Why coffee is washed down with water: not a whim, but a necessity

Many coffee shops serve a glass of water with a cup of coffee. Some believe that this helps to better reveal the taste of the drink, others are sure that it's all about fashion that originated centuries ago. Both are right in some ways, but coffee is washed down with water for an even more serious reason related to the characteristics of our body.

Each of us can easily name the main drinks that are made from coffee beans: Americano, cappuccino, espresso and latte. There are dozens of other options that real coffee gourmets can tell you about. Despite all the diversity, the composition of coffee beans does not differ in any way – the only difference is in taste.

But freeze-dried, that is, instant drinks are a completely different matter. They differ from coffee beans both in taste and in their effect on the body. The fact is that when coffee is made from beans, they are ground whole, along with a shell rich in caffeine. It is an alkaloid that has a pronounced tonic effect on the body. And the grain itself contains another important component – theobromine.

For instant coffee, only the grain itself containing theobromine is used. The shell is removed and medicines and energy products are produced from it, which are based on caffeine. Drinking coffee beans, we get a dose of caffeine and theobromine, which have different effects on the body.

First, caffeine begins to work, causing the same state of vivacity that we all expect from coffee. It acts independently for about 25 minutes, and after that theobromine comes into play. Caffeine narrows blood vessels, except for those that are in the kidneys – there, on the contrary, they expand. This causes an increase in blood pressure and the urge to urinate.

When theobromine begins to act, the state of vivacity is replaced by drowsiness. It happens that it is also joined by unpleasant, pulling sensations in the kidneys. This suggests that the situation has changed radically – the caffeine has stopped working and the blood vessels in the whole body have expanded, and in the kidneys they have narrowed.

This is not a very good phenomenon for these organs, so blood circulation needs to be restored. It is to neutralize the action of theobromine that every sip of coffee is recommended to be washed down with a sip of water. We drink without knowing that we are helping our kidneys to cope with an unnecessary load.

Instant coffee has a completely different mechanism of action, since there is very little caffeine in it – no more than 10%. But there is plenty of theobromine in it, which means that there may not be a tonic effect at all, but there will certainly be drowsiness. Truckers are well aware of the so-called "effect of the thirtieth kilometer", when 30 km after stopping and drinking coffee, they begin to feel very sleepy. This continues for about half an hour and, of course, theobromine is to blame for this.

During short stops, drivers usually buy instant coffee and therefore get the opposite effect from the drink. Doctors advise you to drink either coffee beans or to give up the drink altogether and just drink a glass of clean water. This will have a much more positive effect on the body than freeze-dried coffee. Another alternative is tea. There is less caffeine in it, but there is no theobromine at all.

There are two other reasons to drink coffee with water, and both are also related to health. First, taking a sip of water after coffee, we dilute the caffeine contained in it, which can be important for people who have heart problems. Secondly, as you know, coffee causes the deposition of tartar and simply contributes to a change in the color of teeth. Water helps to reduce this effect, as it washes the teeth and partially removes the coffee plaque.

What about the taste? After all, many people are sure that drinking coffee with water, they improve its taste? You can calm these gourmets – this effect is actually present. It works not only with coffee, but also with any other flavored drink or culinary dish. Taking a sip of water, we wash the taste buds and the already blunted taste returns.