My first experiences with coffee

[Perfigliano]

My work has a free coffee machine. I tried a latte today. HOLY CRAP that stuff is bitter. I was expecting bitter, but not that bitter. I was expecting to at least be able to taste something interesting.

I had a little bit of a Java Monster later. That was actually pretty tasty. It reminded me of coffee-flavored jelly beans.

Not all coffee is created equal, apparently.

My coworkers are awesome and are showing me the ropes. It's great not working with other Mormons. Not Utah is great.

[Corsair]

Mormons collectively really do have a sweet tooth and this is one area where this gap in their flavor comprehension shows up. Put two creams and two sugars in your coffees for now until you can start to understand the taste. There are flavored creams to add and a bunch of different ways to prepare coffee. I admit I'm one of the crazier people who have developed a taste for coffee that is black and unsweetened (like my soul).

[Perfigliano]

Hmm... I wonder where that sweet tooth comes from...

Maybe it's from the WoW, the trendy health advice passed as a revelation. The only thing it is definitively right about is tobacco. Maybe not the "sick cattle" part though.

[alas]

The fat in the cream is what helps with the bitter taste. So add creamer or cream or half and half. I prefer half and half.

Also, the medium roast is not as bitter and doesn't taste as much like someone burned the chili.

Or, if you are determined to learn to like the stuff, on line you can order Kona Coffee. Costs and arm and a leg, but it has no bitterness. Me DH ordered me some for my birthday to see if it was worth it. Or just plan a vacation to Hawaii, because they do not export the 100% Kona, only like 15%, and that doesn't really fix thebitternessproblem.

I am still learning to like it 2 years after starting. But for me it is medicine as it helps with ADD, so I am not bouncing off the walls.

[moksha]

Now that the temperature is warmer, you might want to try a Thai iced coffee.

The only hard candy that I like is Coffee Nips, although I have tried a more healthy sugar-free variation and that was good too. Coffee flavored ice cream is some of the best, although the BYU Creamery will never include it as an offering.

[Just This Guy]

I find that temperature can affect how something goes down. I can't stand black coffee that's hot. However, when chilled or at room temp, I like it a lot.

You could try cold brew coffee as things warm up.

In general, I find that it is better to spend a bit extra on your coffee. I really don't like Folgers or Maxwell House. However, Walmart's house brand (Great Value) is surprisingly good. Bones Coffee is very good, and well flavored, but is expensive. Christopher Bean Is more reasonable on their pricing, but is still good. My favorite is actually a semi-local guy who roast and mixes his own blends called Basecamp Coffee.

https://www.bonescoffee.com/
https://christopherbean.com/
https://www.facebook.com/coffeebasecamp/

[moksha]

The particular roast of the coffee can also affect the perception of bitterness. Coffees with a mild roast will be much easier on your palate, while the French and Italian roast varieties are meant for people who appreciate a good chicken vindaloo.

The bean variety also affects this perception. The arabica bean is smoother than the robusta bean, although this can be affected by the many varietals of the bean type. Once again ask yourself if you enjoy a good chicken vindaloo or find greater satisfaction with Jell-O. If you are a Jell-O person, don't forget your quarterly ministering reports.

[Dravin]

I like my coffee black. What is a fine way to start the morning is a cup of black coffee and a danish or other baked good, not exactly a sugar and fat free morning meal but all those people you see in popular media enjoying a coffee and a donut or a coffee and a cinnamon roll are onto something.

[No Tof]

Sounds like my first experience with the black evil herbal tea.
I remember thinking “no matter where this rabbit hole takes me, I won’t drink that vile stuff”.

Forward four years and now good coffee black or with a bit of cream tastes better then my memory of great hot chocolate.

Maturing tastebuds

[wtfluff]

Or, if you are determined to learn to like the stuff, on line you can order Kona Coffee. Costs and arm and a leg, but it has no bitterness. Me DH ordered me some for my birthday to see if it was worth it. Or just plan a vacation to Hawaii, because they do not export the 100% Kona, only like 15%, and that doesn't really fix the bitterness problem.

Is Kona comparable to other beans grown "nearby"? Like others from the pacific / Indonesia? If so, I'm sure there are varieties you could find that are much cheaper. I've never had 100% Kona, and probably never will; Just Kona "blends", but most of those have been enjoyable.


Coffee is a lot like wine (so I'm told), there are thousands of different varieties / roasts / tastes. Coffee from the break-room, or corner convenience store, or a little plastic pod can't compare to purchasing fresh-roasted beans from a local roaster, grinding and brewing yourself, preferably with an Aeropress, French Press, or Pour-over. (Maybe it's just all the extra work that makes it "taste" better? )

Even with all that being said, I'd hardly ever turn down a cup of coffee, no matter where it comes from; Well, maybe I'd turn a cup down at 10pm. Magic bean-juice is still Magic, even if it has to be doctored up...

[alas]

Or, if you are determined to learn to like the stuff, on line you can order Kona Coffee. Costs and arm and a leg, but it has no bitterness. Me DH ordered me some for my birthday to see if it was worth it. Or just plan a vacation to Hawaii, because they do not export the 100% Kona, only like 15%, and that doesn't really fix the bitterness problem.

Is Kona comparable to other beans grown "nearby"? Like others from the pacific / Indonesia? If so, I'm sure there are varieties you could find that are much cheaper. I've never had 100% Kona, and probably never will; Just Kona "blends", but most of those have been enjoyable.


Coffee is a lot like wine (so I'm told), there are thousands of different varieties / roasts / tastes. Coffee from the break-room, or corner convenience store, or a little plastic pod can't compare to purchasing fresh-roasted beans from a local roaster, grinding and brewing yourself, preferably with an Aeropress, French Press, or Pour-over. (Maybe it's just all the extra work that makes it "taste" better? )

Even with all that being said, I'd hardly ever turn down a cup of coffee, no matter where it comes from; Well, maybe I'd turn a cup down at 10pm. Magic bean-juice is still Magic, even if it has to be doctored up...

With Kona coffee, it is partly the bean and partly the climate, but mostly the volcanic soil it is grown in. So, no, there is nothing else quite like it. My first taste was like, "this is coffee?" Because it was not bitter and you could taste something besides burned beans and bitter. I can drink it black, where even my fancy hazelnut flavored expensive brand I can't drink black and the stuff from your local coffee joint, or what they have in the break room, I can't even stand to smell. Yuck. But then I am a "I can't stand to walk through the coffee isle at the grocery store kind of coffee hater.

But as others have said, there are other ways (cheaper) to counter act the bitter taste. Cold brew. Add cream. Arabica is less bitter than South American.

I have this wonderful cold brew pot from "Bed, Bath, and Beyond" it is like an infuser, with a basket you put the grounds in, fill with water, then put in refrigerator. Next morning your coffee is ready to drink over ice.

What I have been doing to try to "learn to like it" is drinking it (cold brew) over lots of ice. This way, you get the taste, but it is not gaggingly over whelming. But I have reason to learn to like it as it helps with ADD. I am diabetic, so I can't sugar it up and I want to get away from artificial sweeteners. So, incentive to learn to drink it black.

[dogbite]

I have no desire to learn to like it. It's just vile. If it tastes bad why stick with it?

[No Tof]

I have no desire to learn to like it. It's just vile. If it tastes bad why stick with it?

If you google the health benefits of coffee you will find some good reasons.

[dogbite]

They're trivial for the volumes necessary and in comparison tothe other sources, not jacked up with fat and sugar.

[wtfluff]

I have no desire to learn to like it. It's just vile. If it tastes bad why stick with it?

Yeah, if you don't like it, I'm not so sure anyone is forcing you to learn to like it. To each their own. One person's "vile" is another person's "wonderful".

Then again, maybe you're just doing it wrong.

They're trivial for the volumes necessary and in comparison to the other sources, not jacked up with fat and sugar.

Trivial health benefits... Can you show me where you're getting your data as to the "other sources" that have the benefits of the magic black elixer?

If a beverage that's basically free at the vast majority of employers can keep me (and my family) from the horrors of Alzheimer's even for a small amount of time, I'll take it. And another perfect example is what Alas has mentioned: Coffee is deity-sent for many folks with ADD. (Insert "deity" of choice in previous sentence...)

[dogbite]

The primary nutrient in coffee is riboflavin at 11% rdv I an 8 oz cup. The few others hover at 2% and the others are less, usually 0.

The other claims for coffee don't have identified sources. There are correlated lower risks of some things but that's hard to tie directly to coffee or an ingredient in coffee. Or even give a specific level of benefit. More and better studies are needed to make any quantifiable claim. Caffeine is readily available in lots of sources and is a mixed bag of good and bad.

Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables will supply more of just about anything useful to the body with much more quantifiable benefits in heart brain and other health categories as well as reducing cancer.

The reason coffee gets attention is that it can be very low calorie and most things we drink really aren't beneficial. So even small benefits in the beverage can seem significant as compared to other things we drink. When you get right down to it, coffee's really not very effective at anything related to health compared to other choices we can make.

[Reuben]

I don't want to dig up the sources at the moment, but I did a literature review (i.e. read lots of medical research papers) on the health benefits of coffee and tea at the end of last year. I found that the benefits come from two things: caffeine and antioxidants. Caffeine seems to more or less directly affect the concentration of pro-inflammatory markers in the blood (TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 IIRC) and antioxidants do it indirectly by protecting against oxidative stress, which reduces the chronic immune response to such stress. Researchers figure that's why a couple of huge longitudunal studies found that coffee and tea add years to your life on average.

This was very important to me because I have an autoimmune disorder whose main effect is chronic inflammation, which causes joint pain and mental fatigue.

As dogbite says, though, you can get the same effect from other sources. Take caffeine pills if you like: pop 100mg 3-4 times a day. Eat colorful fruits and vegetables. (Color is important because antioxidants tend to be pigments. Peppers, tomatoes, black beans, berries - all great.) There: you've made up for not drinking coffee and tea, and are probably healthier than someone like you who doesn't get enough fruits and veggies.

Or even better, eat colorful fruits and veggies and have your cup of joe. The benefits of antioxidants tend to level out at a certain amount, so getting variety is best.

Another thing I learned is that the anti-inflammatory diets touted everywhere are actually backed by solid research, and will help as much as adding coffee or tea to your diet, and have other health benefits besides reducing the chronic inflammation that sets in with age.

FWIW, my first coffee was unsweetened cappuccino, and I still love it. Black is evil.

[Corsair]

The great thing about breaking the Word of Wisdom with coffee or tea is the hysterical reaction of some believers around you. Coffee and tea are gateway drugs to alcohol and then you're using meth with hookers.

Drinking a little too much coffee has no downsides, unlike alcohol. Nobody crashed their car based on coffee usage. Too much coffee results in greater attention to driving and getting tasks done through improved concentration. The downsides are more humorous than anything else.

[Hagoth]

If you google the health benefits of coffee you will find some good reasons.

[Hagoth]

Similar discussions went on between church members about caffeinated beverages before Elder Uchtdorf gave it the official thumbs-up in a conference talk. The main difference was that nobody could find any health benefits for Coke, but they drank/drink it by the case anyway. The interesting thing about coffee and tea is that they are forbidden by the church's health code, despite the fact that many studies have claimed health benefits and few have found disadvantages.