Most popular drinks are acidic, often surprisingly so. The pH scale runs from 0 (most acidic) to 14 (most alkaline), with 7 being neutral. Plain water sits close to neutral, but sodas, juices, coffee, wine, and energy drinks all fall well below that mark. Tooth enamel starts to break down at a pH around 5.5, which means the vast majority of beverages people drink daily are acidic enough to cause erosion over time.
Soda: The Most Acidic Common Drink
Colas are among the most acidic drinks you can buy. Coca-Cola Classic has a pH of about 2.50, Pepsi comes in at 2.53, and RC Cola is even lower at 2.38. To put that in perspective, battery acid has a pH of about 1.0, and lemon juice sits around 2.0 to 2.6. Cola gets its sharp acidity from phosphoric acid and citric acid, both added during manufacturing.
Lemon-lime sodas like 7UP (pH 3.20) and Sprite (pH 3.29) are slightly less acidic than colas but still far below the threshold for enamel erosion. Diet versions don’t offer much improvement: Diet Coke has a pH between 3.28 and 3.65, and Diet 7UP lands at 3.70. Root beer is the least acidic soda category, with A&W Root Beer at 4.75 and most other brands falling between 4.0 and 4.5.
Fruit Juice pH Levels
Fruit juice often gets a health pass that soda doesn’t, but acidity-wise, many juices are in the same range. Lemon juice is the most acidic at pH 2.00 to 2.60. Grapefruit juice ranges from 3.00 to 3.75. Orange juice, whether from California or Florida, typically falls between 3.30 and 4.19. Apple juice sits in a similar range at 3.35 to 4.00. Cranberry juice is also notably acidic, generally falling below 3.0.
The natural sugars in juice compound the acid problem for your teeth. Bacteria in your mouth feed on sugar and produce additional acid, so fruit juice delivers a double hit that plain soda water wouldn’t.
Coffee and Tea
Coffee is acidic, but less so than most people assume. A typical cup of black coffee has a pH around 5.11, which makes it mildly acidic and far gentler than soda or juice. The specific acidity varies by roast (darker roasts tend to be slightly less acidic), brewing method, and bean origin, but coffee generally stays in the 4.8 to 5.5 range.
Tea varies more widely. A study measuring 17 different teas found pH values ranging from 2.85 to 5.18, with a mean of 3.48. Herbal teas with added fruit flavors (like hibiscus or rosehip) tend to land at the lower, more acidic end. Plain black and green teas are typically closer to 4.5 to 5.5, putting them in the same mild range as coffee.
Energy Drinks and Sports Drinks
Energy drinks are consistently acidic, typically containing citric acid and sometimes lactic or acetic acid as well. Testing of popular brands shows a tight cluster of pH values:
- Red Bull: pH 3.52 (sugar-free version 3.48)
- Monster Energy: pH 3.58 (zero sugar version 3.59)
- Rockstar Zero Sugar: pH 3.41
Most energy drinks fall between pH 2.78 and 3.76. Sugar-free versions are essentially just as acidic as their full-sugar counterparts, since the acidity comes from the added acids rather than the sugar. Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade are slightly less acidic, generally landing between 2.9 and 3.4 depending on flavor.
Alcoholic Drinks
Wine is one of the more acidic alcoholic beverages. White wines tend to be more acidic than reds, typically ranging from pH 3.0 to 3.4, while red wines sit slightly higher at 3.3 to 3.6. The tartaric and malic acids naturally present in grapes drive the acidity, and winemakers sometimes adjust acid levels intentionally for flavor balance.
Beer is considerably less acidic than wine. A typical barley-based beer finishes fermentation with a pH of 4.1 to 4.5, and wheat beers run slightly lower. Sour styles like lambics and goses are the exception, with pH values that can drop below 3.5 due to acids produced by bacterial fermentation. Standard lagers, ales, and IPAs all stay in that 4.0 to 4.5 range, making beer one of the less erosive alcoholic options.
Sparkling Water vs. Still Water
Adding carbonation makes water more acidic. Carbon dioxide reacts with water to form carbonic acid, which drops the pH of sparkling water to about 3.5. Still water, by comparison, has a pH around 6.5 to 8.5 depending on mineral content and source. That said, carbonic acid is a weak acid that your saliva neutralizes quickly, and studies haven’t found plain sparkling water to cause meaningful enamel erosion. Flavored sparkling waters are a different story, since added citric acid can push the pH lower and make the acidity more persistent.
How Acidity Affects Your Teeth
Enamel begins to dissolve when the pH at the tooth surface drops below roughly 5.5. Nearly every drink on this list falls below that line, some by a wide margin. The damage isn’t just about pH, though. How long the acid stays in contact with your teeth matters just as much. Sipping a soda over two hours does more damage than drinking the same amount in five minutes, because each sip resets the acid exposure clock.
A few practical ways to reduce acid erosion: drink acidic beverages with meals rather than between them, use a straw to bypass your front teeth, and wait at least 30 minutes before brushing after an acidic drink. Brushing immediately can actually spread the softened enamel around and accelerate wear. Rinsing your mouth with plain water right after finishing an acidic drink helps neutralize the acid faster.
Quick pH Comparison
From most acidic to least, here’s how common drinks stack up:
- Lemon juice: 2.0 to 2.6
- Cola (Coca-Cola, Pepsi): 2.4 to 2.5
- Energy drinks: 2.8 to 3.8
- Grapefruit juice: 3.0 to 3.8
- Lemon-lime soda (Sprite, 7UP): 3.2 to 3.7
- Orange juice: 3.3 to 4.2
- Apple juice: 3.4 to 4.0
- Wine: 3.0 to 3.6
- Sparkling water (plain): ~3.5
- Beer: 4.1 to 4.5
- Root beer: 4.0 to 4.8
- Black coffee: ~5.1
- Still water: 6.5 to 8.5