Black Coffee?

secretlobster

I admit that I always have a splash of milk in my coffee (from a drip at work) to take the edge off the bitterness.

But black coffee from a french press is totally palatable.

secretlobster

I usually drink mine black with a few drops of peppermint essential oil (health food store, youngliving.com). It's fabulously delicious.

This is a great idea... I'm going to try it!!

katharos3

Black coffee gives me heartburn for some reason. I used to use flavored creamers, but when I discovered MFP I decided to transition to a cleaner diet, starting with the foods I consumed the most. And coffee creamer was the first to go! I tried different types of milk, and I switched to honey for a sweetener. Eventually I settled on 2% cow's milk, and I gave up the honey a few months ago. Sometimes I will add a little for a sweet treat if I'm having an extra cup in the afternoon, but most days it's just milk & coffee. And now flavored creamers taste pretty gross to me. :bigsmile:

BakerRunnerBadass

I started at 2 milk and 2 sugar, eventually worked down to 1 milk and with a group in my office we all made the last just to black, and surprising was not bad at all, now can't stand anything in it.

hulietta

I started with french vanilla creamer, then went to half/half with no sugar. Now, I'm drinking it with just some skim milk. I don't even like the french vanilla anymore -- too sweet. If I were you, I'd try a gradual approach like this. Good luck!

fatfrost

Once you go black

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

fenrirGrey

I think this thread has motivated me to go cold turkey too. Starting now

Southernb3lle

I myself love the taste of Black Coffee. I guess it is just taste really. The only thing I can suggest is, like posts before me, get get quality.

cls_333

It's all I drink, and when I try sweetened, or anything like cappacino, I cannot drink it. You definitely get used to drinking it black. I love the Folgers Vanilla coffee. Coffee really is wonderful all by itself.
I kinda think it's like soda, once you start drinking just water, soda is hard to drink anymore, it tastes soooo sweet.

suefrasson

Does caffeine really effect weight loss?
I drink two large a day with 2 milk and 1 sweetner...I really cant give up my coffee..

callmeBAM

(didn't read all posts before me, so sorry if redundant)

1) Black coffee, no sugar, no cream, that's the type of girl I need down on my team (R&B reference)
2) Don't grind whole beans... mill them! Get a burr mill. Much better than a grinder/pulverizer.
3) French press ( I think that has been covered already)
4) Mix in a tablespoon of coconut oil instead of sugar or cream.

And there you have your morning superfood/drink.

edit: anyone using f-ing skim milk in their coffee is no friend of mine. if ur gonna go dairy, use some organic heavy cream and quit being a sissy.

CoderGal

So I find bad coffee tastes better black. This is why I switched to black when I was working at a place that had one of those speed water shooting brew coffee pots :P

Since then I've been more concerned with nutrition then calories. I'm adding milk again because 1. I'm drinking good coffee and 2. I hardly get protein as is.

Kmwienke

Black coffee is interesting- you just have to try a little bit of everything until you find what you like. A medium roast is usually a good starter- and usually something of a little higher than, say, Folgers. My coffee-snob boyfriend and his parents drink Gevalia. It's a little cheaper than Starbucks and it's pretty good. I actually wouldn't start with flavored coffee. 1) Because then you have a certain expectation of what it's going to taste like (and it never does so you're disappointed) and 2) Because you get all the bitterness of coffee mixed with this strange almost chemical tasting flavoring all with a horrible aftertaste. But take that with a grain of salt: I have hated every flavored coffee I've ever tried so I'm horribly biased.

Summary version: Pick something simple and drink till you like it. And unless it's meant to be iced, don't let it get cold!

marcf2001

I am always getting my coffee black.

Drip machine coffee in the morning, but I drink a lot of it (1/3 liter, ~ 2 cups) and expresso the rest of the day. With an expresso machine, but being French, this is not too odd...

I used to put sugar in my coffee, but my doctor asked me to refrain a long while ago (I was drinking 10 more expresso per day).
Now I use a sweetener. not aspartam, I don;t like the taste, but saccharine. I have good and bad on sacharrine, but I have been doing it for over 10 years now.

kgprice11

Black coffee is not bad for you at all because it doesn't have all of that artificial flavoring (sugar and creamer)

tigersword

spark is the best energy drink ever!! no sugar, no crash... 10x the energy as red bull, 5 hour energy, or coffee with no crash

But then you lose all the health benefits of coffee. Loads of antioxidants, helps prevent cancer, dementia, alzheimer's, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, heart disease...

Best way to get used to black coffee? Drink it HOT. Coffee has a bitter aftertaste that is much stronger when it's cold. Good quality coffee, brew it fresh, don't burn it, MAKE IT STRONG (brewing weak coffee means more bitterness, as the water extracts more bitterness out of a smaller amount of grounds, strong coffee means more grounds for the water to brew = less bitter. Yes it's counter-intuitive, yes it's true.)

Also, experiment with different roasts, different levels of roasting have different flavors. Personally I like light and dark roasts, but not medium roasts.

JennieAL

Get a French press, grind it more on the coarse side... get a good coffee. Drink it hot.

HannahDiaz25

Buy the flaovered coffee grounds...they taste really good even without sugar. I like black coffee, but generally put a few tablespoons of milk in mine... a few drops of twp percent milk probably isnt gonna hurt my diet.

EnuffaMyButt

I'm considering learning to like black coffee. Any thoughts/tips/advice?

Any of you converted?

It's the only way I drink it!

LivingtheLeanDream

eh! are none of you caring about getting discoloured teeth? seriously a small amount of skimmed milk isn't going to make that much a difference... have it the way you prefer it is what I say

Cameron_1969

mmmmm. . . Coffee!

mfpcopine

I've always felt that Cream/Milk and sugar are only there to cover up the sins of bad coffee.

I agree. I do add skim milk, but believe you me, skim milk does not mask the taste of lousy coffee; the beans have to be good quality.

I love french press coffee BUT most of the time I use our Keurig because I'm in a hurry to get out of the door in the morning. This has inspired me to use the Keurig on the weekends when I'm home just chillin. I still have a fair amount of beans to grind including the 100% Kona (no silly blends here) my buddy Tom brought me back from Hawaii

I have several French presses, and have had a couple of espresso machines. I've had Keurig coffee in offices and I think it's fine. I also like Starbucks's espresso drinks. I guess I'm not a coffee snob.

mfpcopine

eh! are none of you caring about getting discoloured teeth? seriously a small amount of skimmed milk isn't going to make that much a difference... have it the way you prefer it is what I say

I've read that one can avoid discoloration by drinking coffee through a straw. When I get my $50K porcelain laminates on my teeth (j/k) I may have to look into that. For now, it looks absurd.

NKF92879

eh! are none of you caring about getting discoloured teeth? seriously a small amount of skimmed milk isn't going to make that much a difference... have it the way you prefer it is what I say

Honestly? Not as much as I love my coffee. I've come to the realization that I just need to brush my teeth more often and occasionally (once a year or so, package says 4 times a year) use whitening strips.

Andyblood

Well i did read once that a black coffee taken before a workout can increase the calories that are used

eviltwinkie

yep, as many have said, buy GOOD coffee. The best you can get for your maker, and if you have the funds and interest, experiment with other kinds of coffee makers if yours doesn't brew the best.

Alot of folks love french press - some can't stand the sediment tho, so if you've not tried it before, keep that in mind. I have a double filter french press, which makes it a bit cleaner (but it's a small press - I think they only make one size.) Nespresso capsule machines make a nice smooth hassle free shot, the lighter roasts are quite nice without cream or sugar. I've been on an italian espresso kick - quite a few nice sweet and strong espressos that really only need a dab of cream as far as I'm concerned (I don't do sugar in coffee.) A good 'grind and brew' machine can make a cup from a lesser quality bean taste better (just because it's fresh ground), but the coffee (not espresso) ones I think generally lack the ability to make a really dark cup of coffee. It's smoother, but more middle of the road.

If you just use a drip machine, look at getting some quality local roasts. Go chat some barristas up where they sell it. Buy small amounts so you don't get ticked about blowing cash on a bean you don't like. I've been stuck on stumptown coffee locally - partially because I also love their nearby cafe.

A classic pourover can also be quit nice. Makes a surprisingly good cup and it's great if you drink small amounts (get the one that uses a #2 filter) and like it always fresh.

I love the whole 'trying new coffees' thing. But I'm coffee toy obsessed as well. I figure it's a mostly harmless vice.