For us coffee junkies, coffee is a staple part of our day.

Without it, we’re essentially a zombie rolling out of bed.

One cup is all it takes to bring us to life. And there’s nothing better than an aromatic smell of freshly brewed coffee right?

Unfortunately, sometimes this aromatic smell comes with a not-so-pleasant odor.

Coffee breath is the bane of the otherwise epic experience of enjoying your daily cup of joe.

Why coffee breath happens 

There are many reasons why coffee lingers in your mouth even after that last sip.

Your mouth gets dry.

Caffeine slows down saliva production. [1] And because saliva helps get rid of bacteria in your mouth, not having enough of it can cause bad breath-causing organisms to thrive and multiply.

Saliva also helps digest food in the mouth, especially those stuck in between teeth and hard-to-reach areas of the maw. So a lack of saliva doubles the chances of halitosis.

Coffee triples it up because of its sulfurous content, which sometimes gives off that nasty poo-like smell. [2]

Darker-roasted coffees are especially notorious in leaving your mouth more dehydrated than lighter ones.

Espressos can also cause stinky breath, thanks to its concentrated and viscous properties that make it linger in your mouth.

Coffee alters acidity levels in your mouth.

Coffee can be acidic and this brings down the pH levels in your mouth. This encourages bacterial growth, eventually causing stinky breath.

You drink coffee with milk and sugar.

What’s wrong with that – you ask.

Unfortunately, milk and sugar are known to breed bacteria. [3] Dairy adds to that sour-milk smell and sugar contributes to bacterial growth.

These pesky organisms and fungi breeding in dry mouth also feed on dairy, sugar and even protein from your coffee add-ons. And the more bacteria, the smellier your breath gets.

It may be worth trying switching to black coffee…

Or try any of the other fixes below!

How to avoid coffee breath

If you love your coffee, you don’t have to swear off your favorite caffeine fix altogether.

But you also don’t want to be the “coffee breath” person right?

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to steer clear and get rid of coffee breath.

Switch to caffeine mints.

Caffeine mints kill two birds with one stone. With a pop or two, you can get an instant caffeine fix while freshening your breath. It’s also perfect if you’re on the go – no need for last minute coffee run or lugging around a coffee cup on the way to work.

Try Viter Energy Mints now and easily say goodbye to coffee breath.

Because dry mouth (or xerostomia) is usually the culprit for having bad breath, make sure you drink plenty of water when having your cup of joe.

If you can drop your usual coffee add-ons like sugar and milk, it would do you a world of good.

But if you like your flat white or usual latte creamy and sweet, pair it with odor-neutralizers.

Try apple slices, which have enzymes that kill bad breath causing bacteria. Order a plain roll of bread, fresh ginger (or ginger bread, cookie or candy), lemon, or fresh parsley.

Chew a clove.

This aromatic spice helps you stay away from bad breath. Chewing on a clove for a hot minute will remove the coffee reek and give you instant fresh breath.

Have yogurt for breakfast.

Yogurt is another neutralizer that helps get rid of the odor as it replaces the nasty bacteria with good ones.

You can also turn to good old toothbrush and gum.

Of course that’s assuming you have one in your purse or in your work drawer.

This may not be an obvious fix but try to chill out and avoid stress.

Caffeine jitters may cause stress, leading to smelly coffee breath. Brazilian researchers found that when they induce stress among test subjects, they “found anxious people had a higher concentration of odor-causing volatile sulfur compounds than their more relaxed counterparts.” [4]

If you want to learn more about how to get minty fresh breath, check out this article: 9 ways to have fresh breath

Or watch this video to learn more about why bad breath happens... and how to fix it!

Sources

[1] https://www.livescience.com/33417-new-coffee-40x-caffeine-black-blood-deadly.html

[2] https://www.livescience.com/33818-coffee-bad-breath-llmmp.html

[3] http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf021190v

[4] https://www.menshealth.com/health/a19538634/beat-smelly-coffee-breath/