Do pepper and coffee sound like a weird combination to you? Well, to be honest, I had the same feeling before my first cup of coffee with pepper, then everything changed. Adding spices to your coffee is nothing new, but one might not add pepper to that list that easily. But I was happy to be proven wrong. Before we go any further, let’s tackle the most important question.
Can you put pepper in coffee? You can add a pinch of black pepper to your coffee. With the addition of pepper, your coffee gets a nice zing that makes it a lot more exciting. Pepper also comes with health benefits like antioxidants and digestive properties.
What Happens When You Put Pepper In Coffee?
If you find your coffee to be a bit boring and want to spice it up a little, then adding a pinch of black pepper to your coffee will do a great deal.
When you add pepper to your coffee, it brings a little bit of bitterness and peppery spiciness that lingers on your tongue for a while. If your coffee is too bitter, adding some pepper to your coffee will improve its taste manyfold.
You don’t have to stop with black pepper. You can also try your coffee infused with white pepper, cayenne pepper, and even bell pepper if you’re in the mood for experimentation.
Keep in mind that pepper might not be a good choice for some people due to medical reasons. If you have a history of problems with pepper, then it is better to avoid it with your coffee. You can always get a go-ahead from your doctor before trying anything new.
Also Read: Is Chai Latte Coffee?
Why Do You Put Pepper In Coffee?
Adding black pepper to your body is a great thing to do not only for your taste buds but also for your health. Here’s why.
Anti-inflammatory Properties
Long-term inflammation can be a serious problem in human beings. Though there is no direct study on humans, a study done on rats suggests that pepper comes with excellent anti-inflammatory properties.
Over time, the rats showed improvement when it came to the inflammation in their joints and other parts of the body. Black pepper also seemed to improve allergies as well as asthma.
Powerful Anti-oxidant
We know that black coffee is full of anti-oxidant properties.
If you’re looking to boost the anti-oxidant properties in your cup of coffee, then adding a pinch of black pepper is a sure-shot way of doing it.
Pepper comes with a lot of powerful anti-oxidants. Free radicals are a serious threat as they can damage other cells. With these powerful anti-oxidants in place, you can destroy these free radicals without any issues.
Improves Digestion
Pepper helps in improving your digestion.
Adding a little bit of black pepper to your coffee pot can improve your digestion by increasing nutrient absorption and prevents diarrhea as well. It can also help in reducing your appetite which can be handy for those looking to lose a few pounds.
A study shows how the nutrient absorption capacity of pepper comes in handy. According to this study, black pepper helps in absorbing beta-carotene which is then converted by our body into Vitamin A. It also fights an important battle against heart diseases.
Fights Cancer
Adding some pepper to your regular coffee can help in fighting against cancer.
Though there are no direct human clinical trials to prove this one, test-tube studies done in the past have shown the black pepper can aid in the case of breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer.
Free radicals are a major problem when it comes to cancer. Thanks to pepper’s anti-oxidative properties, free radicals are treated as they should be which can help in the treatment of one’s cancer.
Brain Booster
Pepper is excellent for your brain health.
Free radicals are a problem that can even damage your healthy brain cells.
With the help of pepper’s anti-oxidants, you can keep these free radicals in check.
Pepper also helps in improving the memory and cognitive functions of the brain. It can also help in preventing Alzheimer’s disease, thanks to its ability to heal nerve damage.
Regulates Sugar
For a regular coffee drinker, adding some black pepper can help in the management of Type-2 diabetes.
Black pepper stops a couple of enzymes that can break down starch into glucose. If you are suffering from Type-2 diabetes, you know that this is huge.
Black pepper can also help in managing hypertension.
Perfect Fever & Cold Remedy
Pepper comes with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that are great when it comes to fighting infections.
If you have fever and cold symptoms, then adding ground black pepper to your coffee can surely help.
Headache Cure
Drinking coffee with a pinch of black pepper can help in curing your headache.
Black pepper comes with a chemical called Capsaicin that is excellent in getting rid of headaches and migraines.
Related Read: Turmeric in Coffee
How To Add Pepper To Coffee?
Adding pepper to your coffee is not rocket science.
Here’s a simple recipe that works well.
Things you need:
- Water
- Instant coffee (or) brewed coffee
- Black pepper flakes (or) whole black pepper
- Sugar
First, you need to make sure that you have black pepper flakes. If you only have dried black peppercorn, then you can grind it with a pepper grinder (any grinder is fine). Your black pepper flakes are ready.
Now, boil your water on a stovetop. Reduce it to medium once the water reaches its boiling point.
Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of instant coffee and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper flakes to the boiling water and let it go on for half a minute.
Then turn off the heat and filter then flakes.
Your zingy pepper coffee is ready for consumption.
You can add some sugar if you feel like your coffee is a bit too bitter or spicy for your taste.
If you’re not a fan of instant coffee, you can add a quarter teaspoon of black pepper to your coffee in the brewing stage. The result will be a similar infusion of black pepper in your coffee.
The Other Peppers
Black pepper is just one kind of pepper. There are many varieties like white pepper, cayenne pepper, and even colorful bell peppers.
Can you add all of them to your coffee?
White pepper and cayenne pepper work very much like black pepper. So you can add them to your coffee using the same recipe without any issues.
When it comes to bell pepper, things get complicated so we don’t recommend beginners mess with bell pepper and coffee.
Can You Put Cayenne Pepper in Coffee?
Yes, you can add cayenne pepper to your coffee. Make sure you don’t add a lot. A pinch of cayenne pepper should be more than enough for a cup of coffee.
If you have problems like acid reflux and heartburn, then you should avoid adding cayenne pepper to your coffee as it can aggravate the problem.
If you are not sure about it, make sure you talk with your doctor before trying anything new.
Closing Thoughts
Black pepper in coffee is a fantastic idea.
We wholeheartedly recommend any coffee drinker try this at least once in their lifetime. It is fun to try and introduces a brand new flavor to your taste buds.
While you are at it, make sure to not overdo it. A pinch of black pepper should be fine for most folks.