Need Help with Healthy Coffee Alternatives

I used to use half-and-half in my coffee. Before that I even used honey. I stopped using sweetener. I got used to it pretty quickly.

I switched from half-and-half to a coconut-based creamer that had very few calories. That was easy.

Eventually I stopped using any additions to my coffee. My dentist approves - polluting your coffee isn't good for your teeth. I was surprised how quickly I adapted, and now I don't even LIKE anything in my coffee.

One really important thing is to get very good coffee. Freshly roasted if possible, but not too fresh. The beans have to rest a day or three for the oils to mature and come to the surface. Grind daily. Use the right amount of beans: 55 grams per liter. I make single-serving pour-over coffee in a mug about 16 ounces. I use 24-25 grams of coffee per cup. Experiment with the roast you like best. I alternate among light and medium roasts and sometimes a little darker roast Sumatra.

If you use instant coffee, get a high-quality one. Then there's another trick: mix a tiny bit of COLD water in with the freeze-dried coffee and stir it to make it a liquid/slurry BEFORE you add the hot water. Adding boiling water to freeze-dried coffee makes it bitter. This was told to me by a friend who roasts his own beans and actually drinks instant from time to time. It's shocking. I'm still planning to try this as sometimes I will use instant when I'm on self-support multi-day kayak trips where we have to carry everything we need inside our boats (clothes, food, tent, portable toilet). Using ground coffee doesn't take THAT MUCH more room, but then you have to pack out the waste, and it's wet waste to boot. Instant leaves nothing to pack out.

mtaratoot wrote: »

I used to use half-and-half in my coffee. Before that I even used honey. I stopped using sweetener. I got used to it pretty quickly.

I switched from half-and-half to a coconut-based creamer that had very few calories. That was easy.

Eventually I stopped using any additions to my coffee. My dentist approves - polluting your coffee isn't good for your teeth. I was surprised how quickly I adapted, and now I don't even LIKE anything in my coffee.

One really important thing is to get very good coffee. Freshly roasted if possible, but not too fresh. The beans have to rest a day or three for the oils to mature and come to the surface. Grind daily. Use the right amount of beans: 55 grams per liter. I make single-serving pour-over coffee in a mug about 16 ounces. I use 24-25 grams of coffee per cup. Experiment with the roast you like best. I alternate among light and medium roasts and sometimes a little darker roast Sumatra.

If you use instant coffee, get a high-quality one. Then there's another trick: mix a tiny bit of COLD water in with the freeze-dried coffee and stir it to make it a liquid/slurry BEFORE you add the hot water. Adding boiling water to freeze-dried coffee makes it bitter. This was told to me by a friend who roasts his own beans and actually drinks instant from time to time. It's shocking. I'm still planning to try this as sometimes I will use instant when I'm on self-support multi-day kayak trips where we have to carry everything we need inside our boats (clothes, food, tent, portable toilet). Using ground coffee doesn't take THAT MUCH more room, but then you have to pack out the waste, and it's wet waste to boot. Instant leaves nothing to pack out.

Ok, I can tell you own a grinder. Is it conical or flat? Just kidding. I'm guilty of coffee brain.

Yeah, I used a Krupp for years and I like you, do pour overs and it's easy to dial a brew. Then I went down the espresso road to hell which forced me against my will to purchase a flat burr grinder, which is kind of mandatory with espresso anyway. I've seeked professional help and acupuncture, just kidding, and now I'm not focusing on espresso as much and I'm back doing pour overs and really, a blade is perfectly fine. I will say a burr grinder is much quieter than a blade, so that might work for you. imo.

I love my coffee black but on cold winter nights when everyone else is having hot chocolate I use Coffee Mate Sweet Italian Creamer Zero Sugar added (I wouldn’t call it healthy, but it’s very sweet and they also make different flavors) add whipped topping (they make a keto but the regular doesn’t have a lot of carbs and is cheaper), I sometimes also top with my own monk sugar/cinnamon blend that I made by mixing together in an old salt shaker. The whipped topping melts and gets frothy, and is so good.

Cannoli's on the front label of coffee mate, THAT'S HILARIOUS. they just cant help themselves.

mtaratoot wrote: »

I used to use half-and-half in my coffee. Before that I even used honey. I stopped using sweetener. I got used to it pretty quickly. ... Eventually I stopped using any additions to my coffee. My dentist approves - polluting your coffee isn't good for your teeth. I was surprised how quickly I adapted, and now I don't even LIKE anything in my coffee.

One really important thing is to get very good coffee. ... I alternate among light and medium roasts and sometimes a little darker roast Sumatra.

I have always been a (mostly) black coffee drinker/no sweetener, as were my parents. It's either a vote on the poor quality of a cup (and trust me I have some flexibly low standards sometimes, LOL), or just a treat, for me to add dairy. Sometimes also for gulp-and-go rushing. And Sumatra, always a go-to if available.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

springlering62 wrote: »

Quarter of a cup ice cold skim milk, pump by hand for about thirty seconds, microwave for about 30 seconds.

Yields about 3/4c thick milky foam.

This is a quarter cup in a chai latte:



There’s a world of zero cal sugar free syrups out there. Experiment and have fun. TJ Maxx and World Market carry a good selection. I prefer Jordan’s.

I use that same frother with hot skim milk. It works fine. With the amount of milk I put in my coffee (protein supplement! ), cold milk is a non-starter.

What a wise looking kitty!

The frother looks like a french press -- is there some difference I'm not seeing?

I do my frothing by putting my milk in a jar (typically I re-use a peanut butter jar, but one with a good deal of extra volume compared to the milk), putting the lid on, and shaking for a while until it's frothy (doesn't take very long). Remove lid and microwave while watching; kill the power as soon as the milk starts to expand.

ETA: oops, looks like I replied to the wrong post. Should have been reply to @springlering62

It’s much smaller, narrower, and only holds a half cup of milk (before frothing).

I froth mine cold and then heat, Ann does the opposite. Either works.

springlering62 wrote: »

It’s much smaller, narrower, and only holds a half cup of milk (before frothing).

I froth mine cold and then heat, Ann does the opposite. Either works.

I have two French presses. The first one I bought claimed to have a three-cup capacity, and with the typical modern excess-packaging, that didn't seem absurd based on the size of the box. But it turned out they were 4 ounce "cups." So I bought a six-cup French press, which translates to two of the mugs I use for coffee. Anyway, maybe the smaller one would work for frothing. I wouldn't want to put more than a half cup of milk into it before frothing.

I've found with my jar method of frothing, you want to shake (froth) before heating, as doing the opposite can have somewhat explosive results.

Thanks.

My process was to move from liquid creamer to powdered + some sugar in the raw. Over time you can slowly decrease the amounts of each. Currently my biggest issue is rewarding myself every once in a while with more sugar and creamer but otherwise much less sugar and calories.

Premium Protein Shakes has a Cafe Latte flavor with caffeine equivalent to one cup of coffee. 160 calories, 30 grams of protein 1 gram sugar. Satisfying enough to eliminate carb cravings and as a meal substitute to help me reach my goals.

L2325 wrote: »

Premium Protein Shakes has a Cafe Latte flavor with caffeine equivalent to one cup of coffee. 160 calories, 30 grams of protein 1 gram sugar. Satisfying enough to eliminate carb cravings and as a meal substitute to help me reach my goals.

zmdh39 wrote: »

Try getting some premier protien from Walmart or Sam's club, I use that as my creamer most days.

I can confirm that both of these are good options. The Equate version from Walmart is the least expensive if you buy it by the case. If you choose the version for diabetics you can save a few calories.

Equate Diabetic Care Nutritional Shakes are currently $28.62 for a case of 24.
They’re 180 calories per bottle, and one bottle can easily flavor two to five coffees.
They come in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.
Premier does have a larger variety of flavors. I seem to remember a caramel one.

I used to drink my coffee "candied" with lots of cream and sugar. I eventually switched to black and unsweetened because Its zero-calorie.
The way to do this is to upgrade your coffee selection. It takes a bit of effort but if you learn how coffee is grown, processed, and prepared, you can make an educated choice to fit your preferences.