Low-Acid Coffee Breakthrough: Acid Reflux Sufferers No Longer Must Miss Their Daily Buzz

13/05/06 WOODLAND, Calif. -- A coffee new to the supermarket shelves has been found by researchers to be over 50% lower in acid than other leading coffees, even those mass marketed as "stomach-friendly." This breakthrough effectively allows millions of Americans who've been advised to avoid coffee to once again enjoy the flavor, aroma and caffeine of authentic coffee.

"This is revolutionary news for the coffee industry, we believe, with the rise in acid reflux sufferers in the aging baby boom population," observed Kerry Sachs, co-founder of Puroast Low-Acid Coffee. "Puroast delivers the caffeine and great gourmet coffee taste that people crave without the stomach problems caused by high acidity."

In a study completed late last year by Dr. Takayuki Shibamoto, professor in the Department of Environmental Toxicology at the University of California at Davis, both pH and concentrations of certain acid groups were measured for several brands of coffee, including Puroast(R). Puroast Low-Acid Coffee was found to have a chemistry and pH reflecting a significantly lower acidity than the other brands tested. One key acid group was more than half its normal concentration. This was true of both caffeinated and decaffeinated varieties of Puroast.

"The majority of consumers' concerns about coffee drinking are the acid reflux symptoms caused by coffee's acidic components, such as chlorogenic acids," noted Dr. Shibamoto. "Doctors tend to recommend that patients with acid reflux limit coffee intake. Therefore, it is important to discover a coffee with low acid content."

Dr. Shibamoto is well known in the coffee industry for his previous findings regarding the antioxidative benefits of coffee drinking, including possible cancer-fighting effects. His research has been documented in academic and industry publications.

While the current research makes no direct connection between the chemical make up of Puroast coffee and consumer response, Puroast's internal studies indicate that 85% of people previously unable to tolerate the acidity of popular brands experience symptom relief with Puroast.

Initially launched in the late 1990's as a traditional coffee product, Puroast's foray into the low-acid niche followed several years of customer feedback about the smooth taste and easy digestion of the beverage. As sales of low-acid orange juices introduced in 2002 by Minute Maid and Tropicana skyrocketed to $100 million in just two years, Puroast began to recognize the opportunity to serve and market to the estimated 15 million Americans living with acid reflux and related ailments.

"When we re-launched as solely a low-acid coffee product, we knew that the combination of Puroast(R)'s smooth taste and health benefits would potentially attract millions of consumers worldwide," recalled Sachs. "But the outcome of Dr. Shibimoto's research really solidifies this potential."

The company's products are distributed nationwide to large grocery retailers via Tree of Life Distributors, and also are available on-line at http://www.puroast.com.