Simply stated: I love coffee.  Also simply stated: sometimes coffee does not love me back.  I am prone to heartburn that is directly associated with food; tomato sauce, chocolate, and coffee all give me heartburn.  All three are foods that I love and worse yet they all go very well together according to my palate, as in all tomato based meals should be closely followed by a dark chocolate, which is only enhanced by a richly brewed cup of joe.  In an effort to stop burning my insides I started looking for coffees that advertise a lower acid content.

A quick perusal of my grocery store shelf left me with a few choices.  Based on the emblem of a funky little red bird (I am into birds these days for some reason), I chose Puroast Low Acid Coffee in the House Blend, tossed it in my cart and headed home to my Mr. Coffee.

Puroast’s Boasts

About the House Blend: The house blend is a rich, flavorful blend of our most popular beans exquisitely blended into the perfect coffee for all day, every day drinking. Remember “Grind Your Coffee, Not Your Stomach” and “Feel Better, Not Bitter”.

About Their Low Acid Coffees: Puroast Low Acid Coffee’s breakthrough process produces a great gourmet coffee with 50% less acid or more depending on the brand.  The patented Puroast Process does not manipulate the coffee beans either through an extraction process or using additives.  The Puroast Process is an all natural process that does not create the acids that affect the stomach…if heartburn, acid reflux, indigestion or GERD has caused you to reduce or stop drinking coffee, now you have a real coffee choice with Puroast Low Acid Coffee…Using a patented process, Puroast Low Acid Coffee maintains the smooth taste you love in the coffee beans without the health consequences of highly acidic blends and is gentle on the stomach.

Opening the Bag

When it comes to coffee, smell is an important part of the experience for me.  Upon opening the bag Puroast House Blend smells good, but not bitter or overly strong.  I took this for a good sign.  I had purchased a bag of ground beans; the grounds appear medium brown in color and are not too moist but not dried out, either.

Making The First Pot

I used my home coffee pot, a Mr. Coffee model FT X29, which is a drip system.  I made six cups of coffee and had my coffee pot set to the strong setting, which allows for a slightly darker cup than the regular setting.  The aroma of the coffee while it brewed continued to be good.  There was no bitter smell, as some coffees produce, but rather a full, flavorful aroma that spread through my kitchen and made me eager for the first sip  The coffee in the pot is dark in color, with hints of a rich toffee color where the light hits it.

In My Mug

Upon pouring the House Blend into my mug, I noticed its nice caramel color.  I normally prefer my coffee with cream and sugar, but for the purposes of this review I also tried it black, with cream only, and with sugar only.

Black: I am impressed.  While I normally cannot bear to even think of drinking my coffee without first diluting it with gads of sugar and cream, this coffee actually tastes decent black.  It is not weak, but has a bold flavor without making my tongue cringe.  I am not sure what else I can say, other than I could drink it this way if I ran out of cream and sugar; for me, that is saying a lot.

With Fat Free Half and Half: Adding cream turns the House Blend a most satisfying, light brown/caramel color.  The brew retains its full-bodied flavor, but the cream does knock some of the boldness out.

With Sugar Only: I used Raw Sugar which I prefer over refined white and Splenda alike.  Adding  one teaspoon of sugar changes this coffee entirely, and I would highly recommend it.  The flavor brightens, bringing out underlying tones of chocolate and perhaps fruit.  I would gladly drink this coffee with sugar but without cream, any day.

With Sugar and Cream:  fat free half and half and 1 teaspoon of raw sugar, and my tongue is one happy camper.  The combination of caramel coloring and bright flavors appeals to my senses, and the rich aroma brings the package together nicely.  This is definitely my favored way to enjoy Puroast Low Acid House Blend.

Overall, the coffee tastes as good as it smells, with the added bonus of no acid aftertaste.

Does it Deliver As Promised?

Puroast Low Acid coffees boast that they contain 50% less acid than most other coffees, which should in turn help reduce upset stomach and heartburn.  I drank three cups of the House Blend and found that I had no detectable signs of heartburn, a sharp contrast to my normal reaction to three cups of other brands of coffee.  While this is not my favorite bean on the market, I do think it is a good alternative for those days when I know I am going to be eating other heartburn inflicting foods, and I like enough to keep it on hand in my kitchen.  The low acidity combined with good flavor and color make it an excellent choice for all-purpose, all day coffee drinking.

A Few Last Words About Puroast

I’ve already recommended the coffee and now I will recommend the company.  Like many consumers, I try to shop with a conscience.  According to Puroast’s packaging they use a “…unique, renewable energy system [in which] over 90% of the energy used at our facility is from renewable resources.  Puroast received the distinguished Seal of Sustainability from the Sustainability Business Institute…using renewable fuels lessens our dependence on imported fuels and helps Puroast maintain competitive pricing.”  That’s good news for all of us.

A complete selection of Puroast Coffee is available at Amazon.com.