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Author:
Dannielle Beardsley
It should be pretty safe to say that we have all done it. We’ve made our coffee, whether by pour-over or with a Keurig. We’ve made it exactly how we like it. We’ve sat down and lifted the cup of life to our lips to take that first sip.
But, what? Why does the coffee taste weird? Oh no. Let’s open that fridge and check that creamer. Yeah, it’s definitely the creamer. Do you know how to tell if the coffee creamer is bad? We do, so let us help you not ruin another cup of coffee.
So, let’s take care of the obvious right away. Of course, you should look at the expiration date. Though if you are drinking your coffee at a normal rate, this shouldn’t ever be a problem. But if you only like the tiniest splash in your coffee, then maybe you might not have realized the expiration date was a bit ago.
Always check the expiration date before you grab it off the shelf. If you aren’t sure if you’ll use it by then, try to grab one with a later date or a smaller jug.
Not every expiration date is correct or guarantees you perfect creamer. Unfortunately, sometimes things happen and you get a creamer that’s far from its due date still messing up your coffee.
You know what creamer should smell like. You use it enough. If it smells funky, or off, or if it makes you gag after a whiff, then let’s put that down. It sucks, but it sometimes spoils faster. Or maybe the date was wrong when it was stamped on. Accidents happen.
Get a clear cup or a spoon and pour some out. What does it look like? Does it have the normal consistency? Or is it lumpy and gross? When you can see what it looks like, you can determine if it’s normal or not. You don’t always notice the way it pours out when you are putting it in your cup. You might not even be looking when you pour (expert level).
Let’s say you’ve poured some out, but it looks fine. You’ve sniffed it and it smells okay. You are going to have to try it. Chefs always taste along the way. You are going to have to see if your coffee is being ruined by a sneaky, disgusting creamer.
It could be that you tried a new flavor, and once it’s in your coffee, you don’t like how it makes it taste. Or you tried a new flavor of coffee and it does not go well with your current creamer. These are other ways your creamer could be messing with your coffee’s taste.
But if you are using your normal go-to creamer and your usual blend of coffee and it all tastes bad, ask when yourself when you opened that creamer. Opened, you only have about 3 weeks before that creamer starts to turn on you. Even if that’s not near the expiration date, you still have to use it faster once you’ve opened it. So brew that cup, get the creamer open, and use it before you lose it.