Carcinogens in Coffeee

[peterjschmidt]

Thanks Rose. It says click here to unsubscribe, so I guess I am subscribed? Yet i don't receive any emails...

I believe you have to edit your profile and select something like 'send notifications of threads I post in'...

 

[markkislich]

I believe you have to edit your profile and select something like 'send notifications of threads I post in'...

Hi Peter thanks: I figured it out (it was an old email, duh!) Maaan, is it THAT long ago?! :-D

 

[markkislich]

Sure, but maybe not the one with acrylamides in it... that's what I'm trying to figure out, see? Would boiling the SHTUFF out of coffee increase/create carcinogens? I think it's very possible, though I don't know...

 

[topher]

Wait. You brew coffee and then boil it? Brewing coffee with boiling water will sour the coffee. Wouldn't do the same if you post boil it?

 

[markkislich]

Wait. You brew coffee and then boil it? Brewing coffee with boiling water will sour the coffee. Wouldn't do the same if you post boil it?

Well. It tastes rather more bitter... I'd recommend giving it a try and see.
Example: say you pour more water into the filter than needed, take out the right amount of coffee at the right time for perfect concentration, but there's more water dripping through afterwards.
Result: thin leftover coffee. Right?
NOW boil that down to perfect strength. See what you think. I like it, but taste is like opinions...
Mark

 

[topher]

I am going to try it. It's funny because I just had a discussion with a buddy. He wants to make a simple syrup out of cold brew coffee. I told him not to get his hopes up. I will try that as well. I will post my results.

 

[markkislich]

I am going to try it. It's funny because I just had a discussion with a buddy. He wants to make a simple syrup out of cold brew coffee. I told him not to get his hopes up. I will try that as well. I will post my results.

Sounds like a pretty good plan... I know that dark chocolate with espresso beans tastes fantastic, so there is a potential...
Yeah, looking forward to hear how this goes! :-D
Mark

 

[Mr.Peaberry]

There is a great microbrewery nearby that is now serving coffee beer. They are using several different single source estate coffees which have a remarkably clear taste in the beer. By that I mean that their Ethiopia brew has the same familiarity as the brewed coffee, and their Sumatra is as I had expected the taste to be in relation to the Ethiopia. Am curious about the syrup, so get back to us on that quickly...chop chop...hahahaha! Cheers!

 

[markkislich]

...my coffee must look evil before it's done...

 

[ronaldlees]

In response to the OP, I'd say that a food chemist could be needed to supply a good answer outside of a layman's opinion. But, from my reading - yes - reactions can take place at boiling temperature (or even a little lower) - that cause existing compounds in the coffee to morph into something else. High fructose corn syrup is an example of a substance (some say) you should never boil (in other words, never use soda to sweeten your coffee). With so many compounds in a cup of joe, I'd say that even the chemist will have trouble with this one.

Then again, I'm the newbie who still takes instant once in awhile. After reading the posts on this forum, though, I think I'm going to quit that completely. It sounds like the stuff is dangerous. But hey - at least I've not been using Folgers. Cafe Bustelo seems to be taking more and more shelf space around here.

I've tried using the organic beans in the grocery, but found that they must sit on the shelf too long, because the coffee always tastes stale. So - that'd be a reason to buy from a local roaster I suppose. Forgive all my newbieness here. I wonder how much local roasters use organic beans? Is it a majority?

 

[ronaldlees]

I recall getting the same taste of coffee thats been sitting on the burner for too long by getting cold coffee and nuking it.

Len

According to this site:

coffeechemistry.com - The Chemistry of Organic Acids: Part 2

-- there are phenolics in the coffee (quinic and caffeic acids) that increase the acidity in the cup as the coffee cools. So - that's probably what you observed. I suppose this is old news to the old timers, but new news for me...

 

[thelivinglegend77]

Are you talking about instant coffee having carcinogens? Never really thought about it much.

 

[wgiffard]

Are there any natural occurring carcinogens? Perhaps when the bean is roasted? Thanks

 

[jgbnm]

Are there any natural occurring carcinogens? Perhaps when the bean is roasted? Thanks

Without question. Acrylamide for example - but you can find that in other places as well. There are a huge number of compounds in coffee that are constantly evolving (forming and degrading) during the roasting process as well as during and after the brewing process. This evolution will continue if you boil your coffee as well since oxygen in the air is a great oxidant and rates of oxidation increase with temperature. Boiling coffee will quickly turn fresh coffee into old coffee that's no longer fresh. It's the same reason that freshly roasted beans taste better than old beans that have been sitting around for a while.

There are a bunch of good antioxidants formed during roasting and most research I've seen lately seems to suggest drinking coffee is a health benefit overall.

If you could take a freshly prepared coffee, remove the oxygen by degassing it, then heat it to boiling for a while the cool it, all while keeping oxygen away, it might be interesting to see what it tastes like.

If you look hard enough, you'll find carcinogens all over the place (especially in typical Western diets). Of all the things to worry about, I think coffee should be well down on the list.

 

[wgiffard]

Thanks for the reply. I agree, probably nothing to worry about, however i'll steer clear of those instant ones or any Made in China Coffee.