What Is White Coffee?

what is white coffeeFor many who are seeking the greatest amount of caffeine they can get, light roast is ideal.

However, there is a new competitor that is making its way onto the coffee market!

More and more coffee shops have begun selling a new type of white coffee that is said to have a greater ability to boost energy than you may be used to.

You may find yourself wondering just what white coffee is, and what it may be able to offer you.

After all, this is a very new type of coffee that hasn’t made a large entry into the market just yet. Some may even think it’s just a fad!

Keep reading on, and we’ll give you all the information you need on this new type of coffee!

The Cooking Method

Like other styles of coffee, white coffee is made from green coffee beans.

You can use either arabica or robusta beans, but arabica tends to be more suited to the task as it tastes better.

What really makes the difference in the coffee beans is the roasting process.

In short, the longer you roast coffee beans, the less caffeine they are going to have.

Because of that, we have a number of different coffee types including light, medium, and dark roast. These types suit the needs and tastes of different people.

The flavors of each vary slightly, and the options let you adjust for the amount of caffeine you want per cup.

For a long time, it has been assumed that light roast was at the top when it came to caffeine amount.

However, white coffee has become more popular in recent times, and it’s even lighter than any other option.

Typically, coffee beans are often roasted to anywhere between 450 and 480 degrees.

Meanwhile, white coffee beans are only roasted to 325 degrees.

Because of that, they are often very tough to grind, as they are harder than typical coffee beans.

It really isn’t recommended that you try to use a standard grinder for home use to grind up white coffee beans.

Instead, there are more powerful grinders that you can buy, or you can purchase white coffee that has already been ground.

Due to the lower roasting temperature, white coffee is thought to be healthier than fully roasted varieties.

However, that does also come with some changes in the flavor.

Flavor Differences of White Coffee

Compared to other kinds of roasts, white coffee naturally has some differences due to being roasted for such a short time.

Many people find that the flavors may be more earthy, nutty or even reminiscent of grass.

It is important to keep in mind that the white coffee beans to keep a lot more of the acids and plant chemicals than other roasts.

This can result in a little bit more of an acidic or bitter taste. It may not be as smooth of an option when compared to darker roasts.

The tastes can really differ from person to person, which can also depend on the blend you buy.

Some find it to taste more like a substitute, while to others it has a deeper, more authentic flavor.

It’s also going to look different because it has been roasted so lightly.

Whereas many other roasts have darkened color, white coffee appears more like a light broth.

It can be wise to mix it with other kinds of products in order to keep that intense flavor from becoming overwhelming.

A little further into the article, we’ll take a look into some drinks that white coffee works well for.

Another important aspect to keep in mind is that the caffeine serving in white coffee is very different from other roasts.

What About The Caffeine in White Coffee?

As mentioned earlier, the longer coffee beans are roasted, the less caffeine they’re going to have.

Because of that, you can expect white coffee to have a lot more caffeine than other types.

Depending on the roast, white coffee can contain up to around 50% more caffeine than other roasts. That’s really quite a bit of caffeine!

Consequently, it’s a good idea to drink smaller amounts of white coffee than you would other roasts.

That 50% can vary between the roasts as well as with coffee beans that come from different locations.

It’s exceedingly important that you keep this difference in caffeine content in mind. If you try to drink the same amount of white coffee that you may have when you’re drinking a darker roast, you’ll surely end up with uncomfortable jitters.

On the other hand, white coffee beans are thought to have more healthful effects than other roasts as well.

Finding the balance between the caffeine and positive health effects is very important for getting the boost you need without overdoing it.

The good news is, there are a number of drinks you can enjoy that are made with white coffee.

What Is White Coffee Good For?

White coffee works in a number of drinks, and you have the option of drinking a smaller amount or mixing it with other delicious additions like milk or cream.

One of the most popular white coffee drinks is called “flat white”, which contains mostly white coffee and warm milk.

If you’re looking to get more creative, there are plenty of other drinks that help to bring out the nutty flavor through the use of things like cinnamon, nutmeg and other similar flavors.

Making drinks from white coffee at home isn’t quite as popular yet as getting these drinks from local coffee shops.

Some shops even sell their own brands and styles of white coffee.

Simply put, if you decide to buy some white coffee grounds then the best way to prepare it is going to be through making an espresso.

It’s a simple, smaller drink that you can enjoy without having to worry about too much caffeine.

However, you may also need to adjust the amount of grounds you use for your drink to ensure you get just the boost you need without getting an intense case of the jitters.

What Are The Benefits Of White Coffee?

There are a decent amount of benefits that you can get from drinking white coffee.

Depending on the quality of other roasts you purchase, white coffee beans can often be of a higher quality overall.

Naturally, there’s also the increase in the amount of caffeine to consider.

It’s going to be up to each person to determine whether or not moving to white coffee is a good idea.

For example, if you’re looking to move away from larger, more caloric coffee drinks while still getting the energy boost then switching to a small white coffee espresso can be a fantastic solution.

In that way, white coffee can help you with losing weight or handling other health issues caused by an excess of sugar or other ingredients that might be mixed with your coffee.

As with most coffee, you’ll also be able to get the mental alertness you need to stay active and aware throughout the day.

Do keep in mind the potential side effects as well, just in case.

Having too much caffeine in particular can lead to issues like insomnia, anxiety and heart palpitations so it’s wise to start small when consuming a coffee like this.

In Conclusion

Whether or not you decide that white coffee is the drink for you, it’s absolutely worth a shot.

Luckily, there should be a chain or local coffee shop near you where you can try it out and decide for yourself.

If you discover that it is for you, there are a number of places you’ll be able to find white grounds but it may not be as easy to find white coffee beans.

If you do find them, you’ll want to make sure you have a grinder that can handle them, because these beans can be very tough and may cause damage to your standard household grinder.

In time, we may just find that white coffee flourishes on the market due to the boost it can offer in much smaller amounts than other coffee roasts.

Most importantly, drink up and enjoy!

Brian Mounts

Head blogger, editor, and owner of "Top Off My Coffee", a website that has been educating readers about coffee brewing techniques and equipment since 2012.

Wait, Wait...There's More!