Mycotoxins in coffee: What are they, and will they harm you?

Mycotoxins in coffee: What are they, and will they harm you?

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Mycotoxins in coffee: What are they, and will they harm you?

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Mycotoxins in coffee: What are they, and will they harm you?

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Medium-sized farms play an important role in specialty coffee

For many consumers and industry professionals, specialty coffee and direct trade are inextricably linked. Building strong and mutually beneficial working relationships between producers and roasters is often seen as a cornerstone of establishing a truly sustainable supply chain. So with this association between specialty coffee and direct trade, there can be a narrative of smaller-sized […]

Mycotoxins in coffee: What are they, and will they harm you?

Mycotoxins in coffee: What are they, and will they harm you?

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

Mycotoxins in coffee: What are they, and will they harm you?

Are mycotoxins in coffee bad for you?

It’s commonly known that coffee is pretty good for you and packed with tons of health benefits — it’s packed with antioxidants, can help prevent certain diseases, and helps you improve your focus and memory. 

Female hand reaching into a bowl of unroasted green coffee beans

But sometimes we hear talk about the things in coffee that could be bad for you, and if it’s real or a myth. 

One of the things that often comes up are the presence of mycotoxins in coffee. Mycotoxins are naturally occurring fungi, rarely found living on green (pre-roasted) coffee beans. They’re formed by molds that may grow on crops, and these toxins can be potentially poisoning if you consume too much. 

Before you freak out, let’s take a step back here and remember that fungus lives everywhere, including on and inside every human being. However, when not taken care of properly, this fungus can turn into mold. 

This type of mold is painfully obvious when living on green coffee beans. Any specialty coffee roaster can identify mold living on their beans by measuring moisture levels. These moisture tests are done routinely, as moisture plays a large role in the selection/rejection processes of quality control. The studies that have been preformed about mycotoxins are incredible misleading, because they are done on unroasted coffee beans, which should never, ever be used to brew.

Man holding a handful of unroasted green coffee beans

Raw, unroasted, green coffee beans have (arguably) redeeming qualities on their own, but are not to be used for brewing. So, while small amounts of mycotoxins may be found in unroasted coffee beans, up to 90% of it will be cooked off and killed during the roasting process.

Conclusion: Even though trace amounts of mycotoxins have been found in coffee beans in previous studies, these amounts are far below safety limits and too low to be of practical significance.

Related: Here’s why coffee is actually good for you

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Mycotoxins in coffee: What are they, and will they harm you?

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

Mycotoxins in coffee: What are they, and will they harm you?

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