Like the title say, I've always heard that, but I tried it but I can't really tell. So is there any scientific evidence for or against it?
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Energy contents of coffee isn’t all that high to begin with. Almost all of the energy in coffee would come from added sugar.– Konrad RudolphNov 29, 2012 at 23:47
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@KonradRudolph I assume that the OP means 'energy' as in the effect of consuming caffeine, and not caloric energy as you seem to be suggesting.– SpellingDNov 30, 2012 at 21:17
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Yeah exactly, I didn't mean energy from calories.– OneOfOneNov 30, 2012 at 22:56
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1It would be much better to cite an example of the claim. For example, it isn't clear what amounts you are talking about. Coffee drinkers can easily consume 4 cups of coffee in a day, but are they likely to eat 100 beans?– Oddthinking ♦Mar 12, 2013 at 8:31
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This seems obvious, without any research. Where does coffee get it's caffeine from? Ground coffee beans. How could coffee possibly have more caffeine than the beans from which it gets the caffeine?– PoloHoleSetMar 22, 2017 at 13:40
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1 Answer
The only things I could find that seemed legitimate and not from forum posts about this was from these Livestrong articles.
From the first article...
Before people learned to brew coffee as a beverage, they ate coffee beans to get a boost of energy for hunts or while farming. Eating coffee beans has the same effects as drinking coffee. However, the effects are magnified because eating the beans provides all of the caffeine and other chemicals in coffee, not just what manages to drip through the filter. In addition, the active ingredients in coffee beans are quickly absorbed through the mucus membranes in the mouth.
The second article talks about the amount of caffeine you can get from eating coffee beans.
An average cup of coffee is made from approximately 25 beans and contains 75 mg of caffeine. So the brewed value of each bean is about 3 mg. However, when you eat the bean, the amount is a little higher.
Even though neither article directly states the amount of caffeine that you will get, if you combine the information in both of the articles they state that you will get more caffeine as well as the other chemicals and nutrients of coffee by eating or chewing on the beans vs drinking coffee.
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This makes sense to me, as a brand of caffeinated gum I use links to a study that demonstrates there's a greater absorption of caffeine through mucous membranes than through letting it be absorbed through the stomach linings. However, I've also heard anecdotal claims that coffee being hot contributes to faster absorption. Nov 30, 2012 at 21:25
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@SpellingD: Source? I've heard there's faster absorption to the bloodstream through the mucous-membranes, but not necessarily more absorption. Apr 9, 2014 at 22:11
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1@BlueRaja-DannyPflughoeft Sorry, as not being a disciple of this subject I misused terminology. I only meant rate, not that you would absorb MORE caffeine from mucous membranes from a given source than the stomach. Indeed, the study I linked to did not indicate a difference in bioavailability of gum vs. capsule. My previous link died with the re-branding of the name of the gum, so here it is again. militaryenergygum.com/wp-content/uploads/Bioavailability2.pdf Apr 11, 2014 at 18:24
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@SpellingD: The difference is not just being pedantic about terminology, it completes changes the answer to the question. If the absorption amount is higher, the answer is "yes," but if only the absorption rate is higher, the answer is no. Apr 11, 2014 at 22:06
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1@BlueRaja-DannyPflughoeft I wasn't trying to downplay my error, I was just giving an explanation for my ineptness; I agree completely. Apr 13, 2014 at 3:14