The Coffee Bean
The coffee “bean” is actually more accurately defined as the seed of a cherry-like fruit that grows on the Coffea plant. There are believed to be somewhere between 25 and 100 species of coffee plants.
The two most important species of coffee plant that are grown and harvested for coffee brewing and consumption are Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta.
One of the more unique properties of the cultivation of the coffee plant is that it usually takes three to four years before they will bear fruit. Once the fruit’s color is a deep shade of red, they are harvested and processed in order to extract the seeds or “beans” inside.
The coffee beans are then hulled, polished, graded for quality, and sorted before being exported all over the world.
The Coffea plant is now grown in more than 50 countries around the world in regions of South America, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Central America.
Upwards of 25 million farmers worldwide are dependent on the cultivation and sale of coffee beans as their main source of income and maintenance of their livelihood.
Coffee is by far the most popular beverage on the planet, with well over 400 billion cups of coffee being consumed every single year. In the United States alone, more than 450 million cups of coffee are consumed daily.
Different roasts are created through various roasting times, which will inherently change the flavor, aroma, acidity, and strength. A few of the most well-known roast styles are as follows:
- Light roasts: Lightly roasted coffee beans give off a smooth, light flavor when brewed. Contrary to popular belief they are actually more acidic than other types of roasts and have slightly more caffeine content. The surface of the bearn has a dry appearance, because of the fact that they have not been roasted long enough to extract their oils and create that moist look. Light roasting techniques are most commonly used for high-quality beans to make sure that their natural taste comes through over the roasted flavor created during the roasting process.
- Medium roasts: Typically referred to as “American roast,” medium roasts will be made up of coffee beans that are medium-brown, with a slightly toastier flavor and less acidity than lightly roasted beans. This is the style of roast that is incredibly popular and preferred by many because of the fact that it has a great balance of both flavor and acidity.
- Dark roasts: Dark-roasted coffee beans are defined aesthetically by their shiny black outer surface. These dark roasts are typically very low in acidity levels, and are known for having a pleasantly strong, smokey taste. Lower quality beans are most commonly used for dark roasts, as their natural taste is not usually the most pleasant and needs to be masked by the toasty flavor that a longer roasting time will provide.
Do Coffee Beans Contain Calories?
The question as to whether or not coffee beans contain calories is one that can be considered from the standpoint of the bean itself and from the standpoint of the bean brewed into a cup of coffee!
When it comes to coffee beans, 20 grams (about 3.5 tablespoons) of plain, medium-roast coffee beans ground and eaten will provide approximately 15 – 20 calories, mostly from fat. In one standard cup of plain or “black” coffee, there is typically less than 5 calories in total!
The same amount of plain coffee beans will also provide about 9 grams of carbs, 8 grams of dietary fiber, 2 grams of fat, and right around 1 gram of protein!
How Many Calories In Coffee Drinks
- Black Coffee: Less than 5 calories per cup
- Espresso: 5 – 10 calories per cup
- Latte: Approx. 65 calories (1 cup)
Approx. 100 calories (small)
Approx. 135 calories (medium)
Approx. 160 calories (large) - Cappuccino: Approx. 56 calories (1 cup)
Approx. 151 calories (medium)
Approx. 179 calories (large) - Macchiato: Approx. 30 calories (1 cup)
Approx. 40 calories (medium)
Approx. 55 calories (large) - Mocha: Approx. 197 calories (1 cup)
Approx. 296 calories (small)
Approx. 394 calories (medium)
Approx. 468 calories (large) - Bulletproof Coffee: Approx. 340 calories (1 cup)
Other Coffee Drinks
- Caramel Frappuccino: Approx. 280 calories
- Irish Coffee: Approx. 210 calories
- Whipped Coffee (Dalgona Coffee): 260 calories (will depend on the choice of ingredients)
Does Drinking Coffee Add Too Many Calories?
A plain cup of brewed coffee that does not have any milk, cream or sugar added to it typically has less than 5 calories. Drinking plain or “black” coffee will have little to no effect on your total calorie count!
With this being said, there are many people who have their coffee with sweeteners or other additives that can add a significant amount of calories to the count.
Here is a list of some common sweeteners and their calorie counts:
- 1 teaspoon sugar: 16 calories
- 1-ounce whipping cream (heavy cream): 100 calories
- 1 ounce half & half cream: 37 calories
- 1-ounce fat-free milk: 10 calories
Adding sweeteners to your coffee can really run up the total calorie count on a single cup. If you are consuming multiple coffees a day, this can definitely end up adding too many calories to your daily intake.
One good suggestion if this is a problem for you would be to consider using nut milk instead of cream and/or sugar to sweeten your milk. One fluid ounce of almond milk has only 5 calories!
Is Coffee Good Or Bad For Weight Maintenance?
Coffee can actually be a great tool for weight maintenance, as long as it is plain or “black” coffee that does not have any sweeteners added.
Black coffee, as we mentioned previously, typically has less than 5 calories per serving. As a result, it will not run up daily calorie counts and is great for weight maintenance in that way.
In addition, caffeine is known to boost metabolism, which is the process by which your body breaks down nutrients and burns calories for energy.
Caffeine is a stimulant and is one of a small number of substances that contributes to increasing the body’s basal metabolic rate (rate at which you burn calories while resting).
This means that drinking coffee will allow you to burn calories without necessarily being active, which will directly contribute to weight maintenance and/or weight loss!
Finally, caffeine is known to influence appetite, and help decrease feelings of hunger throughout the day. It is believed to reduce levels of a hormone called ghrelin, which is associated with facilitating feelings of hunger.
Caffeine also stimulates the satiety hormone, which will also directly contribute to the feeling of “fullness”. Now obviously, consuming coffee that is chalk full of milk, cream, sugar, and other sweeteners will not provide a good way to maintain weight.
Most coffee shops will have these high fat and sugar content drinks available, and if you are looking to watch your weight, you should definitely steer clear of these and stick to a plain cup of coffee.
Overall, used properly, caffeine can be very effective for weight maintenance!
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed a variety of aspects regarding coffee and the number of calories that are included in the beans themselves, as well as different types of coffee roasts and their characteristics.
We went on to highlight a number of the more popular coffee beverages and their respective calorie counts, including everything from black coffee, to lattes, macchiatos, espressos, and even bulletproof coffees!
Finally, we proceeded to address a couple of frequently asked questions regarding calories in coffee, and how different styles of coffee can affect total daily calorie count.
We also talk a little bit about how coffee can be good or bad for weight maintenance, providing some guidance as to what to watch out for if this is something that is important to you.
We hope that you have learned everything you need to know about how calories and coffee are related, and how different types of coffee can affect calorie count and overall weight maintenance.
Thanks for reading!
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Last Updated on October 5, 2022 by Ashok Parmar
