Have you ever had a craving for…? a choice espressobut after the first sip you were surprised by too much acidity? At Goriffee, we like to try new things, so we decided to test an old trick whispered about in coffee circles: can a pinch of plain baking soda tame the coffee’s fierce acidity?

Our curiosity led us to a small blind test, the results of which surprised even experienced baristas.

How did our experiment go?

The procedure was simple, but all the more interesting. We prepared two identical espressos. To one of them we secretly added a solution of baking soda, while the other remained in its original, unchanged state.

We then gave these samples to our “guinea pigs” – which included a champion barista or our colleague Peto – and asked them one thing: ” Taste the coffee and focus on the acidity.”

Result: fruitiness vs. acidity

The tasting was a blind test, so no one knew which cup was “improved”. The reactions were immediate.

When tasting the coffee with added soda, the tasters immediately noticed a difference. They judged that ” the first one was less acidic”. Conversely, the plain espresso without treatment was noted to have more acidity, although it was still judged to be pleasantly fruity.

The conclusion of our test at Goriffee is clear: Coffee professionals agree that just one teaspoon of baking soda solution can effectively reduce the acidity of espresso (or any other coffee with high acidity).

But most importantly for lovers of specialty coffee – this intervention did not kill the coffee. Quite the opposite. Even after the addition of soda , you could still feel its terroir and uniqueness, it just softened the edges of the sharp acidity in a pleasant way.

A window into science: what actually happened in that cup?

In our experiment, the tasters agreed on two key things: the soda coffee was ” less acidic”, but at the same time you could still feel its “terroir and uniqueness”. Why didn’t the soda kill the coffee’s taste altogether, but just “sanded down the edges”? Here’s a deeper explanation:

1. Chemical neutralization (pH clash)

Coffee is a naturally acidic solution with a pH usually between 4.5 and 5.0. This acidity comes from the organic acids (chlorogenic, citric, malic) that give coffee its fruity character. Baking soda (NaHCO3)acts as a so-called buffer. When you add it to coffee, it dissociates and the bicarbonate ions react with hydrogen ions (H+),which are responsible for the sour taste.

The reaction looks simplistically like this:

Acid (H+)^+Soda(HCO3-)→Water (_H2O)_{+Carbon dioxide}(CO2)+Saltˇ

By removing the free H+ ions, you raise the pH towards neutral 7. This is exactly the point where our barista in the video commented that the coffee is less acidic.

2. Why hasn’t coffee lost its taste? (Sodium Effect)

This is the most interesting part. In the experiment, we heard that the coffee retained its ‘pleasant fruitiness’ and character. Why didn’t it turn into a dull brown water?

Neutralisation produces a small amount of salt (sodium) as a by-product. It is known in food science that sodium ions have the ability to suppress bitterness while enhancing the perception of sweetness. Soda thus did two things at once:

1. Physically reduced the concentration of acid (neutralization).

2. It sensorially “tricks” the tongue into perceiving the coffee as sweeter and smoother, allowing the terroir to stand out without the distracting “sharp” tail.

3. Selective effect

Dosage is important. As we saw in the video, only ” one spoonful of the solution” was enough . If you poured the soda in directly, the reaction would be too violent and the coffee would taste soapy and flat. A small amount will only mellow out the most aggressive acids (e.g. acetic), but leave the complex aromatics intact.

Try it at home

Do you have coffee at home that is too “wild” for you? Try our trick. Prepare a solution of water and soda and add it drop by drop to your coffee until you find your ideal balance.

As we say in the video, ” Give it a try and let me know in the comments how it turned out.”

An analogy to finish: imagine baking soda in coffee as an equalizer on a stereo. Coffee is a song you love, but the highs (acidity) are pulled out so pronounced it hurts your ears. Adding soda doesn’t change the song or the singer (the terroir remains), it just pulls those sharp highs down to a level that is pleasing and harmonious to your ears (and tongue).