a significant amount of the acid.
Use Commercial Acid Reducers: There are drops and powders available that are specifically formulated to reduce the acidity of coffee without affecting its flavor.

5. Consider Switching to Decaf

If you’ve tried other methods and still experience discomfort, it’s time to test the primary suspect: caffeine. Switching to decaffeinated coffee is the best way to determine if caffeine’s effect on your LES is the main reason can coffee cause heartburn and indigestion for you. While decaf coffee isn’t 100% caffeine-free, it contains significantly less. If your symptoms disappear when you drink decaf, you’ve confirmed that caffeine is your personal trigger. This is a highly effective solution as it removes the main compound responsible for relaxing the LES.

6. Keep a Diary to Identify Personal Triggers

Ultimately, sensitivity to coffee is highly personal. What works for one person may not work for another. The most effective way to find a long-term solution is to become an expert on your own body. By keeping a simple food and symptom diary, you can pinpoint the exact variables—be it the type of roast, the time of day, or what you ate with it—that are causing your discomfort. This medically-advised strategy can unlock the specific patterns causing your heartburn and indigestion.

To make finding the right coffee easier, we’ve compiled a list of top-rated low-acid options that other heartburn sufferers trust.

When to See a Doctor for Heartburn

While many cases of coffee-induced heartburn can be managed with the lifestyle changes outlined above, it is crucial to recognize when your symptoms may indicate a more serious underlying condition. Persistent acid reflux can damage the esophagus over time and may be a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). You should consult a healthcare provider for a proper diagnosis if you experience any of the following:

You experience heartburn more than twice a week.
Your symptoms persist or worsen despite making dietary and lifestyle adjustments.
You have difficulty swallowing.
You experience persistent nausea or vomiting.
You have lost weight unintentionally due to a loss of appetite or difficulty eating.

A doctor, such as a gastroenterologist, can properly evaluate your symptoms and determine if you have GERD or another condition that requires medical intervention.

FAQs About Coffee and Heartburn

Why is coffee giving me heartburn all of a sudden?

Sudden heartburn from coffee can be due to changes in your diet, increased stress, a different coffee brand, or the development of underlying sensitivity. Your body’s tolerance can change over time. Tracking your daily habits in a journal can help you identify the new variable that is causing the sudden onset of symptoms.

Does decaf coffee still cause heartburn?

It’s less likely, but still possible. If caffeine is your primary trigger because it relaxes your LES, then switching to decaf should provide significant relief. However, decaf coffee still contains the natural acids found in regular coffee, so if you are highly sensitive to acidity itself, you may still experience mild symptoms.

Does adding milk to coffee help with heartburn?

Yes, adding milk or a milk alternative can definitely help. As noted by sources like Verywell Health, milk is alkaline and works to buffer or neutralize the coffee’s natural acidity. Low-fat or plant-based milks like almond milk are often the best choices. The proteins in milk may also bind to some of the irritating compounds in coffee, further reducing its impact.

Is tea better than coffee for acid reflux?

Not necessarily. Many popular teas, including black, green, and oolong, contain caffeine. As established by Healthline, since caffeine is a primary trigger for relaxing the LES, these teas can cause heartburn just like coffee. Low-caffeine green tea might be a better option, and non-caffeinated herbal teas like chamomile or ginger are generally considered safe choices for acid reflux sufferers.

Should I stop drinking coffee if I have acid reflux?

You may not have to. Before quitting entirely, try implementing the mitigation strategies in this guide. Many people with acid reflux find they can still enjoy coffee by choosing low-acid beans, brewing cold, always drinking it with food, and limiting their intake. However, if you have been diagnosed with GERD, you should always follow your doctor’s specific advice.

Final Summary: Enjoy Your Coffee Without the Discomfort

The answer to can coffee cause heartburn and indigestion is a clear yes, but it’s a problem with many effective solutions. The discomfort stems from a combination of coffee’s natural acidity and caffeine’s ability to relax the LES valve, a situation often made worse by personal habits. By understanding this “why,” you are now empowered with the “how” to manage and prevent your symptoms effectively.

You don’t have to sacrifice your cherished coffee ritual for the sake of your digestive comfort. The power is in your hands to make small, intelligent adjustments that can lead to significant relief.

Caffeine and acid are the main culprits: They work together to create the conditions for acid reflux.
Cold brew and dark roasts are safer bets: These options are naturally lower in the compounds that cause irritation.
Never drink on an empty stomach: Always pair your coffee with food to buffer the acid.
Listen to your body: Use a diary to identify your unique triggers and find what works best for you.

Choose one strategy from this guide to try this week. You might be surprised how a small change can bring back the pure joy of your daily cup.

Last update on 2025-08-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Can Coffee Cause Heartburn & Indigestion? Find Relief

Yes, Coffee Can Cause Heartburn: Here’s Why and How to Find Relief