True Or False, Coffee Is An Acquired Taste?

[Burt2021]

I tried coffee many years ago and I couldn't stand it. Was it "love at first taste" for any of you or is it something that you had to learn to like?

 

[Squirrel1]

I’d say it was definitely an acquired taste. Had to use lots of milk and sugar when I first started drinking it. Now I drink it black.

 

[englad]

I'd say so too. I used to be a tea drinker back in the day.

But I'm a purist, real coffee should be black and never instant.

 

[thickgeo]

I think most people’s first encounter with coffee is mass produced over roasted and badly sourced garbage, which leads to a cup you have to abuse with milk, sugar or a thousand various flavors.

Generally you have two coffee process methods: Wet or Natural process. The former, the coffee cherry (coffee is a fruit) is washed off from the seed before being left to dry. This generally has a brighter flavor and is the main method of process for your average cup. Natural process is where the coffee cherry is left on the seed during drying and that imparts to the bean a more acidic and “fruity” flavor. These kinds of coffees are phenomenal and tend to be produced by smaller operations in Ethiopia among many other nations. But there are other process methods hitting the market now that are all pretty tasty. I recommend visiting a local coffee shop that serves single origins and trying different processed coffees. No need to add milk or sugar, as the complexity of the coffee is preserved as most specialty shops tend to roast their beans on the lighter to medium roast side.

 

[Burt2021]

I’d say it was definitely an acquired taste. Had to use lots of milk and sugar when I first started drinking it. Now I drink it black.

Lol I find that funny!

 

[Burt2021]

I think most people’s first encounter with coffee is mass produced over roasted and badly sourced garbage, which leads to a cup you have to abuse with milk, sugar or a thousand various flavors.

Generally you have two coffee process methods: Wet or Natural process. The former, the coffee cherry (coffee is a fruit) is washed off from the seed before being left to dry. This generally has a brighter flavor and is the main method of process for your average cup. Natural process is where the coffee cherry is left on the seed during drying and that imparts to the bean a more acidic and “fruity” flavor. These kinds of coffees are phenomenal and tend to be produced by smaller operations in Ethiopia among many other nations. But there are other process methods hitting the market now that are all pretty tasty. I recommend visiting a local coffee shop that serves single origins and trying different processed coffees. No need to add milk or sugar, as the complexity of the coffee is preserved as most specialty shops tend to roast their beans on the lighter to medium roast side.

Interesting! Thanks!

 

[thickgeo]

Interesting! Thanks!

No problemo. I worked in coffee for years, I could go on and on. The coffee beans itself is one factor. I didn’t even begin to talk about brewing methods. You’ve got your standard drip, French press, aeropress, pourovers, etc. Then your water temp, pH and hardness is where the real chemistry comes in. Check out James Hoffman on youtube sometime.

 

[Burt2021]

No problemo. I worked in coffee for years, I could go on and on. The coffee beans itself is one factor. I didn’t even begin to talk about brewing methods. You’ve got your standard drip, French press, aeropress, pourovers, etc. Then your water temp, pH and hardness is where the real chemistry comes in. Check out James Hoffman on youtube sometime.

I visited Colombia many times and never tried the coffee. My bad.

 

[thickgeo]

I visited Colombia many times and never tried the coffee. My bad.

lol I guess I should clarify that I worked at coffee shops and sales, not growing. In any case, the sad reality is that most Colombians haven’t tried the specialty coffees that are grown there because most of it is exported. I think tinto is really popular there or just standard over roasted drip found in most Latin households such as ones I grew up in. Hence the prevalence of cafe con leche lol

 

[Burt2021]

lol I guess I should clarify that I worked at coffee shops and sales, not growing. In any case, the sad reality is that most Colombians haven’t tried the specialty coffees that are grown there because most of it is exported. I think tinto is really popular there or just standard over roasted drip found in most Latin households such as ones I grew up in. Hence the prevalence of cafe con leche lol

It's my impression that there are a gazillion flavors of coffee. I guess everyone has their own preferences with coffee just as they do for ice cream, wine, or porn. Lol!

 

[seventiesdemon]

Coffee bean can only be grown in certain areas of the planet. I spose that is what makes it so prized.|

For the little that I consume...I prefer it made on whole milk and plenty of sugar........

Not into the bitter...tongue scraping throat choking bawk.

 

[rbkwp]

teamay have 1 cup,perhaps monthly,usually when visiting family/friends

as for the modern late rip off shit,enough said hadrinker
nz,had most things english/uk

dont;ike coffe,leaves an aftertaste in my mouth
plus almost like a diuretic,to me

 

[seventiesdemon]

teamay have 1 cup,perhaps monthly,usually when visiting family/friends

as for the modern late rip off shit,enough said hadrinker
nz,had most things english/uk

dont;ike coffe,leaves an aftertaste in my mouth
plus almost like a diuretic,to me

Yup.....

 

[kennethmarkzamora]

i never learned to like coffee. even when i was a kid i hated the after taste and it stinks over time in the mouth. that's why i always prefer tea especially green tea with no sugar literally just pure green tea. it doesn't have after taste. it gives me the right amount of caffeine and its been proven to be antiseptic, that's why it doesn't really leave an after taste and it has that clean feel orally.

 

[Burt2021]

Although I dislike coffee, I like its smell and I do mildly enjoy coffee ice cream.

 

[kennethmarkzamora]

Although I dislike coffee, I like its smell and I do mildly enjoy coffee ice cream.

me too! my car scent is coffee

 

[seventiesdemon]

me too! my car scent is coffee

It's called Beanhead.

 

[halcyondays]

Never learned to like the bitterness but love iced coffee loaded with milk/cream/sugar. Coffee ice cream is dreamy.

These are guilty pleasures.

 

[Enid]

I liked coffee from the get go, but then I didn't try it til I was in college. At first it was just black diner coffee while studying, then I worked in a bookstore coffeeshop one summer/fall and developed a genuine appreciation for good, rich beans ground myself and prepared properly. The smell of coffee beans still gets me going.

While I've never liked sugar in my coffee, I usually enjoy a good cappuccino once or twice in the fall after a good meal.

So it's false for me, coffee is not an aquired taste.

 

[Motion-of-the-Ocean]

I've been indulging in Java since adolescence and thus I never had to acquire a taste for it. Bear in mind that back then Starbucks and other coffee house clones either didn't exist or were still in their infancy, so the main sources of coffee were either home brew, restaurants or gas station/convenience stores and there was not the prevalence of sugar and fat-laden frou-frou "coffee drinks" or other exotic concoctions like lattes and cappuccinos. Coffee was coffee.

While at home I mostly consume the common, less pretentious brews like Folger's or Maxwell House (usually in a Columbian roast), I've both enjoyed and endured many other kinds. As long as it's fresh and has a distinct coffee flavor and aroma and is not a generic store brand. I've found the best away-from-home choices have been McDonald's and Dunkin and the taste is usually consistent. Despite it's popularity and hype, I've found Starbucks one of the worst; their regular plain old coffee tasting like burnt and stale overpriced yuppie swill.

Instant coffee is pretty much the antichrist of coffee, but there were times I had no choice, such as living in the desert or having to rely on the packs in MREs. I admit I still keep individual packs around to be used as an emergency measure usually when I want another cup but don't want to brew a new pot. But their use is very rare.

The only thing I can say that has changed in relation to my taste with coffee is in what I add to it. For the longest time I was strictly a sugar and half & half drinker, adding in flavored creamers when they become more widely popular. Occasionally I could and would drink coffee with just the sugar, but it had to be exceptional tasteful and fresh. Later on when I became more health conscience I switched the sugar for artificial sweeteners; mostly Splenda. Nowadays I've pretty much cut that out as well and now drink coffee with just the creamer. I've never been able to stomach plain black coffee no matter how fresh, although at times, such as the aforementioned being in the field or overseas, I had little choice and the need for caffeine overrode my palate.

I will also say it is one of the only things that has gone beyond the issue of taste into more of a necessity. Coffee is my only vice and despite any debate, addiction and withdraw is real. I've only gotten the monkey temporarily off my back a few times either as an experiment or when I had no choice, but anybody who wasn't around me during those times should very, very grateful .