Quick answer: Lemon coffee is simply coffee mixed with lemon juice, often served over ice. It’s a refreshing drink with roots in the Algerian and Portuguese mazagran, but there’s no evidence that adding lemon helps you lose weight, cures headaches or improves your skin. Any benefits come from the coffee itself. Because both coffee and lemon are acidic, go easy on your teeth.
Lemon coffee went viral on social media as a “fat-burning” morning drink. It’s a nice drink, and lemon is a classic partner for iced coffee. The health claims don’t hold up, though. Here’s what lemon coffee is, what it can and can’t do, and how to make it.
In this guide 6 sections
What is lemon coffee?
Lemon coffee is coffee mixed with fresh lemon juice, usually sweetened and often poured over ice. Its best-known ancestor is the mazagran, a cold, sweetened coffee drink from Algeria. According to Wikipedia, French soldiers in Algeria in the late 1830s and 1840s drank coffee mixed with cold water, and later asked Paris cafés to serve it as “café mazagran.” Portuguese versions may add espresso, lemon, mint, sugar syrup and sometimes rum. It has been described as “the original iced coffee.”
Does lemon coffee help you lose weight?
No. There’s no evidence that adding lemon to coffee causes weight loss. Coffee on its own has a small effect: a meta-analysis of 13 small trials found that caffeine might promote modest reductions in weight and body fat. Lemon adds nothing proven to that, and the sugar many recipes call for adds calories. Our guide to coffee and weight loss covers what actually helps.
Is lemon coffee good for you?
Any benefits come from the coffee. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reports that moderate coffee drinking is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some other conditions, and that sugar and cream can offset those benefits. No studies have tested lemon coffee itself, so claims about better skin or relief from headaches and migraines are unproven. If you get frequent headaches, see a doctor rather than relying on a home remedy. For the full evidence on coffee, read is coffee good for you?
Side effects of lemon coffee
The main concern is your teeth. The American Dental Association’s MouthHealthy site warns that acidic foods and drinks wear away tooth enamel and that “tooth erosion is permanent.” Lemon juice and lemonade are more acidic than water. To protect your teeth, the ADA suggests:
- Having acidic drinks with a meal rather than on their own
- Rinsing with water afterwards
- Using a straw and not holding the drink in your mouth
- Waiting an hour before brushing
Lemon coffee also contains the same caffeine as regular coffee. The FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for healthy adults. If coffee gives you heartburn, a low-acid coffee may suit you better.
How do you make lemon coffee?
What you need
- Ice (large cubes melt more slowly)
- 1 cup of black coffee, brewed however you like, or a double espresso
- Juice of half to one lemon, to taste
- Sugar, simple syrup or honey, to taste (optional)
- A lemon wedge or peel to garnish (optional)
Steps
- Fill a glass with ice.
- Brew the coffee. I like using a stovetop espresso maker for this because it’s quick and strong enough to stand up to the ice.
- Pour the hot coffee over the ice and let it chill.
- Stir in the lemon juice and sweetener to taste.
- Garnish with lemon peel or a wedge.
I enjoy this in the morning with a light roast, because the lemon cuts the bitterness and lets the brighter flavours come through.
Frequently asked questions
What does lemon coffee taste like?
Bright and tart, a bit like a coffee lemonade. Sweetener balances the sourness. Light roasts pair best because their fruity notes match the lemon.
Can you add lemon to hot coffee?
Yes, though most versions, including mazagran, are served cold. Start with a small squeeze, as lemon can make hot coffee taste sour quickly.
This article is for general information and isn’t medical advice.
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