Help Me Learn To Like Coffee

[Kirby]

I'm also a bit wary that I might not be able to tolerate something with an insanely high amount of caffeine, as I've sometimes gotten ill after drinking coffee out.

If it makes you sick, then maybe coffee just isn't for you.

That said, I never really liked coffee until about 12 years ago when a Deidrich's Coffee opened in my office building. I just started with black coffee and didn't screw around with cream or sugar. After about a week, I really started to enjoy it. Coffee itself is healthy (in moderation) it has bioflavinoids, antioxidants, and a nice caffiene kick. It only gets bad when you start adding sugar and cream.

Start with small and drink that a few times a week for a month and then reassess. There is nothing wrong with tea either, just stay away from those energy drinks, all those chemicals can't be good for you.

 

[Lindley]

I went through a lots-of-sugar phase with my tea. The problem is that you become desensitized to it.

I eventually started pulling myself back to one packet, maybe two at most.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I can only suggest brands and types of Italian coffee, which could be seen as the "nuclear option" of coffee tasting (as one small cup of that has as much taste and caffeine as a couple of "American" coffee mugs), so I don't think I can be very helpful here.

But I live on the stuff, so I cannot help but recommend at least a try of Illy brand with half a teaspoon of sugar and no cream.

 

[CmdrAJD]

Which of the pod coffee makers do you have? We have a Keureg, which has some pretty decent options. I'm something of a coffee wimp myself, so I can understand your issue. I like the butter toffee and french vanilla flavors. I tend to like mine sweeter, though. We also get a Hershey's Chocolate Caramel creamer that does a great job of killing the coffee bitterness.

 

[Kirkman1987]

I like Black Coffee, although sometimes I'll take it with milk and sugar.

Beer is better

 

[JustKate]

Oh, but coffee is such a vile beverage. Growing up, I was always told that I'd acquire a taste for it, and I never did. Ever. Yuck.

I'm a tea drinker, and just as there are lots of different coffees, so there are lots of different teas. My suggestion would be to go to a real, genuine, specialty tea store that sells lots of different kinds of tea (there are even some chain tea stores these days - I mean, Indianapolis, which is where I live, isn't exactly the most cosmopolitan city and there are specialty tea stores here) and ask if they can let you taste some different kinds. Failing that, regular old grocery stores sell sampler boxes offering several different kinds of tea - it'll be the kind in teabags, which isn't my preference since I generally buy my tea loose, but that should give you a reasonable idea.

Be sure and make it properly, and by that I mean it needs to be made with hot water - usually boiling or very close to it. If you buy it from a specialty tea store, ask them how to make it properly.

Since a caffeine delivery system is your goal here, you may as well skip herbal teas, since those generally have zero caffeine. Green tea has very little. Regular teas have a fair amount, though generally not as much as coffee. I do think that tea offers a wider variety of flavors than does coffee - but remember that I have confessed that I loathe coffee, so I might not be the best source. It all tastes awful to me. I don't even like mocha ice cream.

 

[Naira]

Maybe you could try cappuccino? Half of it is milk so it might taste better to you.

And also, be aware of sugar and all that stuff like chocolate and caramel people put in their coffee. It's not very healthy adding tons of sugar in your coffee.

 

[melancholymecha]

the only way I like coffee is with skim milk, cold with lots of sugar, so I always get non fat iced coffee, sweetened from Starbucks, & I like their bottled Frapuccino drinks, but for some reason I dont like the Frapuccino they make for you at the store, they taste totally different. Also I only like plain coffee flavor, I dont like any of those other flavorings like mocha or vanilla.

I used to put waaaay too much sugar in my coffee . . . so much that I'd have a ton of sugar stuck to the bottom of my mug
now I don't put so much in

My roommate was like that. It was disgusting.

thats what my mugs look like Diabetes here I come!

 

[nevermore]

I bought something from Dunkin Donuts today and it tasted as vile as every other coffee I've had. It's now approximately 50% sugar by volume and I can barely tolerate it. I know it's an acquired taste, but I was wondering if there's anything specific I should be trying.

Any suggestions of where I should try coffee from, what types, etc would help.

Step 1: Don't ever drink fast food coffee. This includes Dunkin' Donuts.
Step 2: Try a cafe mocha or a latte from a decent coffee shop. Not Starbucks, as their coffee is over-roasted and super bitter. Basically, you should start with frou-frou drinks and work your way gradually into regular coffee.

We have a coffee machine thing at home that I got for my husband but it uses those pods so I'm not sure what choices are available there.

Ugh, those things make horrid, vile swill and they're an environmental nightmare. Throw it away immediately. Get a basic french press or a simple drip coffee maker and a grinder and buy quality whole-bean coffee, preferably locally-roasted to avoid the added bitterness of preservatives and age. Try a variety of different roasts. If you can go to an actual roastery and explain that you're a neophyte, they'll probably be super helpful as well.

I'm also a bit wary that I might not be able to tolerate something with an insanely high amount of caffeine, as I've sometimes gotten ill after drinking coffee out (especially from Borders).

You'll build the tolerance for caffeine. Don't start with a 4-shot mocha and you should be fine.

Just drink tea, a nice strong cup has plenty of caffeine, and doesn't taste like mud either.

Such a sad, misguided soul.

There's no way to make you like coffee. You either like coffee or you don't. It's like there's a coffee drinking gene in some people. Me, I can't stand coffee and I never will. If you need caffeine, drink tea. There's a very high amount of caffeine in tea.

I don't thin this is true at all. I used to hate coffee, now I drink my bodyweight in the stuff. It's an acquired taste like beer or wine. You have to train the palate.

Also is coffee really that bad healthwise?

No. It may have some small risks like elevated blood pressure for a bit after you start drinking it, or some blood sugar control issues in type 2 diabetics, but it is most certainly nowhere near "the worse thing for you".

Studies have actually pointed to some rather significant health benefits, including lower risks of stroke, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, diabetes and certain kinds of cancer. It's also a good source of antioxidants and fiber.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Basically, you should start with frou-frou drinks and work your way gradually into regular coffee.

This is so true and awesome I could carve it in wood and hang it at my place.

Studies have actually pointed to some rather significant health benefits, including lower risks of stroke, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, diabetes and certain kinds of cancer. It's also a good source of antioxidants and fiber

Woo-hoo. Double espresso for me!

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Step 1: Go to a hardware store.

Step 2: Ask guy at counter for P40 sand paper.

Step 3: Take sandpaper home and rub vigorously over tongue

Step 4: Wait for tongue to heal and repeat step 3 a few times.

That is the only way coffee can become palatable. I'd go with Diet Dr. Pepper. It has a lot of caffeine.

 

[SpaceBrotha]

Make sure it is decent coffee, not the swill they serve at normal restaurants. Decent coffee meaning roasted within the last 2 weeks, and not pre-ground. Also cream and sugar.

If you don't care for normal coffee you can always try latte drinks such as a caramel macchiato or a mocha. They are pretty easy to drink compared to straight coffee.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

What about taking a No-Doz or Vivarin pill whenever you want a work boost? Just wash one down with a good cup of tea and you'll be bouncing off the walls in no time.

Why not try this? Then you could drink anything you wanted to.
People say coffee and beer are acquired tastes but why should you have to acquire them? If I don't like the taste of something the first time, why should I keep pounding it down hoping that I' get to liking it? Life's too short.

 

[RoJoHen]

People say coffee and beer are acquired tastes but why should you have to acquire them? If I don't like the taste of something the first time, why should I keep pounding it down hoping that I' get to liking it? Life's too short.

Well, a lot of things you can't physically like until you're older anyway. Your taste buds change as you age, so if you don't like something once, you might like it later. It's the reason kids love sugar and old people drink black coffee.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

I used to love coffee, but the coffee they used to have for us at work was god-awful and used to really tear apart my insides; i always got queasy when i had their coffee. So i stopped drinking it and i don't like coffee anymore.

 

[iguana_tonante]

It's the reason kids love sugar and old people drink black coffee.

I'm not old.

I'm just... seasoned.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

Kestra, there are other ways to get caffeine. If you don't like coffee, you don't like it.

 

[trampledamage]

Step 2: Try a cafe mocha or a latte from a decent coffee shop. Not Starbucks, as their coffee is over-roasted and super bitter. Basically, you should start with frou-frou drinks and work your way gradually into regular coffee.

This is what my sister did. She used not to like coffee, started ordering lattes and liked them.

 

[Australis]

Yeah, Starbucks for me has been a bad experience, and I like coffee. I do, however, try to limit myself to 1 coffee and 2 teas a day.

Have you tried coffee-flavoured milk? That might be a starting point, then moving on to hot milk drinks like cappucinos and the like.

And there is another option. My son once bought me some Kopi Luwak, comes in a vacuum pack, can be made in an espresso machine or a French press. And it is not at all bitter. Very mild in fact:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak

BUT... sorry to say... your mind does dwell on its origins...

For all that, very recommended.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

It's the reason kids love sugar and old people drink black coffee.

I'm not old.

I'm just... seasoned.

Like a good salami.


Wait ... that came out wrong.