For generations, coffee has been more than a morning pick-me-up. It has been part of the ritual of getting to work, getting outside, sitting down with friends, or simply starting the day with something crafted by hand.
Now, new research from Finland is giving coffee drinkers another reason to be interested in what happens inside the body after that morning cup.
A 2026 study from researchers at the University of Oulu examined habitual coffee consumption in 2,264 adults from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. The researchers looked at coffee intake alongside body composition, metabolic markers, and sex hormones.
One of the most interesting findings?
Men who regularly consumed more coffee tended to have higher levels of total and bioavailable testosterone.
But—as with most nutrition research—the story is more complicated than simply saying, “Coffee raises testosterone.”
What Did the Study Find?
The study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, examined adults who were all 46 years old. Researchers compared habitual coffee consumption with a variety of metabolic and hormonal measurements. (Springer)
Participants who consumed more coffee tended to have:
- Lower total body fat
- Lower visceral fat
- Greater skeletal muscle mass
- Lower circulating branched-chain amino acids, which have been associated with insulin resistance
- More favorable glucose-insulin markers in men
Interestingly, BMI was relatively similar between coffee-consumption groups. In other words, the differences weren’t simply explained by people with lower BMI drinking more coffee.
But the most attention-grabbing finding involved hormones.
Coffee and Testosterone: The Male Connection
Among men, higher habitual coffee consumption was associated with higher total testosterone, higher bioavailable testosterone, and higher sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG).
After researchers adjusted for BMI, education, smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption, the association with total testosterone remained statistically significant.
The researchers reported an increase of approximately 0.29 nmol/L in total testosterone per additional cup of coffee per day in their fully adjusted model. (Springer)
That sounds straightforward—but there is an important catch.
The same study found that free testosterone and the free androgen index were actually lower as coffee consumption increased.
Why?
One important piece of the puzzle is SHBG.
SHBG is a protein that binds sex hormones in the bloodstream. When SHBG increases, total testosterone can rise while the amount of testosterone circulating freely can behave differently.
So the study does not show that drinking coffee simply floods the body with more usable testosterone.
Instead, it suggests that habitual coffee consumption is associated with a different hormonal profile, particularly in men.
And the researchers themselves emphasize that future longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to determine whether coffee actually causes these changes. (Springer)
What About Women?
The hormonal relationship was different in women.
Researchers did not find a significant association between coffee consumption and total or bioavailable testosterone in women.
However, higher coffee intake was associated with higher SHBG and lower free testosterone and free androgen index. (Springer)
This is an important reminder that the way our bodies respond to food and beverages can differ significantly between men and women.
What Does Testosterone Actually Do?
Testosterone isn’t simply a “muscle-building hormone.”
In both men and women, testosterone is involved in a variety of physiological processes, including maintaining muscle and bone, regulating aspects of sexual function, and contributing to overall body composition.
In men, abnormally low testosterone can be associated with symptoms such as reduced libido, decreased energy, loss of muscle mass, increased body fat, and changes in mood or concentration.
Healthy testosterone levels are one piece of the larger picture of maintaining:
Lean mass. Testosterone plays an important role in maintaining muscle tissue.
Bone strength. Testosterone contributes to healthy bone mineralization and skeletal health.
Body composition. Hormonal balance is closely connected with muscle mass and fat distribution.
Sexual function. Testosterone is involved in libido and normal reproductive function.
Energy and well-being. Hormones interact with numerous systems involved in energy, mood, and overall health.
Of course, testosterone is only one part of the equation. Sleep, exercise, nutrition, body composition, stress, alcohol consumption, medications, age, and underlying health conditions can all influence hormone levels.
What About Coffee Before a Workout?
This isn’t the first time researchers have noticed a relationship between caffeine and testosterone.
Previous controlled studies have found that caffeine consumed before exercise can produce a temporary increase in testosterone, particularly during or following exercise. The Finnish researchers note that some studies have observed this effect with caffeinated coffee as well as caffeine itself.
Interestingly, one study discussed by the researchers also observed a testosterone response after decaffeinated coffee, suggesting that caffeine may not be the only compound in coffee capable of influencing the body’s response.
Coffee is chemically complex.
A coffee bean contains caffeine, chlorogenic acids, trigonelline, diterpenes, and numerous other compounds. The roasting process also transforms the chemical composition of the bean.
That means coffee isn’t necessarily just about caffeine.
Coffee Is More Than Caffeine
This is one of the reasons we find coffee so fascinating at Green Man Coffee Co.
Coffee is a remarkably complex agricultural product. Its flavor—and potentially its biological effects—come from hundreds of naturally occurring compounds influenced by the bean, origin, processing, roasting, and brewing method.
The Finnish researchers point out that coffee contains a large variety of bioactive compounds, including caffeine, trigonelline, chlorogenic acids, cafestol, and kahweol. They also note that roasting and brewing methods can influence the resulting chemical profile of coffee.
That’s why we don’t think of coffee as merely “caffeine delivery.”
We think of it as a craft.
At Green Man Coffee Co., our coffee begins with beans and an open fire.
Our roasting process uses open-fire roasting over oak, producing a distinctive smoky character in the finished coffee. We then use our honey-curing process as part of our approach to preserving the character and freshness of the roasted bean.
The result isn’t designed to taste like ordinary commercial coffee.
It is meant to taste like coffee with a story behind it.
It is meant to reveal the complex nature of coffee that taste has always recognized, and a science is just now revealing!
And now, science is continuing to explore just how complex that humble cup of coffee really is.
Does This Mean Coffee Raises Testosterone?
Not necessarily.
But the results are very suggestive that it does, with many in concurrence saying; “Yes, we cannot deny the data.”
The Finnish study found a strong association between habitual coffee consumption and several testosterone-related measurements in men. But because the study was cross-sectional and observational, it cannot prove that coffee caused testosterone levels to increase.
However, keep in mind other studies have made the same implications, and this is why most people are coming to the logical conclusion that Coffee does indeed raise (or at very least stabilize/regulate) testosterone!
Admittedly though, there could be other factors involved.
People who drink more coffee may differ from people who drink less coffee in ways that are difficult to completely account for—even after statistical adjustments.
So rather than saying:
“Coffee boosts testosterone.”
A more accurate statement is:
“New research has found that habitual coffee consumption is associated with a distinct testosterone and hormone profile in men.”
That’s still pretty fascinating.
The Bigger Picture
Perhaps the most interesting part of this research isn’t testosterone alone.
It’s the bigger pattern.
Higher coffee consumption was associated with lower body fat and visceral fat, greater skeletal muscle mass, and differences in metabolic markers. In men, researchers also observed a more favorable glucose-insulin profile.
Taken together, the findings add to a growing body of research suggesting that coffee is far more biologically interesting than simply being a source of caffeine.
Although coffee has proven to increase the effects of your work out regimen, it is not a replacement. And although it is linked to healthier adults, it cannot be taken as a substitute for essential practices. And although science is revealing amazing health benefits of coffee, it should not be taken as a surrogate for healthy life style decisions.
Coffee doesn’t replace sleep.
It doesn’t replace exercise.
It doesn’t replace a nutritious diet.
And it certainly shouldn’t be viewed as a treatment for low testosterone.
If someone is experiencing symptoms associated with low testosterone, that’s something to discuss with a qualified healthcare professional rather than attempting to correct it with coffee.
But if you’re already someone who enjoys a good cup of coffee?
You may have another reason to appreciate the ritual.
Coffee as an Experience
At Green Man Coffee Co., we’ve always believed that coffee deserves more attention than simply being something you pour into a travel mug on your way out the door.
There is something ancient about gathering around a fire.
There is something artistic about transforming a green coffee bean through heat.
There is something ritualistic about grinding the beans, preparing the brew, and taking that first sip.
And there is something remarkably interesting about discovering that the beverage we’ve been drinking for centuries continues to surprise modern science.
So brew a cup.
Take your time.
Enjoy the aroma.
Taste the roast.
And appreciate the fact that there’s a whole world of chemistry, biology, agriculture, craftsmanship, and history sitting inside that little cup.
Green Man Coffee Co.
Open Fire Roasted.
Honey Cured.
Coffee as Craft.
Coffee as Art.
Coffee as Ritual.
This is coffee as an experience.
Research source: Verroest L, et al. “Associations of habitual coffee intake with testosterone and cardiometabolic markers: the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study.” European Journal of Nutrition, 2026. The study was published July 16, 2026. (Springer)