Organic Soy Coffee, A New Half-Caf Alternative

For centuries, creative individuals have experimented with various coffee alternatives, whether out of necessity, like the Georgians who added roasted sweet potatoes to their coffee during the Civil War to make it last, or for novelty, like the Cajun-favored chicory thought to give bitter coffee a sweeter taste.

Today, the search for substitutes is motivated more by health concerns over caffeine, which can trigger peptic ulcers, exacerbate migraines and may contribute to fibrocystic breast disease. Tannic acid, an unavoidable ingredient found in both regular and decaffeinated coffees as well as in some tea varieties, aggravates heartburn. So, to appease coffee drinkers looking to reduce consumption of tannic acid, coffee companies are turning to soybeans, which lack the acidity and caffeine of coffee beans and have the added benefit of a pleasing taste.

Drinking soy coffee, however, is not the same as eating other soy products, which contain protein and healthy isoflavones (plant estrogens) that may help reduce risk of heart disease and cancer, tame menopausal symptoms and promote bone health. (See "Should You Eat Soy?" in GG #106.) Tofu, tempeh, edamame and soy milk can contain anywhere from 7 to 15 grams of protein and from 32 to 55 milligrams of isoflavones per serving. (The Food and Drug Administration recommends a daily soy protein intake of 25 grams.) For soy coffee, says Claudia Del Vecchio, founder of soy coffee maker Well-Bean Coffee Co., "the amount varies, but on average, one six-ounce cup of our soy/coffee blends will yield about two grams of soy protein and about 28 milligrams of isoflavones."

Yet Michael Moss, president of soy coffee roaster Rocamojo, says food-analysis labs have told him that isoflavones are not water-soluble. Roasted soybeans retain all their nutritional value, he says, but the isoflavones aren't filtered through into the coffee. "The nutrition is there," he says. "It's just still in the grinds." There is a little bit of protein in a cup of Rocamojo coffee, says Moss, but not much.

Either way, soy coffee will never have quite the nutritional value of raw soybeans. "You're not consuming the beans," says Del Vecchio. "You're only drinking the offshoot, so you're only going to get so much nutrition from the coffee." What should win you over, says Moss, is "knowing that it's a wonderful-tasting bean that can knock down the acidity of regular coffee."

A quick heads-up for coffee aficionados: Soy coffee, while distinctly nutty and much creamier than regular coffee, takes a bit of getting used to, so give it a few sips before making any decisions.