Does Coffee Raise Cholesterol? Filtered vs Unfiltered Coffee

Does coffee raise cholesterol? It can, but the answer depends far more on how you brew it than on how much you drink. Coffee beans contain natural oils called diterpenes, mainly cafestol and kahweol, that can raise LDL cholesterol. A paper filter traps almost all of them. Boiled, unfiltered and some machine-brewed coffees let much more through.

This article explains what the research shows, ranks common brewing methods by how many of these compounds they deliver, and gives you practical choices if your cholesterol is something you and your doctor are watching.

Key takeaways

• Caffeine is not what raises cholesterol. The culprits are cafestol and kahweol, oily compounds found in the bean.
• Paper-filtered coffee contains very little cafestol. Boiled coffee, French press and many office brewing machines contain much more.
• A 2025 Swedish study found that coffee from most workplace brewing machines it tested had cafestol levels well above paper-filtered coffee.
• A meta-analysis of randomized trials found coffee raised total and LDL cholesterol, with larger effects for unfiltered coffee.
• If you have high cholesterol, talk to your doctor and consider switching your daily cups to a paper-filtered method.

In this article

1. The real culprits: cafestol and kahweol
2. What the studies show
3. Brewing methods ranked
4. The 2025 workplace machine study
5. What about espresso?
6. Practical choices for your daily cup
7. FAQ

The real culprits: cafestol and kahweol

Cafestol and kahweol belong to a family of compounds called diterpenes. They sit in the oily fraction of the coffee bean, the same oils that give a French press its slightly glossy surface. Researchers have known since the 1980s and early 1990s that Scandinavian-style boiled coffee raised blood cholesterol, and later work traced the effect to these diterpenes, with cafestol considered the more potent of the two.

Two details matter for you:

• They have nothing to do with caffeine. Decaf beans still contain the oils, so switching to decaf alone does not solve the issue if the brewing method stays the same.
• They are trapped by paper. Paper filters hold back the oily droplets and fine particles that carry diterpenes. Metal mesh filters, cloth with large pores and no filter at all let much more through.

What the studies show

Randomized trials

A 2012 meta-analysis in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition pooled 12 randomized controlled trials with 1,017 participants. On average, drinking coffee raised total cholesterol by about 8 mg/dL and LDL cholesterol by about 5 mg/dL over the trial periods. The rise in total cholesterol was larger in trials that used unfiltered coffee, and higher intakes were linked to larger changes.

Large population studies

In 2020, a Norwegian study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology followed more than 500,000 adults for an average of about 20 years. People who drank filtered coffee had lower death rates from any cause than non-drinkers, with the lowest rates among those having one to four cups a day. Filtered coffee was also associated with lower cardiovascular mortality than unfiltered coffee. The authors pointed to the cholesterol-raising substances in unfiltered coffee as a likely part of the explanation.

Keep in mind that this kind of study shows associations, not proof of cause and effect. Coffee drinkers differ from non-drinkers in many ways, and coffee intake was measured only once. Still, the pattern fits neatly with what the trials show about diterpenes.

Brewing methods ranked

The 2025 Swedish study measured cafestol in several brewing methods, which gives a useful side-by-side comparison. Values are concentrations in the brewed coffee, in milligrams per liter. Lower is better if you are watching LDL.

Source: Orrje et al., Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 2025. These are measurements from one study and a limited number of samples, so treat them as a guide to the size of the differences rather than exact values for your own cup.

Not tested in that study, but sharing the same logic: Turkish coffee, cowboy coffee and Scandinavian kokekaffe are boiled with the grounds and belong at the high end. Pour-over cones with paper filters behave like drip filter coffee and sit at the low end.

The 2025 workplace machine study

Researchers from Uppsala University and Chalmers University of Technology sampled coffee from 14 workplace machines in Sweden over several months. Most of the coffee from the common brewing machines, the kind that grind and brew each cup, contained cafestol levels far above those of paper-filtered coffee, and levels varied between machines and over time. Machines that mix coffee from a liquid concentrate had low levels, similar to drip filter coffee.

The authors modeled a scenario: someone drinking three cups a day, five workdays a week, who switched from brewing-machine coffee to paper-filtered coffee. They estimated LDL cholesterol could fall by roughly 0.58 mmol/L (about 22 mg/dL). This is a calculated estimate, not a measured result, and the researchers themselves said a controlled study would be needed to confirm the real effect. Still, it is a useful reminder that the coffee you drink every working day adds up.

What about espresso?

Espresso had the highest concentration in the Swedish samples, but a shot is small. A 30 ml single espresso contains far less liquid than a 200 ml mug of French press, so the amount of cafestol per serving can end up in a similar range or lower, depending on the shot. The study only included four espresso samples with a huge spread, so the evidence here is thin.

If you drink one or two espressos a day, the volume is modest. If you drink many double shots or long drinks built on multiple shots, the total rises. That is a conversation worth having with your doctor if your LDL is high.

Practical choices for your daily cup

You do not need to give up coffee to manage cholesterol, and many people with healthy cholesterol never need to think about this at all. If your doctor has flagged your LDL, these adjustments are simple:

1. Make paper-filtered coffee your default. Drip machines with paper filters, pour-over cones and AeroPress with a paper disc all keep diterpenes low.
2. Keep French press, Turkish and boiled coffee as occasional treats rather than your three-a-day habit.
3. Check the office machine. If it is a bean-to-cup brewer, bringing your own paper-filtered coffee is an easy swap.
4. Remember decaf has the oils too. The filter matters, not the caffeine.
5. Watch what goes in the cup. Cream, whipped toppings and sweet syrups add saturated fat and sugar, which matter for overall heart health.
6. Get your levels checked. A blood test tells you more than any general rule.

Brewing great paper-filtered coffee

Some people avoid paper filters because they think the cup tastes thin. It does not have to. Use fresh beans, a 1:16 ratio (about 20 g of coffee to 320 ml of water), a medium grind and water just off the boil. Choosing coffees with natural sweetness and body helps a lot. Our Breakfast Blend is a smooth medium roast of South American beans with nutty notes, a natural match for a drip machine. If you prefer exploring origins, the Single Origins collection offers bright and fruity options that really shine in a pour-over. Every bag is roasted 1–5 days before delivery, and our Standard grind is made for drip brewers. For more on why fresh beans taste better, see fresh roasted coffee vs supermarket coffee.

Coffee and cholesterol FAQ

Does black coffee raise cholesterol?

Black coffee contains no fat or cholesterol itself, but unfiltered black coffee contains cafestol and kahweol, which can raise LDL. Paper-filtered black coffee contains very little of these compounds.

Is French press coffee bad for cholesterol?

French press lets through considerably more cafestol than paper-filtered coffee. If your LDL is high, many experts suggest choosing a paper filter for most of your cups.

Does decaf coffee raise cholesterol?

Decaf beans still contain the oily diterpenes. Brewed through a paper filter, decaf has little of them; unfiltered decaf can carry them just like regular coffee.

Is instant coffee OK if I watch my cholesterol?

The research on instant coffee is more limited than for brewed methods. If this is a concern for you, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian for advice tailored to your situation.

How long does it take for cholesterol to change after switching?

In trials, changes in blood lipids appeared over weeks of drinking a given type of coffee. Your doctor can recheck your levels after a few months of a new routine.

Sources

1. Orrje E. et al. Cafestol and kahweol concentrations in workplace machine coffee compared with conventional brewing methods, Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 2025.
2. Cholesterol-elevating substances in coffee from machines at work, Uppsala University press release, 2025.
3. Cai L. et al. The effect of coffee consumption on serum lipids: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012.
4. Tverdal A. et al. Coffee brewing and mortality in Norway, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2020 (summary via ScienceDaily).
5. van Dusseldorp M. et al. Cholesterol-raising factor from boiled coffee does not pass a paper filter, Arteriosclerosis and Thrombosis, 1991.

Facts checked in October 2026.

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, ask your doctor before changing your caffeine intake.

Keep reading: Benefits of caffeine · Fresh roasted vs supermarket coffee · Shop Single Origins