Does Adding Milk To Coffee Reduce Caffeine? (No And Here’s Why)

As we consume coffee daily, I am sure we can’t help but wonder if we will be taking in too much caffeine. Or probably questions like “Does Adding Milk To Coffee Reduce Caffeine?” comes to mind. 

Well sadly no. Adding milk to coffee does not reduce the caffeine content in the coffee at all. 

The action of adding milk to coffee will only dilute the coffee. And so if you were to consume the whole cup of said coffee, you will be taking in similar amounts of caffeine.

However, there are many other ways to reduce caffeine intake if you still love having your coffee every day.

In this post I am going to explain:

• Why adding milk to coffee does not reduce caffeine;
• Effects of adding milk to coffee;
• How to reduce caffeine levels in coffee.

Disclosure

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At a glance: Does adding milk to coffee reduce caffeine?

Why Adding Milk To Coffee Does Not Reduce Caffeine? (Illustrated)

If you are still curious why adding milk to coffee does not reduce caffeine, here’s a simple illustration to explain why.

In essence, black coffee on its own has a fixed amount of caffeine molecules present in it. By adding milk to the coffee, only the milk component will increase in volume. Hence, diluting the drink. 

The overall caffeine molecules in the coffee drink remain the same! None are removed or added in the process of adding milk. 

Therefore, the taste of the coffee might be milder and overall weaker, but you are still consuming the same amount of caffeine!

Effects Of Adding Milk To Coffee

While adding milk to coffee does not reduce the caffeine content in it, there are other effects of adding milk to coffee.

Let us look at the 5 significant effects of adding milk to coffee.

1. Increase Of Calorie Intake

Plain black coffee has close to zero calories. This is why black coffee is always recommended if you are on a diet. 

On the contrary, coffee pairings such as milk will increase the calorific value of the coffee drink. This is not surprising as milk is made of compounds such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in the form of lactose.

These compounds are also responsible for the frothy layer you get on top of your Latte.

For your reference, I have put together a table below to summarize the calorific content of different kinds of milk.

Types Of Milk	Calories per 8 oz
Cow’s Milk (Whole)	150 calories
Cow’s Milk (1%)	110 calories
Cow’s Milk (Skim)	80 calories
Unsweetened Almond Milk	40 calories
Soy Milk	80 calories
Rice Milk (Unsweetened)	120 calories
Coconut milk beverage (unsweetened)	50 calories

Source: Healthline

As you can see, whole milk which is the core ingredient for espresso-based milk beverages like Latte and Cortado is pretty high in calories. 

So if you are watching your waistline, milk alternatives such as skim milk and almond milk are decent choices. 

2. Lowers Acidity Of Coffee

If you have a sensitive stomach but still love drinking coffee, this is for you. 

Coffee is known to be pretty acidic and can upset a sensitive stomach lining. This is due to the presence of natural acids in the coffee bean when you brew coffee.

On average, a plain black coffee’s pH level is around 5 where 7 means neutral. Milk, on the other hand, is also slightly acidic with a pH level of around 6.6.

Hence, in technical terms, milk does not neutralize the acidity of the coffee.

In a way, the addition of milk dilutes the acidity of the coffee so that it is easier on your stomach lining. 

3. Reduce Coffee Teeth Staining Effect

Coffee’s teeth staining is no foreign news to regular coffee drinkers. During my previous dentist visit, my dentist could immediately tell that I consume coffee on a regular basis.

So folks, coffee teeth staining is real.

If you did not know, coffee stains your teeth due to the tannins present in coffee. 

By adding milk to coffee, the fat molecules present in the milk will bind with the tannin molecules. This in turn reduces the probability of the tannins staining your teeth when consuming milk coffee. 

That said, this is bad news for people who prefers to have their coffee plain black without milk. 

Author’s Note: Plant-based milk such as almond milk and oat milk as they have very low-fat content. So they may not be as effective as regular whole milk.

4. Increase Of Nutritional Value

Although milk does not help reduce coffee’s caffeine content, you will be glad to know that milk is pretty beneficial to you.

In fact, milk has decent nutritional content which is essential as part of your daily diet.

So, if you are concerned about adding milk to coffee, don’t worry! Unless you are lactose intolerant of course.

Some of the benefits of milk include:

• Source of Protein for your body to perform its daily functions.
• Source of calcium for strong bones and teeth.
• Packed with essential nutrients and vitamins like Phosphorus, Vitamin A, Zinc, etc.

5. Lowers Coffee Temperature

Serving up piping hot coffee is fairly common for black coffee. 

After all, batch brew coffees are kept hot in an insulated flask, ready to be served upon order. Similarly, espresso-based beverages such as Americanos and Long Blacks are basically espresso with hot water.

This temperature of coffee will certainly scald your oral lining and throat tissues. And I am sure most of you can recall the infamous hot-coffee lawsuit against Mcdonald’s.

Therefore, milk that is served on the side comes in handy in situations like this. By simply adding milk to your coffee, you can help lower the overall average temperature of the coffee.

Fun fact! Milk is usually not steamed or heated beyond 70^oC as it will “burn” the milk. So you can be sure that the milk on the side has a lower temperature than your coffee!

How To Reduce Caffeine Levels In Coffee?

Since the question “Does Adding Milk To Coffee Reduce Caffeine?” is an absolute no, how do you reduce caffeine levels in coffee then?

Here are 7 alternatives you can try to reduce your overall caffeine intake.

1. Opt For Smaller Size Options

As you walk into your local cafe, you will notice multiple options you could choose to customize your beverage.

A large coffee will definitely have more “coffee” components than a small coffee and hence more caffeine. 

The option to add an extra shot of espresso will also increase the caffeine content of your coffee.

With this in mind, you should opt for smaller-sized coffees. If possible, you may also want to ask for a single shot of espresso instead of a double shot. 

2. Reduce Coffee Grounds

When brewing coffee, brewing recipes usually refer to the ratio of coffee grounds to water. 

For example, a V60 pour-over recipe calls for a 1:15 brew ratio.

This means for every gram of coffee you use, you add 15 grams of water. In the case of a typical V60 brew recipe, 15 grams of coffee demand 225 grams of water.

So if you are watching your caffeine intake, you may want to lower the mass of coffee when brewing your coffee. 

Lesser coffee means lesser caffeine!

Note: Adjust the volume of water accordingly or else you will end up with a watery cup of coffee.

3. Use Coarser Grind Size

Espresso machines or brewing gears like an Aeropress, Pour Overs or batch brewers use water to extract coffee compounds from coffee grounds.

It may not seem obvious but the grind size of the coffee grounds has a huge impact on the caffeine content in the final cup.

Here’s why.

By grinding the coffee beans too fine, you increase the coffee bean’s surface area by multiple folds. In turn, this exposes more of the coffee’s surface area to the brewing water.

With more exposure, water can extract more contents from the coffee grounds with ease. 

Furthermore, finer coffee grounds will retain water which will further increase the contact time between the coffee grounds and water.

Therefore, grind your coffee beans to a coarser size to reduce the surface area of the coffee grounds.

Author’s Note: Be careful when tweaking the grind size for coffee brewing. Grinding too fine will result in over-extraction of coffee. Coffee grounds that are too coarse will yield an under-extracted cup of coffee. The key here is balance!

4. Reduce Brewing Time

Acids, aromatic, and flavor compounds are what baristas aim to extract out of the coffee beans in every brew.

In the process, caffeine will also be extracted alongside the rest of the coffee compounds. 

Trivia! Did you know that caffeine is one of the last and hardest components to be extracted from coffee grounds?

So, if you were to prolong the brewing time of your coffee, you will potentially extract more caffeine than you intend.

One definite way to tell is through the flavor notes of your coffee. If it tastes overwhelmingly bitter, it is a telltale sign that you may have over-extracted your coffee! This is because the flavor of caffeine is bitter!

Author’s Note: Soluble acids are some of the first compounds that water extracts from coffee grounds. Keeping your brew time too short will net you a cup with overwhelming sour tasting notes.

Therefore, balance your brewing time and find the sweetest spot for your coffee. 

5. Switch To Arabica Beans

As part of my coffee beans fundamentals series, we all know that the major coffee bean types in the market are Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica.

With Arabica and Robusta coffee beans taking up 99% of the global coffee market share, the coffee you are consuming is either one of these. 

Arabica coffee beans are highly sought after for their unique fruity flavors. However, it is harder to cultivate due to its lower caffeine content. 

Trivia! Did you know that caffeine helps coffee plants to fight off diseases and pests?

Robusta coffee on the other hand is usually the inferior grade of coffee. That said, the Robusta type is highly resistant to diseases due to its higher caffeine content.

Comparing them, the Arabica has an average of 1.7% caffeine content while the Robusta has an average of 2.5% caffeine content.

Knowing this, you can make a conscious choice to go for Arabica coffee beans if you want to lower the caffeine content in your coffee.

6. Swap To Cold Brews

You may be wondering why Cold Brews has less caffeine. This contradicts my statement above where I say longer brewing time will extract more caffeine.

In fact, cold brews steep the coffee grounds over a 12-hour period. On that logic, cold brews should have higher caffeine content. So why does cold brews contain lesser caffeine in comparison to regular coffee?

The answer lies in the temperature of the water.

Unlike regular coffee brewing, cold brews use cold water or room temperature water to extract the coffee goodness from the coffee grounds.

Hot water has higher extraction strength and which is why caffeine compounds can be easily extracted from the coffee grounds.

Author’s Note: If you have noticed, cold brew coffee is rarely bitter! Instead, the flavor profile of cold brews is closer to the acidic end with a smooth texture.

7. Use Decaffeinated Coffee Beans

The last and final way to reduce caffeine levels in your coffee is to completely switch to decaffeinated coffee beans.

Caffeine in coffee beans is usually removed by soaking green coffee beans in solvents. Some common solvents here include methylene oxide or ethyl acetate. 

Don’t let the chemical names throw you off as the FDA has deemed the process to be safe. 

Author’s Note: Decaffeinated coffee is not entirely caffeine free. The decaffeination process can only remove up to 97% of the caffeine content in coffee beans. This effectively reduces the caffeine from 95 mg to 2 mg which is good enough!

FAQ On Milk Effects On Coffee’s Caffeine Levels

Is Coffee Stronger With Or Without Milk?

Coffee is stronger without milk in terms of taste and flavor. However, in terms of caffeine content, a cup of coffee has the same amount of caffeine, whether or not milk has been added to it. The addition of milk only dilutes the coffee. 

Does Milk Slow The Absorption Of Caffeine?

Milk slows down the absorption of caffeine because you need a longer time to finish the coffee beverage. Comparatively, an espresso shot is only 2 oz in volume and can be consumed in seconds. However, it doesn’t change the amount of caffeine that is ingested.

How Do You Make Coffee Less Caffeinated?

You can make coffee less caffeinated by reducing brewing time. This is because caffeine is one of the very last components to be extracted from coffee grounds. Therefore if you allow your coffee grounds to steep in the water for too long, you will extract more caffeine into your coffee.

Closing Notes

In the current state of the world, the coffee culture has in a way become a part of life. From luxury and now a necessity to most people, myself included. 

Hence, it is important to control our caffeine intake daily to remain healthy. Remember to take everything in moderation. 

While knowing that adding milk to coffee does not reduce the caffeine content, it does benefit you in many other ways.

Furthermore, this post shares multiple ways to help you reduce the caffeine content in your coffee consumption! I hope that helps!

If you find this piece of article informational, please do share it with your fellow friends. baristas and home brewers! 

Happy brewing!