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Author:
Dannielle Beardsley
It’s always interesting to see someone’s coffee order. You love to judge your friend every time you go grab a cup. You want them to explain to you why they get those 3 extra shots or how can they drink a hot drink in the summer.
What do you say when someone orders a black coffee? Probably nothing, right? You might be too scared. People who order black coffee must be crazy. Or maybe they know how to pick a good quality coffee and how to brew it correctly. Either way, meet us in the coffee aisle and we can show you how to enjoy your coffee straight up.
What do you add to your coffee? Cream? Sugar? How much? “The recommended serving size” or way more? Have you ever gagged or touched your jaw after seeing how much sugar some people put in their coffee? It’s a drink, not a chewy snack.
If you are one of those people, then you definitely have some work to do. There is no way, ever, that you could go from drinking your coffee like that to drinking it black in any short amount of time. Here are some tips.
Scale it back slowly
You are going to have to have some patience with this. It’s like cutting anything else out of your diet. You want to start slowly and do it gradually. What happens when you try to do a crash diet overnight? You fail, you stop after a week, and go right back to your old habits.
If you use one tablespoon of creamer and one teaspoon of sugar, start with cutting it back by a slight amount. If you do a heaping spoonful, try to do a level one. Do it that way for about a week. Then reduce it more. Only use half of a teaspoon for the next week. The next week, go down to a quarter of a spoonful.
You could start with doing that with only the creamer first while still using your normal sugar. Then you can go to the sugar. Or you can do both at once. Whatever freaks you out less.
If you thought phasing out sweeteners was it, buckle up buttercup. That was step one. Once you take out all of the additives, the real test begins. How does your normal coffee taste without anything in it? Is it disgusting? Are you thinking you made a horrible mistake?
That’s a good thing. That means it’s your coffee. As with everything, you get what you pay for. Some store brands are fine, and some are definitely not.
Get the good coffee
Getting the fancy, expensive coffee might not be on the top of your list. But that’s the only flavor and taste you are going to get. You are going to have to. Even if you aren’t comfortable going big right out of the gate, at least get a brand that’s one step up from what you normally get.
Buy sample sizes
Go to your local coffee shop. Talk to the barista. Tell them you are trying to drink regular coffee. You want to try some different roasts but you aren’t ready to buy full bags yet. Most likely they will be able to sell you nice little sample bags. It’s the best.
If your city has a coffee fest, you should go to that. You can get dozens of little sample bags that way. But if not, go to your local coffee shops.
This is huge. This is important. Wake up and listen to this bit. No matter how fancy your coffee beans are, if they are stale, your coffee will be gross. You have to have fresh coffee.
Get a grinder
A coffee grinder isn’t that expensive. You can get a decent one for $20 to $25. That’s not bad. But for your coffee to taste its best, it needs to be at its most fresh. That means grinding those beans to order.
Once beans are ground, you have about 2 weeks to use them all up. If you drink coffee every single day that won’t be hard. If not, grind a smaller amount. You won’t waste as much and you will be surprised at how far your coffee goes.
Get whole beans
If you will be making it yourself at home, and you have a grinder, you’ll need to remember to get whole beans. Stop getting grounds. Again, then you only have 2 weeks with those grounds once you open the bag.
Say it with us. Whole beans! With whole beans, you can control how much you grind at a time. Simple. Saves money too.
Once you have phased out all of the filler stuff. Once you have learned that grinding your beans for a fresh cup isn’t going to kill you. Once you have realized that buying the fancier brand isn’t going to make you go broke. The real fun can start.
Find your favorites
Do you enjoy the seasonal roasts? Our favorites are the seasonal ones. How fun it is to have a peppermint flavor when there’s snow out? Looking for new roasts is the most fun.
You don’t have to worry about how this or that flavored creamer is going to taste in it. You don’t have to worry about how it might change once you add in your sweetener. You can enjoy the actual coffee.
Relearn what to order
When you get a cup from a coffee shop, you might need to learn what new roast you like now. Once you start drinking it black you might not like the breakfast blend anymore. You might only like the blonde roast.
But the important thing is that you are trying new roasts. You actually can taste the coffee and not the creamer.
So, go, enjoy your new freedom. We have shown you the way. You can now drink coffee in its natural, most glorious form. Don’t expect us to join you though, we love the flavored coffee creamers too much.