Is It Safe to Drink Coffee Grounds?

I would like information on the question of whether coffee grounds are safe to drink, as they are said to contain many minerals and other valuable ingredients, or whether there are any concerns.

There are currently very few scientific studies on the consumption of coffee grounds (this is also confirmed by a query with the German Coffee Association).

But as you rightly pointed out, there is actually evidence that there is a higher concentration of antioxidants in coffee grounds. Antioxidants include vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.

Caffeine

The caffeine contained in the coffee beans is very easily soluble in water and is almost completely transferred to the coffee during the brewing process. Therefore, the consumption of coffee grounds does not lead to a significantly higher caffeine intake.

Acrylamide

Acrylamide is a substance classified as carcinogenic. This occurs when processing starchy products such as potatoes or grain at temperatures above 120 degrees Celsius.

Increased acrylamide levels are therefore mainly found in chips, French fries, fried potatoes, but also in biscuits, crackers, toast and crispbread, and even coffee.

However, there are no reliable studies on the solubility of acrylamide in beverages. Therefore, it is assumed that the acrylamide present in the coffee beans is completely transferred into the beverage. So it only matters how much acrylamide was formed in the coffee beans during roasting.

Basically, it can be said that coffee beans that are roasted longer and darker contain on average slightly less acrylamide than lighter roasts. There is also slightly more acrylamide in Robusta coffee than in Arabica coffee.

Cholesterol levels

Some of the few studies provide evidence that drinking unfiltered coffee may raise blood cholesterol levels somewhat. This is because two substances in coffee (kahweol and kafestol) are able to raise cholesterol levels slightly, but are mechanically retained by the filter in filter coffee. If you drink the ground coffee, you would also ingest these substances.

However, it has not yet been clarified whether this effect is clinically relevant.

Conclusion

The amount of ground coffee in the coffee depends on how the coffee is prepared. Especially when preparing the coffee in the Scandinavian or Turkish way, where the coffee is boiled but not filtered, you will find more coffee grounds in the cup.

If you drink four to five cups of unfiltered coffee per day, the amount of coffee grounds consumed is still rather small.

Due to a lack of data, we would rather advise against the additional consumption of coffee grounds.