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How To Enjoy Black Coffee
If you don't enjoy black coffee as much as you enjoy your coffee with milk - here is your guide!
Published November 30, 2021
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Jennie Backteman
Expert@The Coffee Lab
How do you like your coffee? When it comes to enjoying your perfect cup of coffee in the morning, you might be wondering how to get it just right. And if you are the type of person who enjoys a cup of black coffee to get your day started, there are a few different ways to drink coffee black. Or, if you’ve never been able to enjoy black coffee as much as you enjoy your coffee with milk or cream, there are plenty of options to help you enjoy black coffee more.
What are the Benefits of Drinking Black Coffee?
When it comes to drinking coffee, there are several reasons why taking your coffee black might actually be the way forward. Here are some of the main benefits to consider if you are thinking about switching to drinking your coffee black:
- Experience all the coffee flavor: When you drink coffee black, you’re going to get all the flavors exactly the way that they are meant to be experienced. It creates a better profile when it comes to tasting coffee, and you get to enjoy the tastes that the creators and roasters of whatever coffee you choose wanted you to experience.
- No calories: There’s not always going to be completely zero calories in your black coffee, but in most cases, you’ll get just that – or at the most, one or two calories, which is nothing, right? When you add nothing to the coffee, a black coffee recipe is essentially just flavored water, so there are no calories to worry about.
- No need to get other supplies: When you can enjoy your coffee black, there’s no need to panic if you get up one morning to find that you’ve forgotten to restock your milk – you can still enjoy a great cup of coffee.
How to Start Drinking Black Coffee
Are you considering drinking black coffee but just aren’t sure how to get started with it? The good news is that there are several things that you can do to get started with taking your coffee black and liking it too. Some of the most popular ways to start drinking black coffee and enjoy it are:
- Just try it: If you’re interested in drinking black coffee, why not just take the plunge and try it? Just start drinking your coffee black and let yourself get used to it over time.
- Ease into it: If jumping into something new isn’t quite your style, then you can ease into drinking black coffee instead. Adding a little bit less milk and sugar each time will get you gradually used to drinking coffee without it until eventually, you’re not adding any. By then, you’ll have gradually retrained your taste buds and will probably like the taste a lot more.
- Brew your coffee differently: It might be worth trying brewing your coffee completely differently from what you are used to. Since you’re already not expecting the coffee to taste like what you are used to, it can help you with getting used to the way that black coffee tastes.
- Add something different: If you don’t like the idea of drinking plain black coffee, then the good news is that there are other things that you can add to it rather than milk and sugar. Cinnamon is a good choice, or you could add honey for a lower-calorie sweetener.
- Get good quality coffee beans: How to make a good cup of black coffee? Start out with getting the best quality coffee beans. Milk and sugar can change the taste of coffee, but it can also hide poor quality coffee in some cases. If you normally buy cheaper beans, they’re going to taste awful when drinking coffee black, so invest in coffee that’s freshly roasted.
- Grind whole beans: Pre-ground coffee is convenient, but coffee grounds start to lose their flavor and freshness less than an hour after being ground. For the best tasting black coffee, get whole beans and grind them yourself before you brew a cup.
- Try a different blend: You don’t have to go with a specific blend just because you are drinking your coffee black. Experiment with different coffee blends to see which one you prefer to drink black the most.
- Brew it correctly: With no milk or sugar to mask the taste, it’s never been more important to get all the different factors just right when brewing a cup of black coffee. Make sure that you have the right amount of water at the right temperature and the right amount of coffee beans. It’s also important to make sure that your coffee beans are ground to the right coarseness level for the type of brewing you want.
How to Make Great Black Coffee
Making black coffee is fairly easy as all you need to do is brew the coffee and it’s ready to go. All you need is coffee beans, water, and whatever type of coffee maker you use. Start by making the coffee according to the instructions for your coffee maker. It’s important to follow these closely since any mistakes are going to be tasted more when drinking the coffee black. Once your coffee has been brewed, you can add some water to it if you like. Drink it plain, or add a low-calorie flavoring like cacao powder, cinnamon, or vanilla. Coconut oil, butter, and even salt can also be added to your coffee to add some flavor.
Brewing Great Black Coffee At Home
Brewing great black coffee at home is actually really simple. All you need to do is get some of your favorite coffee and whatever type of coffee maker you prefer. You can use a standard drip coffee maker, a French Press, AeroPress, Moka pot, or even a Keurig or Nespresso machine to brew black coffee. There are lots of different options available for customizing your brewing process to make sure that your final cup of coffee is exactly how you like it.
How to Reduce Bitterness in Black Coffee
One of the biggest issues with black coffee is that it can be quite bitter. Some people like this, but not everybody is a fan. Normally, you would add milk or cream and sugar to make sure that your coffee does not have that strong taste. But, if you want to avoid those options, what are the alternatives?
Start with the grinding process – one of the best things that you can do to make sure that your black coffee does not have that bitter taste is to go with a coarser grind. If the coffee is too finely ground, then this could lead to over-extraction, which causes bitterness. However, don’t go too coarse since this could lead to not getting as much flavor in your cup. A medium-coarse grind is usually the best option.
Secondly, make sure that you are getting the coffee to water ratio right. Too much coffee will result in a stronger, bitter flavor, while on the other hand, using too much water will lead to coffee that is weak and watery.
Where to Buy Coffee Beans for Black Coffee
If you want to start drinking black coffee, then getting the freshest and highest quality coffee beans will make a big difference. Grinding your own coffee beans fresh for each brew you make is ideal, as pre-ground coffee beans will have already lost a lot of their flavor. Some of the best places to buy coffee beans for your black coffee include:
- Grocery stores: Today most grocery stores are a great option for buying coffee beans as they offer a wide selection at affordable prices. Plus, it’s convenient to buy your coffee beans at the same time and place as getting the rest of your groceries. However, bear in mind that grocery stores don’t usually sell the freshest coffee.
- Coffee houses: You can buy beans from coffee houses that are freshly roasted and great quality. You can usually try the blend in the coffee house before you buy, too, and there are usually people on hand who are coffee experts that can recommend the best blends to you.
- Coffee roaster: If you know somebody who roasts their own coffee or there is a coffee roaster local to you, getting beans directly from them is a great choice since the beans have just finished roasting, giving you the freshest possible option.
- Online: You can get coffee beans online from lots of specialty online shops, along with subscription services that send you freshly roasted coffee beans directly from the roaster to your door on a regular basis. This is a great option if you drink a lot of coffee since a regular delivery means you’re never going to run out!
Drinking black coffee is certainly healthier than adding milk or cream, but lots of people aren’t sure of the bitter taste. The good news is that whether you dive straight in or ease yourself into drinking black coffee gradually, there are several ways to start liking it and make sure that it tastes exactly how you want it to.
About the author
Jennie Backteman
I´m a ultramarathon runner, landscape designer and a coffee lover.
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