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Busting 5 Common Coffee Myths

Did a friend tell you that coffee makes you dehydrated? Did you see an Instagram post that espresso shots are stronger than a cup of coffee? Or did your Facebook feed tell you that afternoon coffee leads to insomnia? These claims make for good headlines or conversation starters, but these are actually all myths!

Most people drink coffee—it’s just a normal part of our lives now. And because of how ubiquitous coffee is in this world, unfortunately rumors about coffee are also very common. At Barrie House, we want our coffee drinkers to understand coffee as much as they love it! So here are some of the most common coffee myths-busted!

Myth #1: Dark roast is the most caffeinated. Contrary to a common belief, the phrase “dark roast” is not synonymous with “more caffeine”. The roast levels of a coffee refer to the color of the beans and the overall taste. Roasting the beans for different amounts of time will result in differences in look and taste. Light roast being brighter and fruitier, medium roast being more caramelly or balanced and a dark roast being bold and smokey. But what many people don’t know is that the longer coffee is roasted, the more caffeine is roasted away.

Myth #2: Coffee dehydrates you. You hear this myth everywhere, and, most likely, the reason it sticks around is because there is some truth to it. As a mild diuretic, coffee can have slight dehydrating effects, but many people fail to take into consideration that water is in coffee! The large amount of water in a cup of coffee makes up for any possible dehydrating effects. So contrary to what many people think, coffee does not dehydrate you.

Myth #3: Putting coffee in the freezer keeps it fresh. Unlike how we typically keep food fresh by stashing it into our freezers, you do not want to use this method with your coffee beans! When storing your coffee beans, you want to keep them in an airtight, dry, and cool place. Freshly roasted beans are susceptible to different elements like moisture, flavor, and smell so we don’t suggest putting them in the freezer. If stored in the freezer, once you take them out to grind there is a chance that they are freezer burned and taking on the aromas of your freezer!

Myth #4: An afternoon cup of coffee is likely to cause insomnia. Everyone knows coffee gives you energy. But even though coffee has caffeine in it, it processes through your body quickly. Within 4-7 hours, your body will process about 75% of the caffeine from coffee, so if you have a cup at 3 in the afternoon, you should be good to go to sleep at 10 or 11 that night! Everyone’s body reacts slightly differently to caffeine, so pay attention to the way a cup of coffee affects you. But most likely, an afternoon cup of joe will not affect your sleep that night!

Myth #5: Espresso shots have more caffeine than a cup of coffee. It’s a common belief that espresso shots have more caffeine than a regular cup of coffee, but this isn’t true! While an espresso shot is strong and bold in taste, you are getting the same amount of caffeine per ounce as you would with a cup of coffee. Espresso isn’t a type of coffee; it is a type of brewing method. What distinguishes espresso from traditional drip coffee is the way in which is it ground and brewed. Espresso is ground to a very fine consistently and then is brewed with hot water with immense pressure. This results in a thick and strong concentrate of coffee. Drip coffee on the other hand is typically ground at a medium consistency and is brewed by having hot water poured over the grinds using a paper filter to ensure no coffee grinds get into the brewed liquid. 

The next time you sit down to enjoy a cup of coffee- morning or afternoon- you can do so with reassurance that those concerning rumors you heard are not true. Barrie House Coffee Roasters loves coffee so much and the last thing we want is for myths about our favorite thing to be swirling around! If you want to discuss any other coffee rumors, have general coffee questions, or have specific questions about any of our products, you can contact our roast masters here.