Acidity in Different Beverages

During the holiday season, there is always time to enjoy a warm beverage at a favorite café. The December season brings new reasons to spend time with others and plenty of ways to celebrate the festive season. It is more important than ever to keep track of our health alongside the festivities during this time.

The choices of drinks at the mocha café vary greatly. Some are light and pleasant, while others are fulfilling and energizing. Naturally, everyone has their favorites, but drinking too much can lead to unexpected problems.

People can estimate a drink's calories and sugar, but the drink's acidity is often overlooked. A drink's acidity can harm a person's teeth and stomach if drank excessively. Acidic drinks weaken tooth enamel, leading to cavities and an upset stomach, especially for those with preexisting conditions.

It is good to be mindful of a drink's acidity, but it shouldn't cause concern. To help better understand the acidity of certain beverages, we put together a list of café drinks, beginning from least acidic to the most acidic.

1. Tea

The pH levels in tea depend on the type, but generally, tea is the least acidic drink a person can enjoy. Whole leaf tea and black tea are excellent choices for anyone with acid reflux, and the antioxidants in the drink give soothing qualities.

Other teas like London Fog and Chai are only slightly more acidic and share the same soothing qualities. Drinking tea is a wonderful choice to stay energized throughout the day and the best choice for those looking for a non-acidic beverage.

2. Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate is a cozy and festive choice of drink to enjoy during December. Made with melted chocolate, this rich, decadent drink is another good option for those looking for a non-acidic treat.

The cocoa in the drink raises its pH levels to make it slightly more acidic than water. The sweeter the hot chocolate is, the more acidic it becomes. A person looking for a low-acidic option is better served with dark hot chocolate rather than white.

3. Coffee

With so many different variations of coffee, it is harder to determine how acidic coffee is. The longer the coffee roasts, the easier the acids can separate from the coffee beans. The least-acidic coffee is a dark roast made from espresso beans.

The Dilettante Mocha Café uses its own medium-dark roast espresso blend to create its coffee. This acidity can be brought down even further if the coffee is cold brewed since the acids cannot separate from the bean at the same rate.

Teeth can be protected by only drinking coffee with meals and supplemented with water throughout the day. However, coffee can stain and damage teeth, so drinking in moderation is recommended.

4. Mocha

Mochas combine chocolate and coffee, making a drink more acidic than drip coffee. These drinks are the cornerstone of the Dilettante Mocha Café and give a delicious flavor, but like coffee, these drinks should be best enjoyed with food.

As with other drinks, the sweeter the mocha is, the higher chance it is acidic. Therefore, making mochas with dark roast coffee and semisweet chocolate will bring the pH much closer to drip coffee than a lighter roast or chocolate.  

5. Frappe

This popular drink chilled with ice is a favorite for many, but its sweet flavor contributes to a low pH level. With mochas, these drinks should be enjoyed once per day.

To better protect teeth, drink frappes using a straw. This way, the teeth have less contact with the coffee drink, and the negative effects from the sugar and acids will be greatly diminished.

6. Italian Soda

Finally, an Italian soda is the most acidic drink a person can choose. The carbonation in soda is highly acidic, and energy drinks are even more so. These drinks are paired with syrup, increasing the acidity. The pH of some Italian sodas can be lower than three.

Like before, these drinks come with a straw, which helps avoid enamel damage. After enjoying an Italian soda, drinking water or tea can help offset the sweetness and acidity to keep a person's body feeling great.

Things to Remember

Nearly every drink has some level of acidity, and even when consumed daily, these drinks can still be perfectly safe. The best way to enjoy these drinks is by drinking with food and plenty of water, both things found at Dilettante's many Mocha Cafés.

Visit any location to enjoy any drink on this list and more. Our Seattle-based Mocha Cafés are the perfect places to stop by and enjoy a favorite beverage.

Ryan

Raised in the Pacific Northwest, Ryan has a fondness for the outdoors, music, and coffee. Some of his favorites are Dilettante's Chocolate-Covered Bing Cherries and L'Orange Truffles. Through his writing and content, he hopes to grow the Dilettante community.