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Are There Antioxidants in Coffee? Yes! And We Have the Test Results!

Coffee contains various levels of antioxidants, and the amount in your morning cup can depend on a few different factors, such as the way it is sourced and produced. The top tier of coffees contain more antioxidants than other coffee brands on the market, providing health benefits like lowering your cholesterol, reducing inflammation and protecting against cancer, making it a powerful boost to your health and wellness!

There are a number of factors taken into account when testing coffee for antioxidants, such as polyphenols, chlorogenic acid, and flavonoids, so we’re here to explain each and every one.

In this article you will learn:

The ORAC Value of Coffee: The Measure of Coffee’s Antioxidant Power

So where does coffee stand in terms of antioxidant power compared to other foods? That’s what the ORAC score is for.

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, and it’s a test that measures antioxidant levels in various foods such as coffee.

When looking at the average coffee, Brewed Arabica Coffee Medium Roast, its ORAC score is 2,780 per every 100 gram, which is incredibly high compared to other antioxidant-rich foods, like kale with an ORAC score of 1,770 per 100 grams!

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Polyphenols in Coffee

So where do the antioxidants in coffee come from? It starts with polyphenols. Polyphenols are naturally occurring plant compounds that have powerful antioxidant properties. There are over 8,000 identified polyphenols found in food, such as chlorogenic acid and flavonoids, with coffee being an abundant source!

Polyphenols pack a punch by reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, while combating inflammation, and protecting the body from pathogens and ultraviolet rays. There is also evidence that shows they slow the aging process, giving your skin a youthful boost.

To ensure you’re getting top-notch polyphenol levels, it’s important to choose high-quality beans that are organically sourced.

Chlorogenic Acid: The Coffee Antioxidant Superstar

To understand the role of polyphenols in coffee, we start with chlorogenic acid. CGAs are the number one polyphenol found in coffee that's linked to potent antioxidant benefits.

Chlorogenic acid in coffee can help us sustain energy by canceling out chemicals that are capable of harming our bodies. Some of its benefits include: reducing blood pressure, protecting against heart disease and promoting weight loss.

Levels of chlorogenic acid can depend on a few different factors such as the roasting process and type of coffee bean. Typically, they decrease during the roasting process, meaning light and medium roasts contain more CGAs than dark roasts.

With our Clean Coffee, you can rest easy knowing we carefully test and customize our roasting process to ensure each batch contains 2.1g/100g of CGAs while other brands average about 1.3. 

Flavonoids in Coffee

Flavonoids are also a family of polyphenols, which are abundant in coffee.

They boast a wide range of benefits from decreased risk of asthma and stroke, to reducing inflammation, and lowering blood pressure! In fact, flavonoids are credited to giving fruits and vegetables their bright colors!

What’s even better about flavonoids? Coffee contains catechins, a specific type of flavonoid that has been associated with a reduced risk of cancer, and weight loss, making them a unique and powerful antioxidant to consume.

In roasted coffee, antioxidant levels are much higher compared to that of coffee that is non-roasted, therefore our new Clean Coffee’s roasting process is taken very seriously to ensure that antioxidants are not being diminished!

Decaf Coffee Antioxidants vs Regular Coffee Antioxidants

So now you know the antioxidant superpower of coffee, but you may be asking yourself: is there a difference between antioxidants in decaf coffee compared to that of regular coffee?

Decaf Coffee and regular coffee typically share a similar level of antioxidants. However, because coffee is decaffeinated through either a chemical solvent or soaking in boiling water, it may lose only a small percentage of antioxidants.

Choosing the Best Coffee for Antioxidants

When choosing the best coffee for antioxidants it’s important to consider two factors: sourcing and processing.

First, choose a coffee with a high-quality bean. A great place to start is looking for labels that meet the SCAA Green Coffee Grading Standards. Choosing specialty grade, organic, non-GMO, and ethically sourced beans also signify a high-quality coffee.

Additionally, the processing step of producing coffee can make or break the level of antioxidants, so it is important to choose a brand that regulates this through routine lab testing with each harvest.

With 200% more antioxidants than your average coffee, our Clean Coffee is the perfect solution. We use the top 1% of organic beans, hand-picked from Colombia and each batch of our is tested to not only ensure maximum antioxidant content, but also, the absence of health-harming toxins like mold and mycotoxins.

So how do we back this all up? Our test results tell the story!  First, we analyzed over 100 different coffees that represented 46 different brands, and our coffee was found to be 65% higher in antioxidants than the other organic brands tested! Less than 1% of coffee brands meet this standard, ranking us the coffee brand with the highest level of antioxidants in the market.

All this is to say that we’ve made sure to not only produce the most antioxidant-rich coffee on the market, but also one that makes you feel as good as it tastes. Happy drinking!

Up Next: Chlorogenic Acid: Coffee's Secret "Super Antioxidant"

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