The concept of healthy coffee may sound strange to most coffee drinkers at first. I mean, the world's greatest drink is already known to confer many health benefits. So how can coffee be healthier? In this article we will take a closer look at the concept of healthy coffee and it's rapidly growing popularity. Lastly, we'll provide you with our picks for the healthiest coffee of 2022 so you can get even more out of your coffee experience.
Not in the mood to read? Here is a quick summary of the healthiest coffee of 2022.
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What is Healthy Coffee?
Health is defined differently by different people. Some people consider health being defined by one’s cholesterol, weight, organ function and diagnostic criteria. Others consider health being defined by the diet and amount of fitness one utilizes in their daily routines. Both are accurate definitions of health, but they each take a different approach to defining how health applies to an individual.
The same applies to coffee. When looking at a healthy coffee, there exist many different ways to define what a healthy coffee is much less what the healthiest coffee is. On one hand, healthy coffee can be defined as a pure coffee using the best growing practices and using no chemicals. On the other hand, there is a new wave of nootropic coffee and vitamin coffee, which is growing in popularity as the healthiest coffee available. Each definition of healthy coffee has a different approach and different values that it prioritizes when evaluating a healthy coffee.
Definition of Health Coffee:
Pure Coffee Makes the Healthiest Coffee
Many hold the belief that healthy coffee is defined by the high standards of its lifecycle. This includes things such as growing practices, attention to detail during harvesting, roasting, and packaging. This definition is based on the premise that the purest coffee is the best coffee.
For example, one of the most important factors in identifying the healthiest coffee is whether the beans are organic or not. Why organic? Well probably the first reason to buy organic coffee is that conventional coffee is often grown using a large number of pesticides and fertilizers. It's actually one of the most sprayed crops in the world. These chemicals can end up as residue on your coffee beans and then ultimately are ingested by the coffee drinker. If you are one that drinks coffee every day, limiting your chemical exposure is critical to your long-term health. There are still so many unknowns about how these chemicals affect one’s health, cancer development, and other illnesses. If health is your priority, it is best to avoid these chemicals.
Another reason why organic coffee is beneficial to your health is that is has larger quantities of antioxidants in it. Antioxidants are very healthy for your body and help your immune system fight off and cleanse the body of toxins. Last but not least, let's not forget that organic coffee tends to have a much cleaner or more pure flavor than it's standard counterpart.
Another factor many use to define how healthy a coffee might be, is to evaluate how much mold (mycotoxins) are in the coffee. You might thinking, “Mold?!?”
Yes, it might surprise you to know that many coffees contain mold in them and these mycotoxins are not surprisingly toxic to the body. Mycotoxins are formulated by mold which grows on crops like coffee beans when not properly stored. If you ingest too many of these toxins, it can be poisoning to your body. The most common mycotoxins in coffee are aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A. Both are carcinogens and are believed to be harmful to the brain and kidneys. So how common are these toxins? Well, they are actually quite common, but often in very trace amounts. A recent study showed that 45% of all coffee from commercially grown coffee beans contained ochratoxin A. That is a large number of mycotoxins!
So, what do you do to avoid these mycotoxins? Well, if you are really concerned about them, you can purchase mycotoxin free coffee which is certified mold free. However, if you are smart about sourcing your coffee you can often limit the amount of mycotoxins in your coffee. A process called wet processing is an important method of getting rid of most mycotoxins. Look for coffees that are not only organic and chemical free, but also use wet processing to rid the beans of mold. If you follow these two guidelines, you will be well on your way to discovering a healthy coffee.
Enhanced Healthy Coffee – Nootropics and Vitamin Coffee
As I discussed earlier, there is another way to define a healthy coffee.
A new wave of coffee drinkers and coffee brands has recently redefined what a healthy coffee is. Instead of the coffee just being a pure coffee, free of mold, and grown using sustainable practices – this new wave of defining healthy coffee has introduced this idea of nootropic coffee and vitamin coffee. So, what is nootropic coffee and how is it healthy for you? Let’s find out.
Nootropic coffee is a normal cup of coffee with enhanced elements added to it. Specifically, these added substances can include natural herbs, mushrooms, proteins, and other ingredients. Each of these elements are added for a specific reason.
Nootropics are defined as supplements, and other substances that help the brain function. When you add these elements to coffee – you get nootropic coffee. A lot of the common substances added in nootropic coffee include yerba mate, green tea, ginseng, gingko biloba, and others. These substances are added to the coffee to help form a super coffee of sorts. The idea is to utilized the benefits of coffee, and enhance them to create a super healthy, mentally stimulating beverage. So, what are the main benefits of drinking nootropic coffee? Cognitive improvement. Nootropic coffee enhances your overall intelligence, memory and promotes creativity. This makes nootropic coffee the perfect drink for students, artist, or elderly people. Nootropic coffee has also been shown to improve focus and reduces stress.
Recommended Vitamin Coffees & Nootropic Coffee
Grateful Earth Coffee
Grateful Earth is a coffee gem that we recently discovered within the nootropic coffee industry. It's made from a premium blend of Arabica and Robusta coffee and infused with a variety of cognition-enhancing adaptogens and nootropics such as turmeric, cinnamon, lion’s mane, chaga, l-theanine, and black pepper. That may sound a little intimidating or unappealing but it's not. The taste of the coffee is very enjoyable but more importantly, the brew offers a variety health benefits that we've experienced ourselves after doing a Grateful Earth review.
The coffee is also instant (but don't let that trick you into thinking that this isn't quality of supreme quality). Just add water and you'll be treated to a high quality nootropic coffee that offer a rich, aromatic flavor. Don't allow the fact that it's instant coffee to turn you off. This coffee is anything but your stereotypical instant coffee and you can truly taste the richness and robustness of this brew with each sip.
We were most impressed by this coffee and can recommend it as one of the best nootropic coffees we've tried to date.
Kimera Koffee
Kimera Koffee has been a long-time favorite of ours when it come to quality nootropics. We did a detailed Kimera Koffee review some years back and to this day is something that we still appreciate. As an organic nootropic coffee formulated for focus and concentration, it's a product that is delicious as it is effective. Their coffee offers a substantial vitamin boost for your brain via all-natural add ins such as Alpha GPC, DMAE, L-theanine, and Taurine. This premium nootropic coffee delivers a burst of brain energy without the crash that typically accompanies high caffeine brews. Flavor-wise, their medium and dark roast options deliver a full and robust taste that has virtually no bitter aftertaste. It's smooth as silk.
Kimera Koffee is available in ground and K-Cup forms but unfortunately, lacks a whole bean option.
Check out our full list of the best Nootropic coffees on the market and allow the world's best drink to also make you smarter.
Mushroom Coffee
As mentioned earlier, mushrooms (not the psychedelic ones) can be mixed with coffee to augment its health properties. Enter the world of mushroom coffee.
Mushroom Coffee can fall under the category of nootropic or healthy coffee. For many coffee lovers, the idea of mushrooms in coffee can be off-putting to say the least. But don't close the doors of your coffee-loving heart just yet. The truth is, this coffee doesn't taste like mushrooms at all. In fact, it actually tastes like very smooth and robust coffee except with more health benefits.
Mushroom Coffee is especially popular among coffee lovers who like low acid coffee. The use of mushrooms such as Lion's Mane confers a variety of health benefits including protection against dementia and mild forms of depression. Lion's Mane has even been shown to help with repairing nerve damage. Another common benefits of mushroom coffee is that it provides jitter-free, steady energy thanks to adaptogens.
Recommended Mushroom Coffees
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Related Article: What is Mushroom Coffee
There are many benefits to nootropic coffee, and if you are finding that a normal cup of coffee just isn’t doing it for you anymore, nootropic coffee is a great option. It is a drink that has many health benefits and new products within this category are being released every day.
If nootropic coffee isn’t your thing, but you are still looking for a healthy coffee option, there is vitamin coffee. Vitamin coffee is exactly what is sounds like, coffee infused with vitamins. If you are a fan of killing two birds with one stone, vitamin coffee is a great option for you. Drinking a cup of vitamin coffee will fulfill your vitamin intake and give you a great cup of coffee, making vitamin coffee one of the healthiest coffees on the market.
One of the reasons vitamin coffee is considered the healthiest coffee available is because they're formulated to target specific issues. For example, VitaCup offers a wide range of products that address everything from improving skin, hair, and nails to weight loss.
Bonus Tip: Make your coffee even healthier by using a natural sugar substitute such as Monk Fruit or Stevia. In my experience, it's the best and healthiest way to sweeten your coffee without compromising your taste buds.
CBD Coffee
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a derived from the Hemp plant and has proven itself to be an effective for anxiety, joint pain, and other health conditions. With the rising popularity of CBD, the combination of CBD with coffee was a match waiting to happen. I've personally found it to be very beneficial on multiple fronts from relaxing the body to alleviating achy joints. CBD will not get you “high” and it won't have you failing any drug tests.
There's a wealth of information on CBD itself which we won't cover here. However, for those looking to enhance the health of their morning brews, CBD coffee or Hemp Coffee is an excellent option. It goes without saying that to ensure the healthiest coffee experience possible, make sure to buy organic CBD coffee.
For more information, check out our list of best CBD coffee brands.
List of The Healthiest Coffee Products of 2022
Lifeboost Coffee
Lifeboost Coffee needs little introduction. It's no secret it's one of our favorites here at Best Quality Coffee. Reason being is that it meets all of our requirements for truly healthy and pure coffee. While this coffee is organic and mold-free, it also delivers an incredibly pure flavor that needs to be experienced to be appreciated. When we first tried this coffee, we knew it would appeal most to coffee purists…and that's us. Additionally, all of Lifeboost's coffees are low acid which means they are gentle on the stomach but strong on the taste buds. A bag of Lifeboost is pricier than your average coffee, but as is the case with all things, you get what you pay for. And in our opinion, this coffee is worth every penny.
Read our full Lifeboost review for more details.
Peak Performance Coffee
Winner of our Best Quality Coffee Editor's Choice award, Peak Performance Coffee delivers arguably the smoothest coffee experience we've ever had. Like many of the other coffees you'll see on this list of healthiest coffees, it's 100% USDA organic, pesticide-free, non-GMO and especially chocked full of antioxidants. The company sources premium single origin coffee beans from the Guatemalan Highlands that deliver an exceptionally clean flavor. This coffee is also 3rd party tested as well which offers additional peace of mind to the health-conscious coffee lover. Peak Performance coffee offers a pure, unadulterated coffee experience that will likely change your standards for what qualifies as good coffee.
Read our full Peak Performance Coffee review for more details.
Purity Coffee
Purity Coffee makes this list of healthiest coffee options for a number of reasons. Not surprisingly it's mycotoxin free, mold free, and organic. As a result, it's flavor is very clean and smooth making it one of our favorite brands for healthy coffee. Purity coffee contains twice as many antioxidants as other leading coffee brands. The manner in which their specialty-grade beans are roasted is a big reason for why their beans are so chocked full of health benefits.
Read our full Purity Coffee review for more details.
Cardiology Coffee
Cardiology Coffee even sounds like a healthy coffee. Created by cardiologist and coffee lover Dr. Jack Wolfson this coffee bares many similarities to the other curated brands on this list. Organic and mycotoxin-free, this specialty coffee is roasted in a manner that preserves the coffee bean's natural antioxidants. This is an incredibly well-balanced cup of coffee that will likely keep you coming back for more. One of the most surprising things about this coffee was how we could drink it multiple times throughout the day without feeling jittery or wired up.
Read our full Cardiology Coffee review for more details.
VitaCup Genius Blend
VitaCup is the industry's premiere vitamin coffee and ranks as one of the healthiest coffee products available. It's been around for some years now and we remember reviewing it when this trailblazing product first arrived on the scene. Rest assured, this coffee does not taste like “coffee with vitamins”. Part of why the company has been so successful is that they've been able to create a unique coffee that's as healthy as it is delicious. Their Genius Blend is specifically formulated for improved cognition and accordingly contains MCT oil along with vitamins such as D3, B1, B5, B9. It's use of Tumeric and Cinnamon not only enhance the brew's health benefits but also it's flavor as well.
Read our full VitaCup Coffee review for more details.
Ultimately, the healthiest coffee for you will be based on what your specific health goals are. I know it may not be the simple answer you were looking for. But hopefully, having read this article, you understand why the answer isn't about recommending just one specific brand.
Regardless of which definition of healthy coffee you agree with, both are equally correct in their own right. Whether you choose a pure coffee that is free of chemicals and mold, or if you opt for a new age nootropic coffee to elevate your coffee health experience to the next level, both can be equally beneficial in helping you reach your health goals. Feel free to try out each type of coffee and see which one fits your lifestyle.
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