Coffee is awesome. We enjoy it and more often than not, it is an important part of our daily ritual.
For many of us, our love of coffee is often the love for additives and added flavors. My love for coffee as a young adult started with these beverages. They’re downright delicious and I wasn’t going to say no another helping of caramel syrup. Black coffee was for people who were on a diet and were thus stuck with inferior drinks.
Ah, to be young and dumb, and so very wrong. As my interest in coffee matured, it brought in an interest in black coffee. The transition from frappe to black coffee isn’t easy for most of us. Indeed, most of us wonder how to get used to black coffee.
What stops most of us is the barrier of additives. For me, the love of rich added flavors, sugar, milk, and other options made black coffee seem like a downgrade. Appreciating black coffee may need a bit of training for our taste buds. It’s a small effort, but magnificently rewarding.
Why Black Coffee?
Black coffee is a high-energy drink without any carbohydrates and fats. There are, in fact, many health benefits of drinking coffee in moderation. If you love coffee for what it is, the result will be a delicious and energetic beverage.
You may want to enjoy black coffee as a way to cut down on your sugar and milk intake. Another motivating factor may be the desire of coffee lovers to understand the nuances and flavors of coffee. The biggest problem in getting used to black coffee is breaking the lure of additives.
Sugar and milk are the most common additions. We certainly allow ourselves the luxuries of frappes, Frappuccinos, syrups, and several other delicious options. It’s not necessary to give up the delicacies, but it can take some time to get used to unsweetened coffee.
How To Enjoy Black Coffee
There’s more to coffee apart from the energy and health benefits we’re all aware of. Here’s what you can expect and enjoy:
- Coffee has more flavonoids than wine, so you can be sure of always enjoying great flavors.
- Due to the flavonoids, coffees don’t need artificial flavoring. You will enjoy coffee in exquisite flavors and tastes. There’s a range of flavors, common ones include nutty, fruity, flowery, and some even have chocolate flavor.
- Many coffee shops that rely on cream and sugar usually do that to hide their poor taste, flavorless beans, bad roasting, etc.
- Fresh coffee makes a world of a difference in taste. This isn’t just about freshly brewed coffee. It applies equally well to fresh roasted and fresh ground coffee as well.
These are just some of the factors you can expect from black coffee. You’ll find it does taste good. Though the additives and flavors have their place, they aren’t what makes coffee great. There’s a lot more to enjoy and these will certainly bring a greater appreciation to coffee.
The key to enjoying black coffee is knowing that it’s not an exercise in minimalism. It’s an exploration of taste and quality. It doesn’t rely on additives that barely enable you to register the flavor of the coffee.
How To Make Black Coffee
There are two essential components of black coffee.
- The coffee maker
- The coffee beans
Knowing how to make black coffee is about bringing the best of both these together. You don’t essentially need an expensive coffee maker to make good coffee. You certainly can employ the best drip coffee maker or espresso maker. You can also make use of pour over coffee maker, french press, or other options.
Make sure the coffee maker you use is clean. Deposits form in any coffee maker over time and they negatively affect the taste. So, ensure your coffee maker of choice is clean and won’t add its own taste to your coffee.
Making The Coffee Bean Choice
There are plenty of options when choosing your coffee maker. There are a lot more when you choose coffee beans. However, as a person transitioning to getting used to black coffee, there are some additional factors to consider.
You don’t want to dive straight into the deep end. That’s how the best-laid plans go haywire.
Here are some tips to get you on the right track.
- Buy Fresh: Fresh coffee makes a huge difference in taste. When you’re picking black coffee, this will make the biggest difference in taste. Coffee doesn’t spoil in the traditional sense, but it will leave its flavor and aroma over time. Buying fresh doesn’t mean rushing to the store every time you want a cup. Ideally, it is about getting coffee beans as soon as possible after they’ve been roasted.
- Buy Whole Beans: In terms of flavor, buying whole beans is almost always a better deal than buying pre-ground coffee.
- Grind Coffee When You Brew: Fresh ground coffee is always better than pre-ground coffee. Ideally, do not let ground coffee sit for more than 15-20 minutes before you brew. This is similar to buying freshly roasted coffee beans. They’re at the peak of their flavor for 15-20 days after roasting. You may consider investing in a quality burr grinder.
- Experiment With Choices And Roasts: Take your time experimenting with various available coffee choices and roasts to find one that works best for you. Those new to black coffee often tend to prefer light roasts. Most light roasts don’t have the “bitter” taste that many people associate with black coffee. This might make transitioning easier.
- Look For Flavor Profiles: Remember the flavonoids we talked about earlier? Well, don’t forget to enjoy them! Single-origin coffee beans are great choices and the seller will often suggest flavors and undertones to look for. For example, natural Ethiopian coffee has tart, syrupy fruit flavors. Similarly, you can expect Guatemalan coffee to have fruit and floral notes.
Drinking Coffee Without Sugar
Wean Off Sugar
Getting rid of sugar in your coffee is perhaps the toughest job to accomplish. Our taste buds expect the high sugar content of popular beverages. And they don’t take kindly to switching to sugarless black coffee.
Here’s an idea – don’t quit cold turkey!
The best method is to wean off the sugar use. Reduce the amount of sugar or cream you add to the coffee every day. Aim to reduce about 10-15% every day, so you can go sugar-free in a week.
Additives To Consider
If you can make the switch without relying on any additives, awesome!
There is no harm in taking the assistance of some additives to help ease the process. Cinnamon is a very popular choice. It adds a wonderful flavor and can be a mild sugar replacement. A couple of drops of vanilla extract in your coffee are a pretty good choice as well.
Cocoa powder is another useful addition. When used in small quantities, the chocolate flavor works great to keep any bitterness at bay. Plus, the chocolate flavor itself is quite a treat.
If you want to go the extra mile, add salt to your coffee. The idea is that the salt keeps the bitterness at bay and you won’t find the possible bitterness as troubling.
I’m not a big fan of this method, but hey, it’s worth a shot!
To sum up, here are some plausible alternatives to consider:
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Cocoa powder
- Salt
Best Coffee To Drink Black
If you’re wondering where to start, here are our choices for the best coffee to drink black. These are geared more towards people who are making the switch. Of course, there are always more choices, so feel free to explore and find options that work best for you. After all, you’re the one the coffee has to taste good for!
Volcanica Coffee Costa Rica Coffee Beans, Tarrazu Original
The fresh roasted beans of the Volcanic Coffee Tarrazu Original are satisfactory on the notes of flavors. Being certified fair trade puts to rest the possible ethical questions on sourcing of the beans.
The beans are collected from plants grown at a high altitude, which allows them greater flavor. According to the company, this medium roast coffee is freshly roasted and immediately vacuum sealed.
Flavor notes to expect are toasty Tarrazu and Apple. You can expect the coffee to be balanced with medium body and acidity.
Koffee Kult Colombian Huila Fresh Coffee Beans
This artisan roasted fresh coffee has a lovely aroma. It’s a solid start to the day with an aromatic cup with a smooth flavor. The beans come from Colombia and Brazil, and are roasted in Hollywood, Florida.
And with that, I just learned there’s a Hollywood in Florida. Another useless fact added to the list. Maybe it will come in handy on some trivia night.
The 100% Arabica Colombian Huila coffee has flavor notes of cherry, caramel, dark chocolate, and walnut. Now that’s a heady combination!
Cafe Don Pablo Gourmet Coffee Signature Blend
Cafe Don Pablo Gourmet Coffee Signature Blend is a medium-dark roast. The blend is made from coffee beans grown in Colombia, Guatemala, and Brazil.
I recommend this as an excellent budget option if others don’t quite fit your requirements. This GMO-free beverage claims a medium to full-bodied cup with low acidity. This should be an excellent option for most beginners. There’s a smooth cocoa-toned finish, which adds more to the flavor of this coffee.
All Aboard The Black Coffee Train
This guide should have you all set on how to get used to black coffee. Enjoying black coffee is where you come to appreciate the beverage and its qualities. If you’ve ever wondered why people are so fond of their espresso, get on the black coffee train!
The amazing world of flavors that a well-made and well-roasted coffee brings is remarkably impressive. And it’s every bit worth the effort.
