People who regularly drink coffee sometimes wonder: why must we always drink roasted
coffee? Why not just grind and brew green coffee beans?
Well, of course, you can do anything you like. But that doesn’t mean you should. It might not
be tasty, healthy, or — most importantly — safe.
Here is a detailed explanation, point by point, of why you should avoid drinking unroasted
(green) coffee — even if it’s high-end specialty grade:
1. It’s Dirty — and Potentially Dangerous
Green coffee beans are not intended to be a ready-to-consume food product. For decades, the
entire coffee industry has been built around the assumption that green beans will undergo roasting
before consumption. Roasting not only creates the flavors and aromas we love in a good cup of
coffee, but it also neutralizes (mostly burns off) all kinds of nasty things: dirt, mold, bacteria,
cockroaches, insect larvae, rat tails, and other delightful “additions” that can be found in raw coffee.
Where does all that come from? During processing and drying, green coffee often lies on raised
African beds or concrete patios — which are essentially dirty platforms made of mesh, wood, or
concrete. Workers walk over the beans barefoot, mix them with unwashed hands, and use tools that
haven’t been disinfected in decades (if ever). Sure, we’re exaggerating slightly — this isn’t true in
100% of cases, but it's close enough (around 85%+).
It’s like biting into an unwashed apple from a dirty basket and chasing it down with raw meat
from the same basket. Roasters clean the beans using sorting machines and color sorters before and
sometimes after roasting — and we’re pretty sure you don’t have one at home.
What do they find in green coffee lots? Sticks, stones, flowers, bugs, corn kernels… about 5%
of the mass can be foreign objects. We’ll spare you the full list for your sanity.
2. Higher Caffeine Content
Yes — green beans contain more caffeine than roasted ones. Roasting reduces caffeine levels
(by 10–20%, sometimes up to 50%, depending on many factors). So, if you're trying to avoid excess
caffeine, green beans are not your friend.
3. Bitterness and Harsh Taste
Green coffee has more bitter acids that normally break down during roasting. The result? A
very bitter brew, with high acidity and very little sweetness. In short: it doesn’t taste good.
4. Chemical Residues
Green beans may still carry residues of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides used on the farm.
Roasting burns off or neutralizes many of them. Also, during vacuum packaging, green beans are
often treated with pest-control gases — which, again, dissipate or burn off when roasted. These
gases are definitely not something you want in your drink.
5. Stronger Diuretic Effect
Coffee is known for its diuretic (urine-inducing) properties. Green coffee amplifies this effect
even more than roasted coffee — so get ready to visit the bathroom more often.
In Summary:
Brewing green coffee will give you a dangerous, unhealthy, unappetizing, and pointless drink,
missing all the soul, vibe, and magical flavor of a perfectly roasted bean matched to your brew
method.
Yes, it will be a new experience. But the real question is: are you ready for it — and do you even
want it?
You might think: “I’ll just wash the green beans under running water.” Sure — but now they’re
wet and unbalanced in moisture content. You won’t be able to grind them properly, and any brew
method you use will result in a worse flavor than expected. Not to mention that your grinder might
break trying to process improperly dried beans.
But Why Do People Want Green Coffee at All?
That’s thanks to clueless marketers who occasionally launch some tabloid nonsense claiming
that green coffee helps with weight loss, vision, digestion, or something else. But let’s be honest —
that’s all giant nonsense, just like pineapple diets or goji berries for gut health.
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