Black Coffee vs Milk Coffee | 5 Major Differences to Help You Decide
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People love coffee in all forms and sizes. The most basic, and broadest categories of coffee are milk and black coffee. Both of these coffees are made pretty much the same way, with milk coffee being an extension of black coffee, however, they aren’t the same. There are a lot of differences between black coffee and milk coffee. Both of these have their fan bases, different characteristics, and differ on a lot of grounds.
In the debate of Black Coffee vs Milk Coffee, Black Coffee is stronger and bitter than milk coffee because it does not contain any form of sugar content. On the other hand, Milk Coffee has 5.1 grams of sugar. Milk Coffee has 60 calories per cup while Black Coffee has only 4 calories per cup. Black Coffee is dark in appearence but coffee with milk is slightly lighter.
What is Black Coffee vs Milk Coffee?
Black coffee is brewed from water and coffee beans only. The beans can vary in color and type of roasts, however, as long as there are no additives to the coffee, it is considered black coffee. An espresso shot is a famous example of a strong black coffee, which is made by pushing hot water through coffee grounds, at high pressure. An espresso shot is usually made by an espresso machine, but there are methods to make it at home as well. Follow our guide to making an espresso shot at home.
Milk coffee is black coffee with milk, or cream added to it. Sugar is also a common addition, however, it is not necessary. Examples of milk coffees are Cappuccino, Latte, Americano, and Mocha.
Differences Between Black Coffee and Milk Coffee
The following are few of the major differences in the debate of Black Coffee vs Milk Coffee.
Caffeine Content
To be vhonest, black coffee and milk coffee do not differ in terms of the amount of caffeine they contain. They differ in terms of the amount of caffeine you consume. To explain it a bit further, both a cup of milk coffee and a cup of black coffee have an espresso shot. Both the espresso shots contain the same amount of caffeine. A plain cup of black coffee can have about 96 mg of caffeine.
However, since you add milk to your coffee, you dilute the caffeine. If you were drinking a cup of espresso, you are now drinking half ¾ of a cup of espresso, because ¼ of the cup is milk. You are drinking less caffeine per cup.
This is the primary reason you feel more energized after a cup of black coffee. However, this isn’t always true. Your caffeine content is decreased if you have to remove the espresso from the cup to make space for the milk, however, if you are adding milk on top of the entire cup of espresso, your caffeine intake remains the same.
In conclusion, the caffeine intake depends on the amount of espresso you consume, and not on whether or not you add milk to your coffee. Follow our guide to caffeine content in a cup of coffee to learn more about your caffeine intake.
Nutritional Value
When it comes to nutritional value, calories are the biggest concern people have. It comes as no surprise people choose black coffee over milk coffee when they are conscious about gaining weight. A cup of milk coffee has about 24x more calories than a cup of black coffee. A cup of black coffee has about 4 calories, whereas a cup of milk coffee has about 60 calories per cup, without sugar. Each spoonful of sugar adds about 15 more calories to this value. Milk coffee made with sachet has around 110 calories.
However, other components are important to consider. While milk coffee has more calories because of the milk and sugar, the milk also gives it a higher calcium content.
Both black coffee and milk coffee have antioxidant properties, but black coffee contains more niacin, while milk coffee has more vitamin B6, Vitamin B16, Folate, Riboflavin, and pantothenic acid.
The potassium content in milk coffee is more than three times the potassium content of black coffee. A cup of black coffee has 5.1 g of sugar, which is added as a sweetener, while plain black coffee has no sugar in it. This is why it tastes so bitter. Iron content in both types of coffee is the same.
If you are a hardcore fan of black coffee, you should follow our guide to strongest type of coffee and kickstart your day in an exceptional manner.
Nutritional Value of Black Coffee vs Milk Coffee | ||
| Nutritional Component | Black Coffee | Milk Coffee |
| Calories | 4 Kcal Per Cup | 60 Kcal Per Cup |
| Carbohydrates | 0.17 g Per 100 g | 4.8 g Per 100 g |
| Sugar | Insignificant amount | 5.1 g Per 100 g |
| Protein | 0.3 g Per 100 g | 3.3 g Per 100 g |
| Calcium | 2mg Per 100 g | 120 mg Per 100 g |
| Iron | 0.02 mg Per 100 g | 0.02 mg Per 100 g |
| Potassium | 50 mg Per 100 g | 140 mg Per 100 g |
Health Benefits
While both types of coffee offer the same caffeine amount, they differ when it comes to health benefits. Broadly speaking, black coffee offers a lot more benefits compared to milk coffee. For example, black coffee enhances brain activity, helps boost memory, and protect it in the long term. Drinking a cup of black coffee every day can help prevent memory loss problems later in life.
Since black coffee gives you more caffeine, you stay more alert than with a cup of milk coffee. Also, black coffee can help improve your heart health. Since coffee is a stimulant, drinking a cup of black coffee increases your heart rate and blood pressure. This improves the health of your heart, in the same way, exercise does. Drinking a cup of black coffee can decrease your chances of stroke and other heart-related problems, according to a recent study.
Black coffee also flushes out a lot of toxins from your body by the process of urination. Not just this, but drinking black coffee can also prevent liver cirrhosis, hepatitis, and other such problems. Black coffee improves your liver’s overall health.
Nonetheless, you will find milk coffee has its benefits too. Black coffee can cause heartburn, and milk coffee helps prevent this. Black coffee has high acidity, and having such a high concentration of coffee can make your urine acidic. This is not the case with milk coffee, because the caffeine is diluted because of milk.
If you are drinking black coffee and it is causing you acidity, increase your consumption of cucumbers, carrots, oatmeal, and brown rice.
Methods to Prepare the Coffee
Black coffee can be made using a lot of different methods. You can use a coffee maker to make an espresso, use instant coffee, a French press, the pour-over method, or the countless other coffee brewing methods used throughout the world. All you need to do is empty the brew into the cup.
Milk coffee, on the other hand, requires more work and preparation, but it gives you more choices, and recipes too. You need to add milk to your coffee, and whole milk serves best for this purpose. This milk has to be frothed before it can be added to the coffee.
Different coffee recipes require different ratios of milk to foam. You can also add chocolate syrup, sugar, marshmallows and so much more to come up with new coffee recipes. There are plenty of ways to sweeten your coffee without sugar. The ease of preparation is one of the major differences between black coffee and milk coffee.
Cost
Black coffee is cheaper when compared with milk coffee because there is no cost of milk, creamers, and sugar. Black coffee is the cheapest option in the market. All you need to do is buy the coffee beans. Water is readily available, and you can brew it very easily using several methods.
With milk coffee, you need to buy milk or creamer, and sugar regularly.
What Coffee Should You Consume at Different Times of the Day?
Black coffee is the best choice in the morning because the concentrated caffeine helps you keep awake throughout the day. However, you should have milk coffee in the evening. This is because the high caffeine amount of coffee at night can cause insomnia. A lot of caffeine at night can mess with your circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is the cycle that regulates the time you sleep and stay awake. When this rhythm is affected by any number of factors, your sleep schedule is messed up. This causes insomnia.
Summary
The following table provides a quick overview on the debate of black coffee vs milk coffee.
| Differences Between Black Coffee and Coffee With Milk | ||
| Type of Coffee | Black Coffee | Milk Coffee |
| Taste | Bitter | Mild to Sweet |
| Caffeine Content | Higher Non-Diluted Caffeine | Higher Diluted Caffeine |
| Cost | Cheap | Slightly Expensive |
| Health Benefits | – Flushes Out Toxins – Prevents Cancer and Hepatitis – Enhances Brain Performance – Improves Heart Rate and Liver Health – Helps in Weight Control | – Prevents Heartburn – Prevents Acidity – Enhances Brain Performance – Source of Calcium – Prevent Esophageal Cancer |
| Nutritional Content | – Only 4 Calories Per Cup – Lower Carbs, Fat, and Sugar Content | – 60 Calories Per Cup – Higher Carbs, Fat, and Sugar Content |
| Suitable Timing For Consumption | Start of the Day | Evening or Mid of the Day |
Conclusion
Both of these types of coffee are both very popular with coffee lovers. However, there are a lot of differences between black coffee and milk coffee. While these factors do play an important part in your choice of coffee, the ultimate decision should lie with your taste preference. Black coffee has a strong bitter taste, while milk coffee is sweeter and creamier. It is the bitter taste of black coffee, which has made it less popular than milk coffee. Veteran coffee lovers may love black coffee, but most people that drink coffee prefer the addition of milk to their brew.
