Hangover No More: My Top Coffee Picks for Recovery

Regardless of any brand, black coffee tends to be the best coffee for a hangover.

If your stomach can’t deal with black coffee, you can use some milk but avoid all kinds of sweeteners, as this requires your liver to work more, which is already pressurized due to excessive consumption of alcohol.

By the time you find yourself getting up in the morning with a heavy head and upset stomach from a bad hangover, you should have a plan for getting over the symptoms. One component of the typical hangover treatment is a cup of coffee– but does it really work?

Keep reading to learn whether coffee is effective in dealing with your hangovers and if yes then which brands offer the best coffees for helping you get over your hangovers.

Can Coffee Help In Hangovers?

The first concern to talk about is whether coffee helps in shortening hangover duration or soothing some of the overindulgence’s effects. The answer to this might not be that straightforward.

While some studies do indicate that people who drank a lot of black coffee experienced a decrease in the sedating effect of alcohol.

Most of the studies are a little more ambiguous regarding the effect of coffee on dealing with hangovers. While the caffeine in coffee might help in reducing some of the fatigue of drinking too much alcohol, it should also be noted that coffee can be dehydrating, just like alcohol is. 

Therefore, it is also possible that it may further dehydrate the body, potentially prolonging certain symptoms of a hangover.

The studies that go with the benefits of consuming coffee to treat a hangover suggest that caffeine and some other compounds present in coffee can help to achieve a few things: reduce hangover headache and fatigue and stimulate the metabolic processes of the body to help it clear out byproducts of alcohol. 

My Verdict: A cup of coffee will certainly not cure your hangover outright, but a nice brew can surely help take some of the stings out. Just make sure to drink a glass of freshwater along with it.

Why Is Black Coffee Best For Hangovers?

When you are going through a hangover, the recommended coffee that you can consume is black.

But why black coffee and not a double mocha lait frappé? After all, both contain caffeine in them, which is the prime ingredient that helps block adenosine, a component responsible for the alcohol-induced headache.

Black Coffee Is Basically Just Water

Black coffee is almost 98% water. The biggest problem that a person faces during a hangover is dehydration. And a dehydrated body requires water.

Previously, it was believed that only water can be counted towards your daily requirement of eight glasses, but that’s no longer correct. Coffee and tea also count towards your rehydration. 

So yes, it is always better to gulp on some water while waiting for your morning hangover coffee to be ready. But drinking black coffee will also add to your much-needed hydration too. 

Black Coffee Doesn’t Overwork Your Liver

Your liver is put through so much pressure when you drink alcohol, and some of its cells even die. So your liver shouldn’t be given more work to do, such as processing sugar which can also lead to liver disease.

Nor do all alternative sweeteners let your liver rest. Thus, it is best to avoid all kinds of sweeteners in your hangover coffee. 

The following table compares Milk coffee with Black coffee.

You can see that Black coffee provides an equal amount of caffeine while filtering the carbs and sugar out of your hangover drink.

To know more about black coffee and its benefits, have a look at my other article here.

Is Stronger Coffee Better For A Hangover?

People have different opinions regarding what strength coffee is best for a hangover. However, the studies pointing benefits of drinking coffee in a hangover all seem to indicate that people drink the same strength of coffee as they usually do. The only difference would be eliminating or reducing any additives, such as milk and sweeteners from the coffee.

It’s tricky as caffeine can also give some people a headache if they are not used to drinking it or are drinking it in excessive amounts.

So, if you are someone who usually drinks 3-5 cups of coffee in a day, sure, having 5 cups on your hangover day might help you. You might also find that a slightly stronger cup of coffee makes more difference. 

But if you are not a regular coffee drinker and suddenly slam back on a robust expresso, you might not obtain the positive results you were expecting. So it would be much wiser for you to go for a weak coffee.

Best Coffees For Hangovers

If we talk about brands that offer coffee to overcome your hangover symptoms, then my top picks are:

Gevalia House Blend Medium Roast

Gevalia is known worldwide for blending coffee beans from different regions into smooth and unique tasting coffee. Their House Blend is the prime example of their reputation.

Though it might not be easy to find this roast in whole bean form while you’re going through a hangover, you would not want to indulge in the task of grinding your coffee before you brew it.

However, freshly ground coffee beans taste magical. As long as you take care to brew your coffee immediately, you’ll be able to avoid stale flavors in favor of notes of chocolate, caramel, and light citrus to perk you back up.

Seattle’s Best Portside Blend

This blend is a bit more bracing than the Gevalia House blend, with quite a bolder roast. However, Seattle’s Best Portside Blend manages well to balance out roast and acidity in a way that produces a well-balanced and smooth cup.

It’s smooth and full-bodied without being too rich and heavy with just enough acidity to keep the taste of your coffee.

Stone Street Cold Brew Medium Roast

Cold-brew is certainly a refreshing way to caffeinate while sweating with your hangovers. This blend of Stone Street Coffee Company is particularly created for cold brew, and with a medium roast, you experience an even less acidic and more balanced result, ideal for helping you get over the blues of hangover. 

Other Treatments For Hangovers

Well, it’s not wrong to say that time is the only sure cure for a hangover. However, in the meantime, you can do these few things to help yourself feel better:

• Fill your water bottle. Keep on drinking water or fruit juice to avoid dehydration. Resist any temptation to deal your hangover with more alcohol. It’ll only end up making you feel worse.
• Have a snack. Bland foods, such as crackers or toast, may boost your blood sugar levels and help your stomach get settled. Clear broth can also help replace lost potassium and salt in the body.
• Take a pain reliever. Taking a standard dose of a pain reliever may help ease your headache. But it should also be noted that aspirin can irritate your stomach. And if you regularly consume alcohol in large amounts, acetaminophen (Tylenol) may cause severe liver damage even in doses that were previously assumed to be safe.
• Go back to bed. If you will keep sleeping for long time, chances are your hangover may be gone when you awaken.

You can watch the following video to learn more about how you can treat your hangovers.

To Sum It All Up

While this might be true that there may not be a sure-fire cure for hangovers yet, coffee can relieve some of your symptoms while you wait it out. But of course, pay attention to the way your body responds to coffee during a hangover and then consume it accordingly.

Not everyone receives the same response to consuming coffee in a hangover, while it may be a miracle worker for some, others may not possibly experience any relief or even feel their symptoms getting worse after drinking coffee in a hangover.

In that case, it’s always better to go for other treatments that may help you feel better.

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