I've always loved the smell of coffee, but I've never tried it. Now that I'm out of the church, I want to try it out. Is it true it's an acquired taste? Should I expect it to not taste great the first time I try it? We have coffee machines at my work that I plan on trying that have different blends like dark, normal, decaf. Any suggestions on how I should start out?

I suggest starting with cream and sugar unless you're diabetic. I started drinking coffee when I was 11, and that's how I started. I love coffee, black and bold, but I have friends who think it's too bitter without sweetening.

Have a wonderful beverage adventure!

Do not... I repeat... DO NOT try any coffee until you have made and tried cold brew coffee. Cold brew is not "iced coffee". It is coffee that is brewed cold with no heat. And it is the most glorious tasting beverage on the face of the earth.

There is almost no acid, no bitterness and great jolt. It's everything coffee should be. Once you have had it you can't go back to anything else.

Just google "how to make cold brewed coffee."


I bear my testimony of this great caffeinated truth in the name of google search, AMEN.

What the guy said above me. You can't go wrong with cold brew coffee.

Do you guys heat up cold brew? I make cold brew in the summertime for iced coffee, but I've never had it hot.

you just put it in the microwave for a minute or two.

Its perfect. I add just a tiny bit of sugar and milk. Some people add a little water because the coffee is like a concentrate.

Part of the point of cold brew is that it reduces the amount of oxidation of the coffee during the brewing process. This allows for more of the deeper flavors to come through.

I like cold brew and purchased a Hario Mizudashi Water Brew pot to make my own - about $25 on Amazon. It's pretty simple but maybe a bit messy. Seems to work great though. There are some more elegant options, like the Bruer, but it's 3x the price.

That said, I still keep my Keurig around (I use K-cups, Ekobrew cups, and just for hot water) and my favorite is the espresso machine. If I'm camping the moka pot works great.

I used to put sweeteners in my coffee. Had to stop though. So I've gotten used to not having sweet coffee. This requires a better grade of coffee. Black coffee (or coffee + milk/soy/almond/etc) needs to be good. If you just go to the store and buy some Folgers or Maxwell House and drink it black, you'll be disappointed. It's not much more to buy good coffee.

My very favorite coffee brand is Illy, but I keep around Lavazza, Kimbo, Peet's and other local stuff. If I have to have decaf, I have the Illy for that. I've found that decaf tends to be more bitter than normal coffee.

I forgot to mention my latest coffee fun - Bulletproof Coffee.

https://www.bulletproofexec.com/how-to-make-your-coffee-bulletproof-and-your-morning-too/

My TBM wife actually found this and made it for me as a surprise. It was delightful (as is she).

newcomer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What the guy said above me. You can't go wrong
> with cold brew coffee.


Amen, it's all I drink now.

I thin Aeropress and maybe pour-over filters may (or may not) apply as cold-brewing. I heat up water in a small pitcher in the microwave and pour it into an Aeropress, give it a very short stir and press it right back into the cup (usually with warm milk in the bottom of the cup). Voilà, perfect coffee with no acidity.

On the subject of coffees, a consistently good, mild, and inexpensive brand is Gevalia Traditional Roast, made in Sweden.

Don't miss the ad, "a cup of Johan": http://www.taxi.ca/work/new-york/a-cup-of-johan/

I don't think that it is such a good idea to buy your first cup of coffee out of a machine. But that's just me.

My recipe for hot chocolate goes like this:

Start with a cup of black coffee. Be sure not to fill to the top so there will be room for the following. Add cream and sugar. Taste. If it's not hot cocoa yet, add more cream and sugar. Repeat as necessary.

JAR

BINGO!!!

I don't think that I liked coffee that much when I first started drinking it. I remember I would always add sugar and cream to make it taste better. Now I never add sugar and only very little cream.

I pretty much stick with Columbian coffee and buy it whole bean and grind when necessary.

If you want to get into coffee forget about the work coffee. In my experience no matter where I worked the coffee they made was always awful.

I'd suggest that if you just want to try it, get a cup next time you're at a restaurant. I can't recommend Starbucks as I've still never been there.

You mispronounced that - it's "Charbucks"

As in, holy cow, this coffee is burnt! And it cost a lot!

:-)

I loved coffee the first time so you never know.

Coffee is like wine--so many different flavors from different beans and different processes and so many ways to have it. If you don't like one,just try another one.

If you don't like it at first, I will say, like fine wine, the taste is definitely worth the acquiring.

blueorchid Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I loved coffee the first time so you never know.

So did I. And black, too -- no cream or sugar.
Some people "like" bitter flavors more than others, so your mileage may vary. My first cup wasn't even very "good" coffee, it was mass-produced cafeteria fare, but I liked it. My tastes have refined a bit since then...but I still usually like it black and strong, but different brewing methods (as some others have mentioned) do indeed produce a less bitter, more flavorful cup :)

Had my first cup at 21, four months after coming home from my mission.

I'm with blueorchid. I don't personally think it's acquired, just a matter of finding the right one for you. Always remember that it seldom tastes as good as it smells.

It's better than Postum!

Yeah, start with something sweet and creamy like a Frappuccino or coffee ice cream. Then maybe something mellow like Folgers, with you being able to add sugar and cream (milk, half and half) to your taste. The more you can control the amount of sugar and cream at first (even if you decide you don't like either) the faster you'll learn to love it. I had a lot of coffee ice cream growing up, before we converted to the church, so I was able to make the transition fast. I actually like black iced coffee now.

Mocha latte.
Carmel Machiato (latte)
Vanilla latte.




Give those a whirl..

TBMs don't develop a taste for bitter things because a) alcohol and coffee are banned, and b) sweets are practically shoved down your throat as a member.

I'd ask this: do you like dark (I mean REALLY dark) chocolate? If so, there's a good chance you'll like coffee if not at first, very quickly. If you don't, be liberal with the cream and sugar at first and gradually wean yourself off of it until your taste buds can appreciate the bitterness of the coffee.

Whatever you do, take your time, try different types of coffee and enjoy!

As others have said, I suggest starting with creamers and sugars. Eventually you can cut down on those. I remember the first time I tried coffee (at work) I poured a cupful and promptly spit out the first sip. Tasted like burnt dirt.

I also remember making a half/half using coffee and hot chocolate, (again, at work where the coffee and powdered drink mixes were).

Now it's a not-guilty pleasure.

And another thing.... before coffee or alcohol, the idea of sipping, or taking time drinking something, was foreign to me. I was used to slamming things. These new beverages are enjoyed over time.

When I started at age 17 it was with lots of cream and sugar....and now my coffee is medium roast Costa Rican with a splash of cream and 1 packet of brown sugar....or a shot of Baileys...if the sun is over the yardarm...somewhere...

Ron Burr

Try a Frappuccino for ur first.

all my advice below is for going to starbucks.

COLD
Iced Machiatto is a really good one for a newb.

Iced coffee is good but iced latte is better for a newb.

Iced coffee: brewed coffee on ice (add milk/sugar as needed)
Iced latte: espresso shots and milk on ice
Iced Machiatto: upside down iced latte (and they don't stir it)
Frappuccino (starbucks word): blended iced latte

hot drinks are the best if u ask me. It may or may not take u time to get used to coffee. Mormons just have a child's pallet. :)

HOT
Coffee: brewed coffee (add milk/sugar as needed)
Espresso: condensed version of brewed coffee...sorta like the Greek yogurt of coffee.
latte: espresso shot (s) and steamed milk
Cappuccino: espresso shot (s) and whipped milk (breakfast coffee)

Note that a Starbucks shot of espresso is a real shot. 1.5 ounce. A Starbucks shot of espresso equals a half a cup of coffee as far as caffeine goes.

At Starbucks for lattes/iced lattes/iced Machiatto...

12 ounce cup: 1 shot
16 ounce: 2 Shots
24 ounce: 3 shots

I think they are better to get an extra shot. More caffeine and I love more coffee taste.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2015 01:42AM by capitolmoroni.

I'll never forget my first coffee...

I was 30 yrs old. Hit the Cappuccino button on the machine at work. It at least is a nice machine as far as machine coffee goes. It's the Astana or something like that. Msrp is about $10,000.00. So it's not horrible.

First sip and I was impressed. But I love roasted flavors, chocolate, nuts, dried meats, stouts.

When I felt the caffeine kick a few min later like I have never felt from soda in my life I felt mad. Lol. Knowing how good it tasted and how good I felt...and all the yrs of missing out. :)

I think I was meant to drink coffee. I immediately started drinking 2-3 cups a day 6 days a week. No side effects or "addiction".

I only don't drink it for weeks at a time when visiting utah. It never matters when I stop. I really felt addicted to soda which I now haven't drank since I picked up coffee.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2015 01:50AM by capitolmoroni.

I was a convert, so when I quit Mormonism, I basically picked up where I left off as far as my love of coffee goes. In fact, coffee and tea were harder for me to give up when I joined than alcohol was.

My favorite method for making coffee is a french press, but the key with that is coarse ground beans, and I grind mine fresh every time. I've also gotten used to the taste of straight espresso, and sometimes I have a mocha frappachino as an adult milkshake.

May I suggest the day old pot of coffee at your local convenience store. If you enjoy that then it's all uphill from there.

3-4 cups a day actually provides health benefits:



http://www.webmd.com/diet/coffee-health-benefits-risks-directory?catid=1003

The Organic Coffee Company, sells Central American organic. Or search Hawaiian organic. Avoid American commercial brews, bitter crap. Cold brew, or quick simmer. Tastes like rich cocoa, many flavors, sweet.

I love coffee

I love tea

I love the java jive

And it loves me

Coffee 24/7 a must. If there is proof of a God it's coffee.

French Press only way to get a perfect cup. Although it's good to have a coffee maker with a thermal carafe not a warmer pot.

I a pinch you must have a Keurig for the quick cup to go.

Now, back to my coffee.......