Coffee calories

AdrianaRaby1984
AdrianaRaby1984 Posts: 5 Member
in Food and Nutrition
ok, so I love coffee/espresso. The thing I don't understand is: a black coffee is zero calories but a shot of espresso is about 4-6 calories. Why?

Is it because espresso is more oily or something?

Replies

  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Coffee has calories. Expresso has more calories because it is just concentrated coffee.
  • marvelmandy
    marvelmandy Posts: 6 Member
    Black coffee is 2 calories per cup, when I log it. There are oils in coffee, certainly. Most brewed coffee in brewed through a paper filter whereas espresso is brewed through a metal filter. That may account for the caloric difference?
  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    Coffee has calories. Expresso has more calories because it is just concentrated coffee.

    this. you get less calories with drip brewed coffee cause you use less and add water. a shot is more concentrated.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    A tip for the OP moving forward. Everything except water has calories. Manufacturers are allowed to round down which is why you see "0" calorie drinks and what not.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    I use this non-asterisked MFP entry for coffee, which has 2 Calories per 8 oz. brewed.

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  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    My coffee says it's 2 calories per 8 oz.
  • Zedeff
    Zedeff Posts: 651 Member
    marvelmandy wrote: »
    Black coffee is 2 calories per cup, when I log it. There are oils in coffee, certainly. Most brewed coffee in brewed through a paper filter whereas espresso is brewed through a metal filter. That may account for the caloric difference?

    This is the real reason, not that espresso is more concentrated. The paper filter in most drip coffees absorbs some of the oil while the metal filter in an espresso machine (called a portafilter) lets the oils into the cup.

    It's 2-4 calories... I don't bother logging it.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    it's not really worth logging the calories from coffee or espresso. In the grand scheme of things, it's not going to make much difference.

    Log what you put IN the coffee, though.
  • AdrianaRaby1984
    AdrianaRaby1984 Posts: 5 Member
    Mmm, well I work at a cafe and drink as much espresso as I want sooooo .... 4 cals X 6 = quite a bit. Some days it can really add up
  • jallen8484
    jallen8484 Posts: 6 Member
    The calorie difference is caused by the brewing process and goes like this:

    All coffee beans have calories in them. In drip coffee, the water flows over the grids picking up small particles resulting in about 2 calories per cup. In espresso, the water is forced through tightly packed grids resulting in many more particles per ounce compared to drip coffee. This is also why espresso is thicker than drip coffee.

    Overall I wouldn't worry too much about the extra 2-3 calories unless you are drinking 5+ a day.
  • AdrianaRaby1984
    AdrianaRaby1984 Posts: 5 Member
    I was working at a coffee shop when I started using this app about a month ago and could have as much espresso as I wanted (for free). I feel like coffee isn't bad for you, it's all the sugar and creams people add to it. But I WAS TOTALLY drinking about 8-12 shots a day! It was adding up.

    I don't work there anymore, which is good because I think that is waaaay too much espresso.

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