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Nothing wakes you up, and makes you happier about being awake in the first place, than a cup of coffee. It smells incredible while brewing, tastes like heaven, and gives us a necessary boost of energy. Then there's the dreaded coffee breath that sticks around well after you've finished your cup. Not so divine.
But once you understand what causes coffee to leave behind an, erm, undesirable essence, you can combat it really easily—like why-haven't-I-been-doing-this-forever?!–level easy. And no, it has nothing to do with whether you're drinking hot coffee, a latte, cold-brew, or iced coffee.
So why do we get coffee breath to begin with? The caffeine we love for its jumpstarting qualities also reduces saliva production, causing dry mouth. This the first issue because saliva helps clear out the gunk in our mouths that leads to bad breath. The next issue is coffee's acidity levels, which lowers your mouth's pH and allows odor-causing bacteria to grow. Then there's the double-hitter of adding milk and sugar, both of which are bacteria breeders and can contribute to sour-milk aromas, according to a 2003 study. All of this results in the not-so-nice morning breath.
To avoid it, cut out milk and sugar, which harbor the bad-breath bacteria. Then eat an apple, which contains enzymes that kill the same bacteria. And don't forget to drink a good amount of water, which will combat the dry-mouth effect in the first place. Now we guess you can feel free to hit your local coffee shop for a second cup.
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