We asked people suffering with Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome what’s the one thing they miss most with the IC Diet and coffee was number one. Let’s face it, coffee is far too acidic and can really cause a great deal of bladder pain as well as an upset stomach. People with Interstitial Cystitis aren’t the only one’s who can’t handle the acidity. Many people with sensitive stomachs suffer heartburn from drinking coffee.
But who said coffee had to be so acidic?
From coffee alternatives to low acid coffees, we’ve spent the past few years seeking out IC Friendly Coffee solutions. And we are here to tell you, you don’t have to suffer any longer without your delicious, steaming cup of Java.
Cold Brew Your Way to Low Acid Coffee
The Coffee Toddy is a cold brew method for making coffee that has been around for years. The cold brewing method reduces the acidity level and creates a flavorful, yet extremely smooth cup of coffee. The resulting brew is much gentler on the bladder and your stomach.
No one knows the exact origin for cold brewing coffee. But what we do know is that the Coffee Toddy was named after Todd Simpson, a chemical engineer who in 1964 came across the cold brewing method after ordering a cup of coffee in a small café in Guatemala. He later devised a formal cold brewing device and the Coffee Toddy was born.
Brewing coffee using a Coffee Toddy is said to reduce acidity by 67% and reduce caffeine levels by two-thirds when compared to regular brewed coffee. The brewing method is surprisingly low tech. Ground coffee is placed into a plastic pitcher with a hole in the bottom and a small fabric filter. The pitcher is filled with cold water and then placed on top of a carafe which is used to catch the finished coffee. Gravity and time do the rest. You don’t even need electricity!
After brewing is complete, you end up with a strong coffee concentrate that can be kept fresh in the refrigerator for up to one week with no dulling of flavor. The resulting concentrate can be used to make hot coffee, iced coffee or even a coffee milkshake (see our IC Friendly Coffee Milkshake recipe). Even though cold brewing reduces the acid level and caffeine level, we recommend you start out with low acid, decaffeinated coffee to make it as gentle as possible on your bladder.
When you are ready to use the concentrate, simply mix it with either hot or cold water. While Toddy recommends 3 parts water to one part concentrate, you can adjust the ratios to your liking. The YouTube video below gives you step by step instructions on how to cold brew using the coffee toddy.
We use the Ronco Coffee Time Brew System and have provided you a link below to Amazon in case you want to try it. While there are nicer, more expensive models available, the Coffee Time Brew System works just fine and it's a great deal for the price. Sure, its made of plastic and we'd rather have an all glass maker. But for the price, we are happy we bought it.
If you decide to go with the Ronco model, here are a few tips we've picked up. This coffee maker calls for the old fashioned circular 12 cup coffee filters. We wasted money buying a large pack and found it was a waste of paper, money and time. With the circular filter, you will find that your water and grinds will over flow the filter --what a mess. Anyway, you don't need it because it comes with a small felt like filter that sets in the bottom of the maker just like the Toddy Cold Brew System. Use 1 lb of "drip grind" coffee per 9 cups of water. Let it sit for 12 - 24 hours then pull the plug and your concentrate will flow out in a couple of hours. Most of it comes out in the first 30 minutes, but then it slows to a drip and can take a couple hours to fully filter through.
Cold brewed coffee will store in the fridge for up to 14 days. We do not use the plastic storage container that came with the Ronco model; instead, we use a tall wide mouth mason jar or a sun tea jar because we want to avoid any PBA's. It would be nice if the whole set up was made of glass, but then it wouldn't be this cheap. If you prefer a higher end model, we've also provided you link to more expensive models below. If your bladder is feeling up to it, we strongly recommend giving cold brewed coffee a try. If you do, we'd love to hear about it!
