How do you like your coffee?

[DrClaude]

Is it wrong of me to think of this?

Can't say it's wrong as it came to my mind as soon as I read the title of the thread...

 

[onatirec]

At home, I drink strong pour-over coffee. Generally black, though recently I've been cutting it lightly with oat-milk. I much prefer light-roast as the flavor is far superior - and grinding beans at home just before use.

When out: double espresso, black unless at some establishment with terrible coffee (e.g. Starbucks) then cut with cream.

I do miss the Italian cafe, cheap short shots ($0.80-$1.00). Expresso in small town here is $3+tip, but taller and stronger...

In school (not too long ago) I switched for a time from coffee to tea. Four double shots a day started to feel excessive. As far as tea goes, I'd swear by high mountain Oolongs.

 

[symbolipoint]

Years ago I worked with a guy from Sri Lanka. He had contempt for the coffee in the break room. Told me how his mother would wake up early to roast the bean and prepare "real coffee."

Very very understandable. The difference is HUGE.

What I find or the way I find is like this:
Most coffees from, like normal grocery store and fancier specialty grocery store, regardless of labeling, have been roasted to a dark roast or beyond; even if the labeling says "light roast" or "medium"; it is most often still actually too darkly roasted, which reduces the amount of flavor, and often enough also gives a charcoal, burned flavor. Along with this, I suspect most of these supplies was of coffees not of the best quality.

There are occasional exceptions. A new, small coffee bar near us has a brew of coffee they serve or sell to customers, which seems to be possibly a medium level roast and of decent flavor.

 

[pinball1970]

Is it wrong of me to think of this?

Ok I think this will not be deleted now so I can comment.
There is something extremely inappropriate and slightly disturbing with this scene which is probably why it is also very funny.

 

[symbolipoint]

I much prefer light-roast as the flavor is far superior - and grinding beans at home just before use.

That's the way to do it! Light roast means more flavor and better flavor. Also, Most high quality coffees will have a sweetness that is present and easier to sense/taste/find at the light-roast level; which is why I say/said, good coffee doe not need added sweetener.

 

[George Jones]

How do I like my coffee. I like my coffee crisp.



Might have to be Canadian of a certain age to be familiar with these commercials, as I am not sure if this available in the US. I sometimes get this from the vending machines at work to have with my Earl Grey tea.

 

[DennisN]

It was black, viscous, quite gritty and unpleasant overall but the after effects were quite striking.

I walked round the rest of the Exhibition a little spaced out checking my pulse every 5 minutes.

I sometimes overdo my own coffee, and then the effects are definitely felt.
I'm standing there in front of the coffeemaker thinking to myself "Hey, I feel quite tired, let's make some strong coffee this time". I drink the coffee and turn into a nervous wreck, thinking "I'm not going to do that mistake again". But sometimes I do.

 

[symbolipoint]

I sometimes overdo my own coffee, and then the effects are definitely felt.
I'm standing there in front of the coffeemaker thinking to myself "Hey, I feel quite tired, let's make some strong coffee this time". I drink the coffee and turn into a nervous wreck, thinking "I'm not going to do that mistake again". But sometimes I do.

One must learn to drink or use coffee properly or carefully. Using it right just let's you not feel tired. Overdoing it is what you want to learn to avoid.

Something important: How fast to drink the coffee

 

[pinball1970]

One must learn to drink or use coffee properly or carefully. Using it right just let's you not feel tired. Overdoing it is what you want to learn to avoid.

Something important: How fast to drink the coffee

Let's face it, coffee is a drug. We don't tend to talk in these terms but that is what it is.
I drink a lot but stop after lunch as a rule.
Caffeine is ok for the liver apparently so it ticks a couple of boxes for me.

 

[DennisN]

Let's face it, coffee is a drug. We don't tend to talk in these terms but that is what it is.

I agree. And coffee isn't something we really need, but many of us tend to like it. It's a stimulant "drug".

 

[gleem]

Let's face it, coffee is a drug.

And for that matter so is sugar.

 

[pinball1970]

And for that matter so is sugar.

And for that matter so is sugar.

I don't think so. Caffeine is a stimulant. @jim mcnamara @BillTre what is your view?

 

[BillTre]

I don't think so. Caffeine is a stimulant. @jim mcnamara @BillTre what is your view?

For sure caffeine is a stimulant.
Sugar acts as a stimulant with children's behavior at least. But if it would be classified as a drug pharmacologically, I don't know.
Probably depends on how you define drug.

 

[hutchphd]

I have never met a drug I didn't like. Well that's not quite true but irrelevant... I can use them or not. I ceased tobacco smoking many years ago.
But coffee makes life so much better. I am very much enamored and doubtless addicted. As near as I can tell, it has no down side. So don't get between me and my coffee.

 

[gleem]

Sugar may not be a drug per se but it does induce certain drug-like effects like the increase in dopamine, craving and binging.British Journal of Sports Medicine: Sugar addiction: is it real? A narrative review

Abstract​

In animal studies, sugar has been found to produce more symptoms than is required to be considered an addictive substance. Animal data has shown significant overlap between the consumption of added sugars and drug-like effects, including bingeing, craving, tolerance, withdrawal, cross-sensitisation, cross-tolerance, cross-dependence, reward and opioid effects. Sugar addiction seems to be dependence to the natural endogenous opioids that get released upon sugar intake. In both animals and humans, the evidence in the literature shows substantial parallels and overlap between drugs of abuse and sugar, from the standpoint of brain neurochemistry as well as behaviour.

 

[DaveC426913]

Iced.

I almost universally eschew hot liquids. And, yes, that includes soup.

The purpose of a liquid is to cool. A hot drink is an oxymoron.

 

[jim mcnamara]

Table sugar, sucrose, is a glucose-fructose dimer. Humans have extensive biochemistry to support glucose metabolism. Not so, for fructose. Large amounts of dietary sucrose are a problem for the liver, fructose gets metabolized into fat and stays. The acronym NAFLD stands for Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Sucrose consumption is one of the primary drivers for this disease. It is a hallmark for inflammatory associated conditions - metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes. This is why you may see people who think high fructose corn syrup in beveragescontributes to these issues.

This is probably what your phsysican is telling you about when s/he mentions "high liver numbers"

See for NAFLD : https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease/nafld-nash

There are also some preliminary studies of the association of sucrose over-consumption and dementias.
Example:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33569566/

Why? Simple answer is humans need Vitamin C. Sweet fruit usually has Vitamin C. So humans evolved a sweet tooth to cope with procuring a very transient and valuable resource in the wild. McDonalds, sugar drink manufacturers et al make sure it is no longer a transient resource.

Today, the average American consumes almost 152 pounds of sugar in one year. This is equal to 3 pounds (or 6 cups) of sugar consumed in one week...

https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/nhp/documents/sugar.pdf

 

[symbolipoint]

Let's face it, coffee is a drug. We don't tend to talk in these terms but that is what it is.
I drink a lot but stop after lunch as a rule.
Caffeine is ok for the liver apparently so it ticks a couple of boxes for me.

Yes. That was my point, and your subpoint is excellent.

 

[symbolipoint]

For sure caffeine is a stimulant.
Sugar acts as a stimulant with children's behavior at least. But if it would be classified as a drug pharmacologically, I don't know.
Probably depends on how you define drug.

Some of us understand what you mean.

 

[symbolipoint]

Not so, for fructose. Large amounts of dietary sucrose are a problem for the liver, fructose gets metabolized into fat and stays.

Like I said earlier, truly good coffee has its own sweetness, or at least a hint of sweetness and therefore needs no additional sugar.

 

[jim mcnamara]

@symbolipoint - most consumed sugar is in processed foods, drinks, sweets, but not much in coffee. And yes we are talking about coffee, you are correct, but my post above sort of expanded the range of consideration since someone else went on a sugar tangent.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3751311/
calories as "added sugar" are in most of these these prepared foods (pretty much minus meat items):

Calories –The mean total calorie intake by persons two years and older in the U.S. was 2,176 kcal/day. Table 1 shows the total calorie contributions from the top ten food sources of calorie intake: ‘cake, cookies, quick bread, pastry, and pie‘ (7.2%) followed by ‘yeast breads and rolls’ (7.1%), ‘soft drinks’ (5.4%),‘beef’ (4.7%),‘crackers, popcorn, pretzels, chips’ (4.7%), ‘cheese’ (4.6%), ‘milk’ (4.5%), ‘candy, sugars, sugary foods’ (4.5%), ‘poultry’ (4.3%), and ‘alcoholic beverages’ (3.7%).

 

[DennisN]

I used to use cream or milk in my coffee.
Now I just take it black with a little bit salt (shaken, not ground).
Bitter coffee is not one of my favorites.

The salt is a trick I learned from some sailors on a ship I used to work on.
These on the bridge would make a jug of coffee at the beginning of a 4 hour watch and it would be on the heater for a long time. A bit of salt reduces the bitterness.
Not sure of the mechanism, but it may involve the bitterness taste receptor, rather than chemistry in the coffee itself.

Interesting, I have never heard about this before. I am going to try it.

Edit: If I'm out of milk at home, I put a bit of ice cream in my coffee instead. I'm almost never out of ice cream. It was something I started doing during the Covid home isolation. I'd say it tastes like something in between milk and cream.

 

[symbolipoint]

Interesting, I have never heard about this before. I am going to try it.

Edit: If I'm out of milk at home, I put a bit of ice cream in my coffee instead. I'm almost never out of ice cream. It was something I started doing during the Covid home isolation. I'd say it tastes like something in between milk and cream.

I would sometimes, but many many years ago, put frosting, like from a cake, into my coffee as a creamer. It was fine, except that it would not completely disperse, but it did enough for the purpose.

 

[DennisN]

I agree. [...] It's a stimulant "drug".

This quote of mine should prove to all readers of this thread that I am aware of the issue.
And since I'm aware of the issue, this means I'm not a coffee addict.
Do you all hear me?

I am not a coffee addict!

I AM NOT A COFFEE ADDICT!

Eh, sorry, I lost my temper a bit there.
I'm probably just a bit irritated.
Time to make some more coffee.

 

[julian]

"I like my coffee like I like my women. In a plastic cup." Eddie Izzard.

I don't like coffee, but I could do with a cup of tea. Milk and two sugars. And some biscuits if it isn't too much trouble. Thanks @Parkour.

 

[rsk]

I have been drinking coffee since first grade. At that time with milk and sugar. After grad school, I ditched the cream.

For breakfast black with just enough sugar to begin to taste the sweetness. After dinner often just black especially with dessert.Best little expresso-style, stove-top coffee maker but be sure you use decent coffee.

View attachment 290512

I have a little electric version of that. I buy illy coffee when i can and make it 50:50 espresso and warm milk. No sugar.

 

[phinds]

How do you like your coffee?

Like this:

 

[rsk]

You have never been to Turkey?

Me neither but I happened upon some Turkish colleagues of a colleague at a work event and we had Turkish coffee over Lunch.

It was black, viscous, quite gritty and unpleasant overall but the after effects were quite striking.

I walked round the rest of the Exhibition a little spaced out checking my pulse every 5 minutes.

I had a similar effect from Italian coffee first time I had it, tiny little cup with a big hit- much prettier overall though. Not as gritty.

I started getting dizzy spells on a trip to Turkey. Not head spinning stuff, more like a sensation of swaying.
When I got home I went to see my GP. She tested my blood pressure, it was very average but mine is usually pretty low and she said it was the turkish coffee and spicy, salty food that had done it to me.

 

[DennisN]

I started getting dizzy spells on a trip to Turkey. Not head spinning stuff, more like a sensation of swaying.
When I got home I went to see my GP. She tested my blood pressure, it was very average but mine is usually pretty low and she said it was the turkish coffee and spicy, salty food that had done it to me.

Hmm, that is quite interesting. I may have had the same experience.
I have cut down on my coffee consumption considerably, but I was drinking quite a lot of coffee some years ago. And I remember sometimes experiencing "sensations of swaying". I also remember my GP saying I had low blood pressure. Maybe there was a connection?

Edit: After a bit of googling, it seems coffee raises blood pressure. So maybe my low blood pressure was due to something else.

 

[rsk]

Hmm, that is quite interesting. I may have had the same experience.
I have cut down on my coffee consumption considerably, but I was drinking quite a lot of coffee some years ago. And I remember sometimes experiencing "sensations of swaying". I also remember my GP saying I had low blood pressure. Maybe there was a connection?

Edit: After a bit of googling, it seems coffee raises blood pressure. So maybe my low blood pressure was due to something else.

Yes, they've always told me my low blood pressure was a good thing and I think on this occasion she was saying that I'd managed to increase my blood pressure to something that wasn't usual for me, hence the dizziness. I wasn't completely convinced but couldn't think of any other explanation and it's never happened since.