8 August 2026 · 4 min read
a lot of «common knowledge» has grown up around coffee that's actually false or half-true. let's calmly go through ten of the most common myths — no snobbery, just to see the picture more clearly.
myth 1: dark roast = stronger and more caffeine
no. a dark roast's «strength» is flavour (bitter-edged depth, body), not caffeine dose. by bean weight a dark roast has even slightly less caffeine (some is destroyed). a drink's strength is set by the recipe (how much coffee and water), not the bean's colour.
myth 2: espresso is the most caffeinated drink
a serving of espresso (~30 ml) usually has less caffeine than a filter cup (~250 ml) — simply because of volume. espresso is more concentrated per millilitre, but there's little of it.
myth 3: coffee dehydrates you
moderate coffee does NOT cause dehydration. yes, caffeine has a mild diuretic effect, but the fluid in the coffee itself more than makes up for it. a cup of coffee counts toward your daily water balance.
myth 4: arabica is always better than robusta
specialty is mostly arabica, and it's usually more complex and sweeter. but robusta can be high quality and is prized in some espresso blends for body and dense crema. «arabica on the bag» alone doesn't guarantee quality.
myth 5: beans glossy with oil are fresh
on the contrary, that's more often a sign of a very dark (sometimes over-roasted) roast, or that oils have already surfaced with ageing. freshness is set by the roast DATE, not by shine.
myth 6: coffee should be stored in the fridge
no — there's moisture and stray smells there that coffee greedily absorbs. the right way: airtight, dark, cool, away from odours (see the separate storage article).
myth 7: specialty is just «expensive coffee»/marketing
specialty is measurable quality (a score of 80+ on the sca scale) and traceability, not a badge. the difference is audible in the cup, especially next to mass-market coffee.
myth 8: the fresher the roast the better — drink it at once
freshly roasted beans «gas» for a few days (releasing co2), and brewed right away they extract unevenly. filter usually needs ~7+ days of rest, espresso ~10–21. freshness matters, but so does rest.
myth 9: bitter coffee = strong and «real»
bitterness usually means not «strength» but a mistake: over-roasted beans, too fine a grind, overheated water, dirty equipment. good coffee can be rich and almost non-bitter.
myth 10: an expensive machine = tasty coffee
the machine is secondary. without fresh beans, a burr grinder and decent water, even an expensive machine gives a mediocre result. invest first in beans, a grinder and water.
in short
most «coffee truths» are simplifications or outdated ideas. the key to keep in mind: taste is decided by fresh beans, grind, water and recipe — not by bean colour, machine price or loud words. the rest are details that are fun to test on your own palate.