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Coffee, it's just too bitter for me, and by the time I get it tasting okay, it may as well be a dessert. People seem to form half of their personality around how much they love coffee, it makes me feel like I'm missing out.
The problem might be the coffee itself. The stuff you buy at the store is often the cheaper robusta variety, which is known for its bitter taste. It's why it's cheap. Arabica coffee is smoother, and much less bitter in some cases. But anything from the store is also from multiple sources, meaning they take crops from all over the world and mix them together. Single source coffee is more expensive, but you can find varieties that are more delicate than store coffee and taste more fruity. Chances are you could find a kind you would be happy drinking with no added cream or sugar.
But then again, don't push yourself to try it. It's really no big deal if you don't like coffee. And honestly, it's not really good for you anyway, as caffeine is addictive and weaning yourself off of it can be a quite literal headache. Plus it raises your blood pressure, so depending on your health conditions, it might be really bad for you. You're not missing anything to be sad over. And I say that as a coffee lover.
There are health benefits to coffee as well, as long as you do moderate consumption and don't put sugar, I don't think it's that bad generally.
It is addictive though, and you feel exhausted for some days if you suddenly stop drinking.
If you're interested in trying to like it, there are a few technique changes I've made over the years that have made me enjoy it. If you're not interested, stop reading and enjoy your coffee free life. 😊
I used to only enjoy it from coffee shops and tolerate it when I made it at home, but I've learned a few tricks that helped.
a pinch of salt in the grounds. Yes, a pinch. 1/16 to 1/8 tsp per pot of coffee. If you can taste the salt, it's too much. Got this tip from Alton Brown on Good Eats.
preheat your water. The standard American drip coffee maker cannot heat the first cup or 2 of water to boiling. It comes out around 160-180. Got this from James Hoffman on his YouTube.
lighter roasts. Dark roasts are like anything burned more.
grind fresh beans with a burr mill. Bladed coffee grinders make inconsistent chunks and dust. Burr mills don't. Fresh beans have better and less bitter flavor.
The water and the salt tricks are easy. The lighter roast is more tricky bc grocery stores sell darker roasts. The burr grinder is harder bc they're not super popular, so you may have to look for one.
First off, do not do it if you don't want to, King. But I have found I enjoy light roasts with cream, and yes, that's a very far departure from what macho men call coffee, but who cares. A light roast will be less bitter and more acidic and sweet instead. Also something I've learned is that most people use far too many grounds in their coffee, so you get what amounts to over-steeped coffee that again has bad taste.
Definitely medium roast for me, instead of dark roast that most people seem to obsess about. More complex flavours IMO and it's not bitter at all. Lighter roasts also have more caffeine than darker ones.
I'm a medium light man myself but I didn't want to go too into the frippery of it for someone saying they don't like it at all. I need to get a hand grinder and grind my own beans at some point.
@Geek_King @MisterHavoc ironically, I feel like I form half my personality on being one of the few people who Don't drink coffee.
Own it! 😜 We're better than them! We don't need any weird brown bean water to become functioning human beings, much less be elitists about it. Psshht losers /s.
Jk y'all bean juice lovers are an alright bunch, I guess...
Enjoy what you enjoy, and enjoy that you enjoy it. Doesn't matter what other people like
I love the idea of really owning it. Like how a ton of people have tattoos now, but I never once found something I could guarantee I'd love forever, so no tattoos for me. I should embrace my bean-water-less life while being unmarred by inky art!
I think not having tattoos is cool, since I think most people get them now. What about tea? Do you like tea? Coffee makes me jittery as hell and much too talkative, so I don't drink it too often. But green tea is perfect.
@room_raccoon @MisterHavoc @Geek_King caffeine or no, to me tea is meant to be drunk like, in the evening curled up on a couch reading a book. There's just something very soul-warming about tea:)
I like it all day long! Even in the summer.
It's a nope for tea as well. There are some tangy or flowery ones that are okay, but I don't really like them that much. Green teas taste too much like grass clippings for me to really get into them.
Aww. I really love vegetal flavours.
@room_raccoon @MisterHavoc @Geek_King summer tea is a realm I haven't broken into yet. Iced tea on the other hand 👀
Mmm
Yes, we can't trust you if you don't like coffee. :(
Here's the current running list of why I can't be trusted: I don't drink I'm an atheist I don't like coffee I don't like sports
Damn, I should just pack it in and assume no one will ever put trust in me for any reason lol Geek_King the Untrusted
Hold on there...
Sounds like you are actually coming out ahead here.
There is zero flaws in your math! I'll have to use this as a talking point when introducing my self (not really, but maybe down the line after I know someone)
You might be a super taster like me, do you also hate wine, beer, and most fermented things?
Yeah, they taste awful to me, very overpowering. I think I've heard some people can be more sensitive to bitter flavors, so it's possible that's why I don't like anything with bitterness as one of its traits.
Probably. I imagine I’m the opposite. I love bitter beer, chocolate, coffee: the bitterer, the betterer. However I really started thinking after a trip to India: I always loved spicy food, but the guys kept trying to find spicier stuff for me, and I outdid all of them. A culture renowned for spicy food had nothing on me