A list of its health benefits.
This sort of thing is why I finally started drinking it a few months ago, even though I don’t perceive any actual benefit in doing so. I’ve been making it for her for years, so it was just a matter of making extra. One discovery I made that reduces the awfulness of the taste is to throw some sea salt in the filter before brewing it. It really does take the bitter edge off it. But it’s still something I basically drink as medicinal. I derive no pleasure from it, and sometimes forget to pour it or drink it if I get distracted, so I’d say I’m not addicted in any way. The only obvious benefit I’ve gotten is much cleaner dental exams, to the point that I’ve backed off from quarterly to semi-annual cleanings.
At first read when you said you backed off from quarterly to semi-annual I thought I saw brushings. My next thought was, “dang he is taking the paleo bit serious”. Then I re-read and saw cleanings.
After having some very bad dental experiences I went about 5 years without a cleaning. I brush and floss everyday, don’t drink tonic, don’t eat much sugar at all actually, drink coffee and beer daily and when I finally had a cleaning it wasn’t so bad. Other than the mineral deposits my teeth were fine. Its been a year now and trying to build the courage to go again. Its funny, I can handle all sorts of pain and am not scared of much, but I do suffer dentist-a-phobia. Had a Marathon Man-esque experience once and never want to again.
If your coffee tastes awful, start by grinding your own beans with a burr grinder and making sure the water is around 180-190 degrees F. Then look into ditching the drip method and using a French press or Aeropress. None of these options takes much time or money.
The best drip coffee makers should run the water at around 200 degrees. We just bought a Technivorm coffee maker a few months ago – pricey, but makes excellent coffee.
Coffee that you buy at the grocery store is terrible. Not only should you grind your own beans, but try to find a good local roaster. Ideally, coffee should be brewed no more than a few weeks after roasting. Grind the beans as you need to.
Or … roast it yourself.
But for people who don’t already love coffee, that’s a bit much, even if you can do it with just a pan and a burner (and lots of ventilation).
(I’ve roasted coffee in a cast iron pan when camping, over propane and coals both. You don’t get the fine control of a hot air roaster, but with a little care you can manage a very passable city or medium roast.)
I agree. The oils remain in a french press and you get a nice creme. The coffee tastes less bitter.
If you drink it with cream, try putting the cream in before the coffee. It makes a big difference. And, it saves the trouble of stirring.
I understand in Britain, there is a class distinction between those who add the milk to their tea after it is poured, and those who add tea to their milk. I never learned which class favored which.
I drink it black. My way of getting rid of the bitterness is to toss some sea salt into the filter before brewing.
If bitterness is a problem, try Sumatra. My every-morning brew is 50-50 Peets Sumatra and Trader Joe (i.e. cheap) Costa Rica. Stay away from Colombian.
(I hope this does not double post…)
Ah, forgot to add that I use a drip with a metal mesh cone, no paper filter.
Seconded. Sumatra is the best. I hate musty old Colombian.
What about blood pressure? I gave was a two-cup-a-day guy, but I gave up coffee due to high blood pressure.
That first “gave” was a typo.
My impression of that article: most medical study results are wrong.
To anyone who isn’t fond of the taste of coffee; try it another way, you might find something you like.
I was never a coffee drinker (I don’t like drip coffee) until I discovered, during a trip to Italy; good quality cappuccino. It’s VERY different from drip, and I love it.
I’ve tried cappuccino at Starbucks and the like in the US, and yuck. It’s awful. The only halfway decent cappuccino I’ve found in the US was at a specialty coffee shop. Therefor, I make my own.
An entry level boiler-based espresso machine is around $30, and you can usually grind the beans in the store (don’t buy pre-ground!).
My suggestion is to try a few cappuccinos at high-end coffee shops (for one thing, they’ll have a pull-handle espresso machine – if they don’t, don’t bother).
To anyone who isn’t fond of the taste of coffee; try it another way, you might find something you like.
Why in Gods name would I go to the trouble of trying find a way to make a disgusting beverage slightly less disgusting? I’m sure my efforts would be better spent on helping engineer a virus that kills all producers, vendors, and drinkers of coffee.
I know you’re not serious, but that sounds “genocidal” to me. Or at least as much as Dick’s “final solution.”
Yeah I know, I’ve been talking to him too much, it’s so easy to be drawn to the dark side.
I can’t stand filter coffee as found universally in the USA. Here in NZ (and less so in Aus) there is amazing quality espresso and well trainer baristas everywhere, even in small towns, but it’s expensive at anything from $3 – $5 a cup.
I roast my own beans at home using a popcorn machine. The green beans cost about $15/kg and a kilo makes about 60 double-shot cups of coffee (i.e. 25c each). If you make a latte/cappuccino/flat white (as I do) then the 150 ml of milk used is about another 25c.
I normally only have one cup a day. Sometimes two. I’m roasting about 120g of beans at a time, which takes 10 minutes, uses about 8c of electricity, and keeps me supplied for four or five days.
I’ve got just such a machine sitting under the cabinet. How long should you run it?
I didn’t realize how fortunate I was in my coffee preference until reading these comments. A $6.00 can of discount store coffee lasts me a few months. Since I like it black, it’s pennies a day for something I actually like. I’m a bit skeptical of some of the claims in the article though.