Disclosed herein is a process for the production of a liquid coffee concentrate with a pH of 4.8 to 6 comprising a) subjecting roasted, ground coffee to one or more extraction steps with water resulting in a coffee extract, b) separating the coffee extract, either by fractionation during the extraction step(s) in a) or by aroma recovery after step a) resulting in a high aromatic coffee extract and a low aromatic coffee extract, c) subjecting at least 50% of the low aromatic coffee extract to a heat treatment of at least 120 °C at a holding time for at most 30 minutes, d) concentrating at least the treated low aromatic coffee extract, e) combining at least the concentrated low aromatic coffee extract with the high aromatic coffee extract, thereby obtaining a liquid coffee concentrate. Also disclosed is a liquid coffee concentrate with a pH of 4.8 to 6 comprising 2 mg/kg dry matter solids or more of 2-phenyl-3-(2-furyl)-2-propenal and a liquid coffee concentrate with a pH between 5 and 5.2 and a QA/QaL (Quinic acid/Quinic acid lactone) mol/mol ratio between 10 and 100.
