There was a time not too long ago in this country where drinking coffee was a fairly routine and generic experience. Taste was superceded by the need to consume caffeine as economically and conveniently as possible. As a result, people generally opted for either affordable but low quality coffees that tended towards blandness, or instant coffee, whose flavor was rough. However, you couldn’t beat the convenience. In the past twenty years, however, Americans have followed in the footsteps of other countries, including Europe and Latin America, and have begun drinking coffees with richer flavors and darker roasts, thus changing the coffee drinking climate.

Now it appears that these darker roasts might help to reduce the incidence of stomach irritation, which affects nearly 2 out of every 10 people who drink coffee. The reason for this is because, contrary to what many might think, darker roasts, which include espresso and French roast beans, contain compounds that alert the stomach to reduce acid production. This may reduce the risk of heartburn and indigestion and allow more Americans to enjoy coffee, potentially leading to the development of “stomach friendly” blends that retain rich flavors and aromas.

It has been estimated that nearly 40 million people in this country either limit their consumption of coffee or avoid it altogether because of the adverse effects it has one their stomach. This has led to an entire industry of brewers who market their coffees as being stomach friendly. These products are manufactured by alternative methods that include steam or chemical processing. Their effectiveness in reducing irritation, however, has not always been substantiated.

To arrive at the current findings, researchers studied human stomach cells after they were exposed to variety of different coffees, including regular, dark roast, decaffeinated, and stomach-friendly. By examining certain metabolic processes, they were able to identify compounds (caffeine, catechols) contained in the brews that set off an increase in acid production. These compounds seemed to work in conjunction with one another, rather than acting alone, and can in fact be removed from the beans by way of steam or solvent extraction.

One compound in particular, N-methylpyridium (NMP), was found to actually block the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach cells. NMP is not found in raw beans, but is instead a by-product of the roasting process, and darker roasts generate more of the compound. With this in mind, researchers hope to develop an even more stomach friendly variety that will still provide rich coffee flavor, yet will also be easy on the stomach.