The Straight Goods on Coffee Additives

Does coffee contain unwanted additives? This was the question that I decided to look into this past week. The answers may surprise the reader.

Generally speaking, ground coffee does not contain any additives. If it does, government regulations require that the additives be listed on the package. Of course, if it is not organically grown, there may be trace elements that find their way into the coffee as a result of using fertilizers or pesticides during the farming process. As far as I know, these chemicals do not need to be listed.

The above does not apply to decaffeinated coffee, however. There are four methods used to decaffeinate coffee. The first uses pure water in the process, the second employs a combination of water and carbon dioxide. The third uses ethyl acetate, a government approved solvent, while the fourth employs methylene chloride, which is known to be carcinogenic. "Naturally decaffeinated" means that either pure water or water and carbon dioxide were used.

Instant coffee also usually contains artificial additives as well. So leaving aside taste considerations, your best bet -- if you want to avoid additives -- is to purchase freshly ground coffee, or even better, organically grown coffee that has been freshly ground.

Of course this does not even begin to address the various ingredients one can add to one's coffee for a new taste experience. Such ingredients can include cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, chocolate and vanilla extract. All of these can transform an ordinary cup of coffee into something memorable.