12 Coffee Myths That Need to Die
Written by Marc Narrie, founder of Buddha Beans Coffee Co. and specialty coffee roaster since 2019. Buddha Beans has been infusing coffee with CBG since launch, making it one of the first CBG coffee brands in the US.
People repeat these constantly and most of them are wrong
Coffee has been around for centuries. That's plenty of time for bad information to calcify into "common knowledge." Your coworker, your doctor's receptionist, that guy at the gym, they all have opinions about coffee. Most of those opinions are based on studies from the 1980s that have since been contradicted, or on nothing at all.
Here are 12 coffee myths that don't hold up when you look at the actual research.
1. Coffee dehydrates you
This is the most persistent coffee myth alive. It refuses to die.
Yes, caffeine has a mild diuretic effect. But the water in the coffee more than compensates for it. A 2014 study published in PLOS ONE compared hydration markers in men who drank coffee versus water over three days. No significant difference. The researchers concluded that coffee, when consumed in moderation, contributes to daily fluid intake just like water does.
You'd have to drink an absurd amount of caffeine in isolation (not in liquid form) to actually dehydrate yourself. Your morning cup? It's hydrating you.
2. Dark roast has more caffeine than light roast
People assume darker = stronger = more caffeine. It's backwards.
Roasting burns off caffeine. The longer the roast, the more caffeine is lost. Light roast beans actually retain more caffeine than dark roast beans. The difference isn't huge, maybe 5-10%, but it's the opposite of what most people believe.
Dark roast tastes bolder because roasting develops bitter compounds and caramelizes sugars. That intensity has nothing to do with caffeine content. If you want the most caffeine per cup, go light roast.
3. Coffee stunts your growth
This one probably started when parents wanted their kids to stop stealing sips from their mugs. There is zero evidence that coffee affects height or bone growth in children or adolescents.
The myth may have roots in early studies that suggested caffeine could reduce calcium absorption. Later research showed the effect is so small (about 2-3mg of calcium lost per cup) that it's completely offset by adding a tablespoon of milk. The National Institutes of Health does not list coffee as a risk factor for stunted growth.
4. Espresso has the most caffeine
Per ounce, yes. Per serving, no.
A standard shot of espresso contains about 63mg of caffeine in one ounce. A standard 8oz cup of drip coffee contains 95-200mg of caffeine. You're getting more total caffeine from a regular cup of coffee than from a single espresso shot.
People confuse intensity with quantity. Espresso tastes concentrated because the water-to-coffee ratio is compressed. But you're drinking one ounce versus eight or more. The drip coffee wins on total caffeine every time unless you're ordering a quad shot.
5. Coffee causes heart disease
This was a legitimate concern in the 1970s and 80s based on early observational studies. Those studies had serious methodological problems, the biggest being that they didn't control for smoking. Heavy coffee drinkers in that era were also heavy smokers.
Modern research tells a completely different story. A 2022 meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology analyzed data from nearly 450,000 participants and found that drinking 2-3 cups of coffee per day was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality compared to not drinking coffee at all.
The American Heart Association does not recommend against moderate coffee consumption.
6. You should never drink coffee on an empty stomach
The claim is that coffee on an empty stomach damages your stomach lining or spikes cortisol to dangerous levels. Neither holds up well.
Coffee does stimulate gastric acid production. For most people, this is fine. Your stomach is designed to handle acid. If you have an existing condition like GERD or gastritis, coffee on an empty stomach might aggravate symptoms. But for a healthy person, there's no evidence that it causes damage.
The cortisol argument is similarly overstated. Cortisol naturally peaks in the morning. Coffee does bump it slightly, but the effect is temporary and well within normal physiological range. If you feel fine drinking coffee before breakfast, you're fine.
7. Decaf is completely caffeine-free
It's not. Decaf coffee still contains about 2-15mg of caffeine per cup, depending on the bean and the decaffeination process. A regular cup has 95-200mg, so decaf eliminates most of it, but "caffeine-free" is technically inaccurate.
If you're extremely sensitive to caffeine or avoiding it for medical reasons, this matters. Five cups of decaf could equal one cup of regular coffee in caffeine content.
8. Coffee is bad for your liver
This is not just wrong, it's the opposite of what the research shows.
Multiple large-scale studies have found that coffee consumption is associated with lower rates of liver disease, including liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer). A 2017 review in BMJ Open found that drinking 3-4 cups per day was associated with a 65% lower risk of cirrhosis compared to non-drinkers.
A March 2026 study from Hebrew University even found that cannabinoids like CBG and CBD may further support liver health through improved cellular energy metabolism. Pairing coffee with CBG, like we do at Buddha Beans, means you're stacking two compounds that the research suggests are both good for your liver.
9. Adding milk or cream cancels out the health benefits
Coffee's health benefits come primarily from its antioxidants and polyphenols. Adding milk does bind to some of these compounds, but not enough to eliminate the benefits.
Studies that show positive health outcomes from coffee consumption include participants who drink it with milk, cream, and sugar. The benefits persist. You'd have to add so much cream and sugar that the drink becomes more of a dessert for the negatives to outweigh the positives.
Black coffee is nutritionally simpler, but a splash of milk isn't ruining anything.
10. You can sweat out caffeine by exercising
Caffeine is metabolized by your liver, not excreted through sweat. Exercise does not speed up caffeine metabolism in any meaningful way. Your liver processes caffeine at its own pace (the half-life is roughly 5-6 hours for most adults) regardless of whether you're sitting on a couch or running a marathon.
If you drank too much coffee and feel jittery, exercise might help you burn off the nervous energy, but the caffeine itself is still in your system on the same timeline.
11. Instant coffee isn't real coffee
Instant coffee is real coffee. It's brewed coffee that's been dried into powder or crystals through freeze-drying or spray-drying. The starting material is actual coffee beans, brewed with actual water, then dehydrated.
Is it as good as freshly ground specialty coffee? No. The drying process loses volatile aromatic compounds that contribute to flavor complexity. But it's still coffee, it still has caffeine, and it still contains the same antioxidants. Roughly half of all coffee consumed globally is instant.
It's fine to prefer freshly roasted beans. Just don't pretend instant isn't coffee.
12. Expensive coffee is always better coffee
Price correlates with quality up to a point. Beyond that point, you're paying for scarcity, branding, or novelty.
Kopi Luwak (civet coffee) sells for $100-600 per pound. Blind taste tests consistently show that trained cuppers rate it average to below average. You're paying for the story, not the flavor.
Meanwhile, a well-sourced, carefully processed single-origin coffee from Colombia or Ethiopia can score 87+ on the specialty scale and cost $18-25 per bag. The quality ceiling for most home brewers lives in the $15-35 per bag range. Above that, diminishing returns hit hard.
What matters more than price: freshness, roast date, processing method, and brew technique. A $20 bag of beans roasted last week will outperform a $50 bag roasted three months ago every single time.
Coffee myths vs reality, at a glance
| Myth | Reality |
|---|---|
| Coffee dehydrates you | Coffee is a net positive for hydration at normal intake levels |
| Dark roast has more caffeine | Light and dark roasts carry nearly identical caffeine per scoop |
| Coffee stunts your growth | No clinical evidence supports this claim |
| Espresso has the most caffeine | A standard drip cup has more total caffeine than a single espresso shot |
| Coffee causes heart disease | Moderate intake (3-5 cups daily) is associated with lower cardiovascular risk |
| Never drink on an empty stomach | Most healthy adults tolerate coffee on an empty stomach with no clinical concern |
| Decaf is caffeine-free | Decaf retains 2-15mg per cup; roughly 97% of caffeine is removed |
| Coffee is bad for the liver | Coffee is consistently linked to better liver function in peer-reviewed research |
Stop repeating these
Coffee is one of the most studied beverages on the planet. The research is mostly positive. Moderate consumption (3-5 cups per day, per the FDA) is associated with lower risk of several diseases and no meaningful increase in risk for anything else in healthy adults.
Drink your coffee. Enjoy it. Stop feeling guilty about it.
Shop specialty coffee at buddhabeanscoffee.com.
At Buddha Beans, we roast specialty-grade, single-origin coffee infused with CBG and CBD. Every claim we make about our products is backed by the research we cite. If you want coffee that delivers both flavor and function, explore our Black Label CBG Coffee, Costa Rica CBD Coffee, CBD Cold Brew Blend, or our Water-Soluble CBG Tincture.
Browse all Buddha Beans products.
Frequently asked questions about coffee myths
Does coffee dehydrate you?
No. A 2014 study published in PLOS ONE found no significant difference in hydration markers between men who drank coffee and those who drank equal amounts of water over a three-day period. Coffee has a mild diuretic effect, but the water content of the beverage more than compensates. Regular coffee drinkers develop a tolerance to the diuretic effect.
Is dark roast coffee stronger than light roast?
Dark roast coffee tastes bolder and more bitter, but it does not contain more caffeine. Light roast coffee actually retains slightly more caffeine by weight because the roasting process burns off a small amount of caffeine. The difference is minimal (about 5-10%), but the myth that dark roast equals stronger coffee is inaccurate. Brew ratio and extraction time have far more impact on caffeine content than roast level.
Is coffee bad for your heart?
No. Multiple large-scale studies have found that moderate coffee consumption (3-5 cups per day) is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk. A 2022 meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, which analyzed data from over 400,000 participants, found that 2-3 cups per day was associated with the lowest risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
Does coffee stunt your growth?
No. There is no scientific evidence linking coffee consumption to reduced height or growth impairment. This myth likely originated from early studies that incorrectly linked caffeine to reduced bone density. Subsequent research found that any bone density effects are negligible and easily offset by adequate calcium intake. The myth persists culturally but has no basis in current medical literature.
Should you stop drinking coffee after 2 PM?
It depends on your individual caffeine metabolism. Caffeine has an average half-life of 5-6 hours, but this varies significantly between individuals based on genetics (the CYP1A2 gene), medications, and other factors. Some people metabolize caffeine in 3 hours; others take 9+. The 2 PM cutoff is a reasonable guideline for average metabolizers who go to bed at 10 PM, but it is not a universal rule.
