Should You Add Salt To Your Coffee? A Discussion on the Pros and Cons (3 of 3)

Prefer espresso-based drinks like the latte or cortado? Salt can work wonders for them too! You would just want to be sure to add it to the espresso before applying the frothy milk. A pinch of salt can also enhance the rich chocolatey flavors of cacao and mochas. Honey- and caramel-flavoured drinks pair up well with salt too.

When Shouldn’t You Add Salt?

Although adding salt to coffee can be a good way of reducing bitterness and bringing out the coffee’s natural, sweet flavors, be aware that this isn’t always the case. In fact, depending on the quality of the beans, adding salt can completely backfire and produce something that tastes really awful.

David Jameson, founder of Danelaw Specialty Coffees, has noted when he will and won’t add salt to his coffee. For instance, when he took part in the UK Coffee in Good Spirits Championship in 2015, he added a couple of drops of salt solution to enhance the taste of an exclusive type of coffee which beans were grown on a farm in Panama. He ended up winning the contest. On the other hand, he said he wouldn’t automatically add salt to a type of rare Yemeni coffee that he bought at auction. The main takeaway is that while salt can be helpful, the best quality beans don’t require it in order to taste great, and in fact the salt can negatively affect the flavor complexity of such beans.