Is coffee gluten free?

The first known accounts of people roasting coffee beans to make the stimulating beverage date from the middle of the 15th century in Yemen. The tree that bears the berries whose dried seeds are called coffee beans was cultivated in Horn of Africa countries such as Ethiopia and Somaliland. The name coffee comes from the Arabic word qahwah, and the drink was popularised by Arab and Ottoman cultures.

Coffee beans are roasted and then ground, which allows the flavour to be extracted by brewing. Different methods create different kinds of coffee, and this black infusion can then be sweetened and combined with milk or other ingredients to create the panoply of coffee options we have today. Which is your brew?

Cappuccino

Created in Vienna in the 1800s, kapuziner, later known as cappuccino, saw milk added to coffee until the colour of the drink resembled the brown colour of monks’ Capuchin robes. A modern-day cappuccino typically comprises a single shot of espresso, with textured milk and a centimeter of foam, upon which many baristas create artistic images.

Espresso

Espresso is a way of brewing coffee, developed in late 19th-century Italy, in which boiling water is forced under pressure through fine-ground coffee. The result is a thick, strong brew, which can be drunk black or flavoured with cream or other kinds of milk product.

Americano

Americano is an espresso combined with water, possibly named after a method deployed by US troops stationed in Italy in World War Two who found the local espresso too strong for their tastes.

Flat white

A flat white is espresso with steamed, foamed milk poured on top to create a smooth and velvety texture and creamy taste.

Iced coffee

There are as many ways of serving coffee cold as there are versions of the hot drink. Italian coffee bars have long prepared caffè freddo, espresso kept in a freezer and served with an icy slush. Recent years have seen an explosion of cold coffees with milk, cream, whipped cream and syrups or other sweet additives.

Cold brew

Cold brew coffee is when coffee grounds are steeped in cold water for several hours or overnight obtaining a sweeter taste. Once filtered, it is ready to serve cold.

Macchiato

Macchiato means marked or stained in Italian and refers to the adding of just enough milk to an espresso to lighten the colour. Far less austere is the caramel macchiato, made popular by Starbucks and popular with capsule coffee machine drinkers, which includes vanilla and caramel flavourings.

Coffee beans are vegan, being the seeds of a berry. Clearly, adding cow's milk or cream alters matters entirely, part of the reason for the rise of alternative milk products such as soy milk and oat milk, with the latter considered by many to blend well with the flavour of coffee.

Some people with a sensitive digestive system , for example those who suffer from IBS may find that their gut is irritated by caffeine, producing symptoms of cramping and diarrhoea.

Powdered creamers and some sweeteners sometimes added to coffee could contain wheat starch or a similar gluten containing product. This is particularly relevant if you are purchasing coffee from a vending machine, where such ingredients are likely to be used.

Another area in which caution is needed is with flavoured coffees, blends which come with added chocolate, caramel or other aromas combined with the coffea bean.

Coffee lovers don't have to stop at merely drinking their favourite brewed bean, with a huge variety of recipes for coffee cake and other desserts.

Why not whip up some gluten free chocolate crêpes with coffee cream or a classic tiramisú to round off a meal - plus a nice coffee, of course!