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Bali coffee is made by tossing finely ground coffee directly in the water (no filters, etc.).

Does this change the amount of caffeine in the coffee, compared to coffee from a filter machine?

(Coffee produced on Bali is generally Robusta rather than Arabica which means it has more caffeine, but I would like to know about the change in caffeine due to the process alone)

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  • Change in caffeine compared to what?
    – fredley
    Aug 12, 2015 at 9:50
  • @fredley regularly brewed coffee. Filter the grounds vs. putting the ground coffee directly in the water. Does this change the amount of caffeine in the coffee?
    – jmac
    Aug 12, 2015 at 9:57
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    "Regularly brewed coffee" can be very different things for different people (not least those in Bali)! Are you referring to something like one of these?
    – fredley
    Aug 12, 2015 at 9:59
  • @fredley yes. That is what I mean by regularly brewed coffee.
    – jmac
    Aug 12, 2015 at 9:59

1 Answer 1

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The amount of caffeine in your cup will depend, as with any method, on the extraction time. It also depends on everything else, e.g. the grind, temperature of the water, but I can't find any information on what these typically are for Balinese coffee, so I'm going to assume they're the same.

Assuming you're using the same coffee with each method, the main thing that will vary is the extraction time. With pour-over methods, this will depend on the size and shape of the funnel, the porousness of the filter paper and the grind itself.

For Balinese coffee, there is no control. If you mix the coffee and water directly, the only thing limiting the extraction time is how long you wait before drinking it.

However, having said that, caffeine is actually extracted rather quickly. This study finds that routine percolation removes almost all soluble caffeine. However, the extended extraction time for Balinese coffee is likely to make a bitter brew.

In conclusion, no, you won't get more caffeine in Balinese coffee compared to filter. Both methods will remove almost all caffeine from the coffee.

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