SerpApi.Org
As a nation, we get through about 98 million cups of coffee a day, making it one of the world’s most popular drinks alongside tea. For many of us, it’s the first thing we reach for in the morning, and a small ritual we wouldn’t skip.
Unfiltered coffee, in particular, has grown increasingly popular as drinkers return to “old-school” brewing methods that favour a fuller body and bolder flavour. French press, moka pots and other traditional techniques have become staples in kitchens, often framed as more authentic choices.
In recent years, a growing number of studies suggest that coffee may offer a range of health benefits, from supporting longevity to lowering the risk of heart disease, protecting the liver and even helping with weight loss.
But did you ever consider that the way you prepare your morning coffee may affect your health? It’s not just what you drink, but how you brew it that matters.
It’s all down to compounds found in your coffee, known as diterpenes. The amount of diterpenes present in your cup of coffee varies, depending on how it’s made. These compounds have been shown to raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
Multiple studies suggest that unfiltered coffee methods could be linked to higher cholesterol levels because they allow more diterpenes to pass into the cup.
Brewing methods like French press, Turkish coffee and boiled coffee use no paper filters, allowing a type of diterpene – cafestol – to end up directly in your cup. Over time, this lack of filtration may contribute to higher cholesterol levels.
By contrast, brewing methods that use paper filters, such as filter coffee or pour-over, significantly reduce the amount of cafestol that makes it into your cup. Research shows that paper filters effectively trap diterpenes, reducing the amount that enters your coffee.
Metal filters, on the other hand, which are designed to preserve flavour and body, are far less effective at trapping coffee’s natural oils and the diterpenes they contain – letting more pass through into your cup.
A Swedish study tested diterpene levels in coffee made using common methods, including workplace machines, boiled coffee and paper-filtered brews. It found that boiled coffee (coffee made by simmering the grounds directly in water, like in traditional Swedish or Turkish methods) had the highest diterpene content, but running it through a paper filter hugely reduced the levels – showing that filtering significantly removes the cholesterol-raising compounds.
Surprisingly, instant black coffee is very low in diterpenes. This is because most of the oils that contain these compounds are removed during processing, so you get the flavour and caffeine without the added cholestrol effects.
How much coffee you typically consume also plays a part. One or two cups a day isn’t likely to make a noticeable difference for most people, as the diterpene content is so little. But the conversation changes if you’re drinking coffee in high volumes (several cups a day), as those compounds start to add up.
If cholesterol is a concern, it may be worth reconsidering how you brew your cuppa.
Coffee brewing methods that are high in diterpenes
French press
Turkish coffee
Boiled coffee
Moka pot
Pod coffee
Coffee brewing methods that are low in diterpenes
Instant black coffee
Filter coffee
Pour-over coffee
Cold brew
