There are some people who think coffee has to be light colored brown and sweet to the taste because they’ve never had it any other way. I’ve been drinking black coffee, with a small amount of sugar since the early part of 2009 and now I’m trying to get used to drinking it without anything added to sweeten it.
An Acquired Taste?
Many years ago, in 1983 or 1984, I started drinking coffee with cream and sugar in it on a regular basis. It wasn’t the first time I’d had coffee to drink, but I don’t remember the first time. I do remember aunts and uncles sitting at my parents’ dining room table drinking black coffee when I was younger than 13 years of age. In fact, I can remember being offered a sip and not liking it at all. I distinctly remember my youngest uncle telling me it was an “acquired taste”. The only thing I drank on regular basis with caffeine in it before 1984 was soda (or pop or soda pop or whatever you want to call it).
While I was in the Marine Corps and stuck off the coast of Lebanon on a Navy ship in 1983, we ran out of soda and UHT milk. The only think left to drink was water and coffee. It didn’t take too long for us to run out of sugar as well. In order for the coffee to be as palatable to as many people as possible, the mess deck people made the coffee very weak. When we finally arrived at another port to restock, I was back to drinking soda again.
Back in February or March of 2009, I stopped adding any kind of creamer to my coffee. I found that I liked the taste of the coffee better than the taste of the creamer and I never liked the taste of “flavored” creamers. I figured that if I needed to mask the flavor of coffee, I shouldn’t be drinking it. I still needed a little sugar in it at the time and only recently did I start drinking it completely black.
Adjust the Amount of Coffee Grounds
While I’ve been staying with my older son, on vacation, I’ve been making the coffee in the morning using his Mr. Coffee automatic drip coffee maker and Folgers coffee. At first, I drank it at the strength he had been making it at – four tablespoons. After a few days, I started using only three tablespoons. I wanted to reduce it to two tablespoons because I like it at that strength without any sugar. Unfortunately, no one else in the house likes it that weak.
I guess I’ll have to wait until I return to the Philippines to drink my coffee weaker than everyone else in my son’s household who drinks coffee. I’m not complaining since I’m only a guest, but I look forward to removing as much sugar from my diet as possible.
I started drinking coffee with milk and sugar as a teenager. I quickly dropped the sugar, then phased out the milk in my 20s/30s. Now I drink it black and strong and enjoy every drop of it to the full! Previously it was just another drink, now it’s a luxury. I have also moved to dark chocolate and savour a single piece each day!
I don’t know about the chocolate. All chocolate tends to act as a laxative for me.
I really love my strong coffee without milk but with a little touch of sugar.I don’t like when it more stronger than the one i have every day nor do i like it to be little less strong than my every day sip.I just like it to be perfect.
I have recently developed the habit of having strong coffee with slight milk added into it.After few days i will stop adding milk and try to make a more stronger one.I really hate dark chocolate.Thanks for sharing this post and it was quite interesting to read.
My coffee has to be strong and at the same time it should be without sugar.In my childhood days i used to love my milky coffee with extra sugar but now i just feel vomiting when i have a coffee made in this way.I just can’t live without my coffee.
I love my coffee to be slightly bitter with little sugar and i enjoy having chocolate cookies with it.Sugar is something that i do not like and my coffee and i also tend to avoid adding milk in it.
I would really not like to have coffee from childhood without sugar because it would taste quite strong and at the same time bitter.Now recently I have tried out coffee without sugar and i am just loving it.I think this is also beneficial from the health point of view.
About five years ago, I stopped putting sugar in my coffee because I was concerned about the affect it would have on my teeth and waistline. Since then, I’ve been perfectly content drinking offee with only a splash of cream in it. (That’s probably not doing my waistline much good either, but it’s not as bad as sugar!)