# Coffee Drinkers - I don't know how you do it!



## blhowes (Feb 17, 2007)

I use to drink my coffee with cream and a bunch of sugar. While dieting, I cut back on and eventually eliminated the sugar. Now, I can't stand having coffee with sugar it in. Now, I'm partial to having my coffee with just milk or half and half.

This morning, I took my son to a local hill so he could go sledding and snowboarding, while I watched from the car and read my Bible. Just before leaving the house, I heated up some coffee and we were out the door. He started off down the hill, as I opened my Bible and was ready to relax with my first sip of coffee. Wouldn't you know it, I forgot to put in the Half and Half? Yick. 

 I had to laugh at my son. As we were leaving, I told him what I had done, forgetting the H&H. I said, "Here, give it a try". Well, we let him have a little from time to time, but he makes sure there's always enough sugar in it to hide the taste. He even has a hard time drinking it the way I fix it.

Anyway, he took one sip and I've never seen anybody spit it out so fast. I understood how he felt, though I was able to at least get it down. As I was drinking it I thought maybe over time I could develop a taste for it...took another sip..."Nooo, I don't think so"

But the question of the day - How do you guys do it? Drink the coffee black...and appear to enjoy it?


----------



## JM (Feb 17, 2007)

I love coffee!

Early in the day I have 2 cups with about half a tps. of sugar in each, with a slight touch of milk. After dinner a few times a week I'll have expresso, love the expresso [no sugar or milk].

j


----------



## blhowes (Feb 17, 2007)

JM said:


> I love coffee!
> 
> Early in the day I have 2 cups with about half a tps. of sugar in each, with a slight touch of milk. After dinner a few times a week I'll have expresso, love the expresso [no sugar or milk].
> 
> j


Yeah, I enjoy having a cup of coffee (with H&H) every morning for my drive to work. By the time I get to work, I've finished the coffee and am ready for work. I got a thermos set for Christmas this year, so I can even brew some coffee in the morning and have it piping hot at work in the afternoon. 

I've never had expresso, so I can't comment on that. How's it compare to coffee?


----------



## JM (Feb 17, 2007)

[Sorry, in my haste [and with a caffine buzz] I type ex in place of espresso.]

 

It's a powerful little coffee. 




> From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> Espresso brewing, with a dark reddish-brown foam, called crema.Espresso (Italian) is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing very hot, but not boiling, water under high pressure through coffee that has been ground to a consistency between extremely fine and powder.
> 
> It was invented and has undergone development in Milan, Italy, since the beginning of the 20th century, but up until the mid 1940s it was a beverage produced solely with steam pressure. The invention of the spring piston lever machine and its subsequent commercial success changed espresso into the beverage we know today, produced with between 9 and 10 atmospheres, or Bars, of pressure.
> ...



I was drinking it in the mornings but it doesn't fill you up like coffee. The Cubano espresso is good after dinner, you add sugar to the fine grind coffee while in the basket. If I make cappuccino I use the flavored creamers. There's no limit to this addiction.


----------



## Theoretical (Feb 17, 2007)

joshua said:


> Coffee is disgusting. I'll stick with my Sweet Tea. <--(Click for a shameless plug)


 Sweet tea?! Now that's just disgusting, and I'm a Southerner! 

There is nothing like a crisp iced tea or a great cup of earl grey, and both are ruined by the addition of any sweetening.

(ducks in expectation of rocks thrown my way)


----------



## Theoretical (Feb 17, 2007)




----------



## tellville (Feb 17, 2007)

I use to load my coffee with sugar and cream because black tasted like junk. But then I forced myself to like black coffee because the sugar low was counteractive. I will occasionally put in cream, but I like my coffee black so I can get the maximum wake up capabilities of it. I only drink coffee for wake up purposes, never for the shear enjoyment of it.


----------



## panta dokimazete (Feb 17, 2007)

viva, coffee! it makes you smarter!


----------



## No Longer A Libertine (Feb 17, 2007)

Coffee smells wonderful and has one of the most disappointing tastes imaginable.


----------



## Gryphonette (Feb 17, 2007)

I'm with you, Scott....properly made tea requires no sweetner, milk or lemon.

Drink it straight up, whether iced or hot.

Coffee, though?

Let's just say I like a little coffee with my turbinado sugar and h&h. ;^)


----------



## jaybird0827 (Feb 17, 2007)

Through college and early adulthood I enjoyed coffee with my sugar and cream. I ended up wearing it. In order to lose weight, I had to acquire a taste for black coffee. When I did I just forced myself to drink it without sugar, because the sweeteners on the market then only made things worse.

Now I enjoy my coffee with Splenda. Yeah, I know it's not exactly good for you but I like my coffee to taste good.

When I get to the office, I switch to herbal tea, because nothing will ever redeem the coffee at work. One sip, I'm coffeed out. I don't like that feeling.

On Sunday's I put milk in my coffee and reheat it in the microwave. Makes dunking even more pleasurable.

Some nights I drink decaf and drop in about a teaspoonful of anisette. Very nice.


----------



## Augusta (Feb 17, 2007)

I like it with lots of H&H.  I don't take sugar anymore because I am trying to cut down. I did a slow transition of putting less and less sugar in it. My sugar comes on the donut now.


----------



## Me Died Blue (Feb 17, 2007)

*Regular coffee*: Always black, with the robust flavor never diluted with any sort of "strange fire" in the form of sugar or cream. Black Italian's especially hard to beat!

*Cappuccino or flavored latte*: Good for an occasional treat, though altogether thought-of more as a dessert than a coffee anyway.

*Straight espresso shots*: Just plain good.

*Pure green tea freshly-brewed from real leaves*: Don't change it!

*Classic, golden iced-tea*: Gotta' perfect it with all the sugar you want during the brewing process! Nothin' like a classic Southern sweet-tea!


----------



## Bandguy (Feb 17, 2007)

There are several things which I cannot consume because the taste is just absolutely repulsive to me and makes me want to vomit. Please, those of you who consume the following things, tell me how you keep from wanting to throw up:

Coffee (any kind made any way)
Beer
Seafood of any kind and made any way
Tea

I must be really wierd, but I cannot stand the taste of any of these things.


----------



## blhowes (Feb 17, 2007)

Bandguy said:


> I must be really wierd, but I cannot stand the taste of any of these things.


 (jk)



Bandguy said:


> Coffee (any kind made any way)
> Beer
> Seafood of any kind and made any way
> Tea



You don't like the taste of those, next thing you'll be telling me is that you DO like the taste of asparagus (which makes me react as you described)


----------



## George Bailey (Feb 17, 2007)

*I was reformed by PuritanBoard!*

Odd that this thread should show up...a couple of years ago, I completely changed my multi-decade coffee habits as a result of PB.

I started drinking coffee daily when I was about 12 (yes, really!) with milk and sugar. I didn't like the hassle of stirring, measuring, and the mess (not to mention cleaning out a thermos that has had milk in it!), but I never could stand to drink coffee black. 

There was a thread about coffee on the PB; some of the folks who were saying that they'd like to drink it black (for health, and convenience reasons) couldn't stand the taste...then, someone (I don't remember who) said that coffee has it's own natural sweetness, and if you drink 10 GOOD QUALITY cups of black coffee in a row, you'll never want to go back to milk & sugar. Well, it definately worked for me. I love it black now, and hate the milk & sugar, or anything else in it. It's nice to pour and go!

BTW, coffee is one of the highest anti-oxidant containing food items!

Don't forget, though, it has to be good coffee...not Denny's or Folgers!

Brian


----------



## bookslover (Feb 17, 2007)

Bandguy said:


> There are several things which I cannot consume because the taste is just absolutely repulsive to me and makes me want to vomit. Please, those of you who consume the following things, tell me how you keep from wanting to throw up:
> 
> Coffee (any kind made any way)
> Beer
> ...



Taste-wise, the only thing worse than coffee is tea. No wonder the British don't have their empire anymore!


----------



## No Longer A Libertine (Feb 17, 2007)

bookslover said:


> Taste-wise, the only thing worse than coffee is tea. No wonder the British don't have their empire anymore!


Sweet ice tea is great, a southern treat, without the sugar it would be pretty bland, green tea is awful however.

I doubt it is tea that brought down the British Empire, probably the debts collected from those two costly world wars more than anything.


----------



## blhowes (Feb 17, 2007)

Me Died Blue said:


> *Regular coffee*: Always black, with the robust flavor never diluted with any sort of "strange fire" in the form of sugar or cream. Black Italian's especially hard to beat!


You don't have to understand 'em, but you sure do have to admire a guy like this. Black coffee, with no strange fire - ya don't get any more hard core than that!


----------



## bob (Feb 17, 2007)

Wow, I had to go to the kitchen and get some brewing! The trusty Bunn gets 10 cups brewed in a just a few mintues.

I, too, hate to ruin a cup of coffee by adding any foreign materials to it. 

I never really cared for iced tea until I had some that was unsweetened. I still really do not prefer sweetened ice tea, but I will always eagerly except a glass unsweetened.

Ahhh - here comes a cup now!


----------



## blhowes (Feb 17, 2007)

"Sweet tea" - sounds so out of character coming from the likes of Josh


----------



## blhowes (Feb 17, 2007)

bob said:


> I, too, hate to ruin a cup of coffee by adding any foreign materials to it.


 What's your secret? How do you get the stuff down ... and enjoy it at the same time? - I can get it down, its the second part I struggle with.


----------



## blhowes (Feb 17, 2007)

All this talk of coffee, the power of suggestion got to me. I'm back with a delicious cup of black coffee...with a little Half and Half in it.


----------



## blhowes (Feb 17, 2007)

joshua said:


> I ain't trackin', sir? Whadda ya mean?


Maybe its just the word sweet (don't get me wrong, I'm sure you're that too) that doesn't quite jive with the macho image I have of you. I guess its kind of like the difference between a man who chews tobacco vs a man who chews bubble gum. 

Just joshin',

Bob


----------



## VictorBravo (Feb 17, 2007)

If you find that you don't enjoy the coffee, you haven't boiled it enough.  

Really, cowboy coffee, boiled since midnight and without anything added hits the spot at 4 a.m. in the middle of winter when you have to check the calves. That's where I learned to love it straight.

Bach and Coffee:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_Cantata


----------



## turmeric (Feb 17, 2007)

Whatever you do, don't drink black coffee lukewarm - if it gets to that stage, reheat it. It gets this swampy taste...


----------



## gwine (Feb 17, 2007)

victorbravo said:


> If you find that you don't enjoy the coffee, you haven't boiled it enough.
> 
> Really, cowboy coffee, boiled since midnight and without anything added hits the spot at 4 a.m. in the middle of winter when you have to check the calves. That's where I learned to love it straight.


I've had boiled coffee before and it wasn't too bad. Black is the only way I can drink coffee - sugar or cream makes me gag. Tea is the same, although I can put honey in it but I prefer it plain.

My wife and I are debating cutting back on our coffee consumption. Right now we drink about 2 pots a day each, but she puts whole milk and sugar in hers so there are some calories in it. Sad to say, caffeine isn't a pick-me-up for me, but I just like the taste of it. And the aroma.

Right now I'm drinking chai tea, though. We're already over our 2 pot limit on the coffee for the day.


----------



## Semper Fidelis (Feb 18, 2007)

blhowes said:


> But the question of the day - How do you guys do it? Drink the coffee black...and appear to enjoy it?



As I read this, I'm enjoying a cup of Dunkin Donuts Coffee I just brewed at home. I think their coffee is, hands down, the most delicious coffee of any of the major chains.

I agree that plain coffee is not for me. I've cut back on my sugar too. For cream, however, I actually prefer heavy cream to half and half. I use it both at work and at home.

Have any of you guys tried coffee by using a coffee press? I bought one at Ikea a while back for about $15 and just started using it about a week ago. I can boil a few cups of water in the microwave, add some grounds directly to the water, let it absorb into the water for a few minutes and then I press the plunger down to separate the grounds from the liquid. It can be used for tea too. The coffee tastes a little smoother and you use less grounds because you can make just the amount of coffee you're drinking.


----------



## Semper Fidelis (Feb 18, 2007)

blhowes said:


> "Sweet tea" - sounds so out of character coming from the likes of Josh



Spoken like a true Yankee.


----------



## Carolyn (Feb 18, 2007)

Black Skane roast from IKEA in my latte mug. MMM...

You know, I am REALLY interested in Dunkin' Doughnuts coffee now. I hadn't heard much about it until the infamous Starbucks/McDonalds comparison in Consumer Report this month. People keep bringing up DD coffee as the best. How does it compare with Tim Horton's? That's pretty good stuff too. On a recent trip back from Thunder Bay, you should have seen the border patrol guy's face when I told him I had 15 cans in the back of the car! 

Off to check where the nearest DD is located...

Carolyn Martinson
River Falls, WI
Attending Covenant OPC, Baldwin, WI


----------



## Semper Fidelis (Feb 18, 2007)

Carolyn said:


> Black Skane roast from IKEA in my latte mug. MMM...
> 
> You know, I am REALLY interested in Dunkin' Doughnuts coffee now. I hadn't heard much about it until the infamous Starbucks/McDonalds comparison in Consumer Report this month. People keep bringing up DD coffee as the best. How does it compare with Tim Horton's? That's pretty good stuff too. On a recent trip back from Thunder Bay, you should have seen the border patrol guy's face when I told him I had 15 cans in the back of the car!
> 
> ...



I'm not sure about Tim Horton's coffee. All I can say is that, in the AM, when I smell DD coffee grounds before brewing it, it has such a beautiful, rich, nutty smell to it. It is so smooth and delicious. I like Starbucks OK (and it used to be my favorite) but it's more acidic and heavier than DD.


----------



## blhowes (Feb 18, 2007)

SemperFideles said:


> Spoken like a true Yankee.


Why thanks, Rich, I appreciate the compliment.


----------



## Semper Fidelis (Feb 18, 2007)

blhowes said:


> Why thanks, Rich, I appreciate the compliment.



BTW, both my parents are from New London, Connecticut. I've just lived long enough in the South to know what Sweet Tea is and why Josh would say "Huh?"


----------



## Ivan (Feb 18, 2007)

Having familial roots in Arkansas my mother always made sweet tea. I must confess that I have regressed.

I repent.


----------



## Puritan Sailor (Feb 18, 2007)

I only drink coffee black. Learned that in the Navy. I rarely drink it for the taste, just to get awake or stay awake. Though I have noticed enjoying a cup now and then and I'm beginning to tell the difference between brands.... perhaps I'm acquiring the taste. It's also nice to warm you up on a cold day.


----------



## etexas (Feb 18, 2007)

Coffee Is the thinking mans drink. I should know I am having a cup now!


----------



## apaleífo̱ (Feb 18, 2007)

Just to add my two cents, I have never been able to bear coffee, but I did enjoy having a cup of English tea -- that is, until I discovered that the caffeine in it gave me heart palpitations! I quit drinking it and now thankfully I only get heart palpitations when I'm watching or reading my horror fare.


----------

