This is why you must add salt to your coffee

A cup of coffee (Illustrative)

Everyone knows how they like their coffee. Black or not, with or without sugar, with milk or soy milk – and these are just some of the options.

And that’s why, when a new TikTok trend tries to tell us to add salt to our morning coffee, we’re horrified at the thought of changing anything in our coffee – of course we’re not going to add salt.

But it turns out that adding salt, which has caused such a stir on social media, isn’t without value. Researchers found that not only does putting salt in your coffee have health benefits, but it can sometimes improve the occasionally overly bitter taste of coffee.

Yes, it turns out that a pinch of salt will make your coffee less bitter and more delicious – it’s actually a substitute for sugar.

Experts agree, too, with food scientist Alton Brown expressing his support for the idea on his show, Good Eats. In fact, he talked about it so much that some coffee fans call the salt trend “The Alton Brown trick.”

Salt shaker, used to add salt to food. But according to this study, that might not be the healthiest choice (Illustrative). (credit: Aftab Uzzaman/Flickr)

Salt shaker, used to add salt to food. But according to this study, that might not be the healthiest choice (Illustrative). (credit: Aftab Uzzaman/Flickr)

“Not only does salt cut the bitterness of coffee, but it also smooths out the ‘stale’ taste of tank-stored water. I’ve taken to adding a quarter teaspoon of kosher salt to every six tablespoons of grounds. That isn’t really enough to taste, but it’ll do the trick,” Brown wrote in a blog post. “And by the way, research has proven that salt is actually better at neutralizing bitterness than sugar.”

In fact, in countries like Taiwan, coffee mixed with sea salt is an everyday treat and can be found on the menus of Taiwanese cafes and bakeries all over the world, including in the US.

The recommendation of Dr. Anis Khalaf

Dr. Anis Khalaf, an acupuncturist from Orlando, recently told his followers on TikTok that there are three reasons to add a little bit of salt to your coffee.

The first reason is that salt actually improves the coffee’s taste without any need for sugar. The second is that the salt can block the bitterness. The third reason is that excess coffee can cause the body to lose sodium – something salt can supplement.

Another TikTok user, @heritagehousehomestead, agreed that adding salt helped her get rid of her coffee heartburn. She suggested her followers add salt to the ground coffee beans before brewing.

Some commenters flatly refused to try adding salt, but there were a few who admitted that they tried it and said it definitely works.

“I drink black coffee. The salt takes out the bitter taste,” one commenter said.

Another added: “My grandfather taught me this in the 1960s. Since then, it’s been a must in our family.”