Ask Lemmy

The problem might be the coffee itself. The stuff you buy at the store is often the cheaper robusta variety, which is known for its bitter taste. It's why it's cheap. Arabica coffee is smoother, and much less bitter in some cases. But anything from the store is also from multiple sources, meaning they take crops from all over the world and mix them together. Single source coffee is more expensive, but you can find varieties that are more delicate than store coffee and taste more fruity. Chances are you could find a kind you would be happy drinking with no added cream or sugar.

But then again, don't push yourself to try it. It's really no big deal if you don't like coffee. And honestly, it's not really good for you anyway, as caffeine is addictive and weaning yourself off of it can be a quite literal headache. Plus it raises your blood pressure, so depending on your health conditions, it might be really bad for you. You're not missing anything to be sad over. And I say that as a coffee lover.

If you're interested in trying to like it, there are a few technique changes I've made over the years that have made me enjoy it. If you're not interested, stop reading and enjoy your coffee free life. 😊

I used to only enjoy it from coffee shops and tolerate it when I made it at home, but I've learned a few tricks that helped.

1. a pinch of salt in the grounds. Yes, a pinch. 1/16 to 1/8 tsp per pot of coffee. If you can taste the salt, it's too much. Got this tip from Alton Brown on Good Eats.

2. preheat your water. The standard American drip coffee maker cannot heat the first cup or 2 of water to boiling. It comes out around 160-180. Got this from James Hoffman on his YouTube.

3. lighter roasts. Dark roasts are like anything burned more.

4. grind fresh beans with a burr mill. Bladed coffee grinders make inconsistent chunks and dust. Burr mills don't. Fresh beans have better and less bitter flavor.

The water and the salt tricks are easy. The lighter roast is more tricky bc grocery stores sell darker roasts. The burr grinder is harder bc they're not super popular, so you may have to look for one.

First off, do not do it if you don't want to, King. But I have found I enjoy light roasts with cream, and yes, that's a very far departure from what macho men call coffee, but who cares. A light roast will be less bitter and more acidic and sweet instead. Also something I've learned is that most people use far too many grounds in their coffee, so you get what amounts to over-steeped coffee that again has bad taste.

Yes, we can't trust you if you don't like coffee. :(

@Geek_King @MisterHavoc ironically, I feel like I form half my personality on being one of the few people who Don't drink coffee.

Own it! 😜 We're better than them! We don't need any weird brown bean water to become functioning human beings, much less be elitists about it. Psshht losers /s.

Jk y'all bean juice lovers are an alright bunch, I guess...

Enjoy what you enjoy, and enjoy that you enjoy it. Doesn't matter what other people like

You might be a super taster like me, do you also hate wine, beer, and most fermented things?