Who here loves coffee?

[signalman]

As I was making coffee for myself this morning I thought of asking forum members about their coffee intake (or lack thereof)

[formulanone]

I drink between 2 and 4 cups a day, depending on how early I've had to awaken or how cold it is outside.

I'm not much of a Starbucks fiend, per se; I'll buy a bag for home use, but other than occasional splurge for the expense account, I wouldn't normally justify $4 for a cup of coffee.

[billtm]

I always put plenty of milk and sugar in mine!

[Duke87]

I can't stand the taste of coffee. How is it that people can become addicted to that vile swill?

[signalman]

I'm not much of a Starbucks fiend, per se; I'll buy a bag for home use, but other than occasional splurge for the expense account, I wouldn't normally justify $4 for a cup of coffee.

To each their own.  I personally don't like Starbucks, too bitter, IMO.  I won't even drink it for free, I certainly wouldn't pay $4 for a cup of it.

[corco]

I like it, but I like it straight and black. I'll drink a latte if I absolutely have to, but I don't like any real flavoring. I don't drink it very often though- only when it is presented to me or if I'm somewhere where it's easily available. I average maybe a cup a week. I don't keep it on hand at home.

[AsphaltPlanet]

I like coffee.  I drink a cup most days.  I don't care for Starbucks coffee either.  For me its either Tim's, or McDonald's.

[1995hoo]

I always drink it strictly black, unless you don't consider iced coffee black. I drink iced coffee in the summer after I go for a two-mile walk in the morning if I feel like it's too warm for hot coffee.

Once upon a time I drank coffee during the day but I quit because the caffeine had no effect on me. Quitting was BRUTAL because I went cold turkey. The headaches were borderline incapacitating. Once I weaned myself off it I allowed myself to have it in the mornings only at breakfast time unless I wanted decaf after dinner. I will occasionally have regular at times other than breakfast when I need a kick to keep me awake, such as driving late into the night or watching a Capitals west coast game that starts at 10 or 10:30 PM.

[formulanone]

I get headaches if I don't have a cup; quitting before my kids were born was less difficult for Thing 1, but certainly more tricky for Thing 2...probably had three cups of Earl Gray or green tea to counterbalance things.

I can't stand the taste of coffee. How is it that people can become addicted to that vile swill?

It's an acquired taste, like beer or alcohol. I think people put up with the flavor enough for its benefits, although I confess the smell of coffee is an attention-getter. Put enough sugar or cream in it (to one's liking), and it's not much more different than hot chocolate.

On the other hand, I've gotten used to energy drinks, which seem to range from overly-sweet to putrid to vile.

[adventurernumber1]

I drink it occasionally but not daily. I do enjoy coffee but I have to have at least a little sugar and cream in it, and I also really like iced coffee. I usually if not always drink it in the morning.

[pianocello]

I've had a cup of coffee every morning for about 2 years now. I used to have cream and sugar, but I've slowly weaned myself off so now I drink it black, mainly to save time.

[english si]

I ticked 'I drink it all day long' as the best fit, but usually I drink tea in the afternoon (and occasionally evening) unless at a restaurant/coffee shop, and often drink tea in the mid-morning instead of coffee if I'm out.

The next option down is about drinking it for the caffeine, which I do very rarely (except maybe first thing in the morning) - I'm happy with decaf, though I prefer the taste of the non-decaffeinated coffee in my house (though both are 'swill' instant that Brits have developed a taste for even if they know its bad). Then options are about increasing rarity of drinking it that apply even less.

[spooky]

I chose 'I normally only drink it when I wake up', because the morning cup of coffee is the only definite in my routine. I typically make a cup at home and bring it to work. I will more often than not have an afternoon cup at work, and sometimes have a 2nd morning cup. On the weekends it's a single cup with breakfast, and an occasional iced coffee later in the day during the warmer weather.

I had some throat issues a few years back where I was ordered to not drink coffee for a month. Those were pretty brutal work days.

[jeffandnicole]

I only started drinking it about 7 years ago or so.  And really, I only drink one cup (14 - 20 ounces or so) when I get to work - just cream, no sugar - and it takes me about 2 or 3 hours to drink it.  Weekends I don't even think about it, unless I'm up early to go do something. 

[hbelkins]

I don't drink coffee at all. I tried it when I was a teen and absolutely did not like it. I like the smell, but not the taste.

Diet Coke is my drink of choice for all occasions, and I don't even have to have the caffeinated version. The caffeine-free version works perfectly fine for me.

I never understood why coffee is considered an adult drink.  Pop, iced tea and hot tea were all considered acceptable drinks for kids when I was a kid, but coffee was something that only adults drank.

[Brandon]

I don't drink coffee at all. I tried it when I was a teen and absolutely did not like it. I like the smell, but not the taste.

Likewise.  Walking down the coffee aisle is pleasant, but having a sip of it is just disgusting.     Now, hot chocolate on the other hand... 

[J N Winkler]

I can't stand the taste of coffee. How is it that people can become addicted to that vile swill?

It's an acquired taste, like beer or alcohol. I think people put up with the flavor enough for its benefits, although I confess the smell of coffee is an attention-getter. Put enough sugar or cream in it (to one's liking), and it's not much more different than hot chocolate.

I don't think it's solely a matter of becoming habituated to the taste of coffee in general; the type of coffee matters.  It is much easier to pick up a liking for a good medium-roasted 100% arabica coffee of defined ethnic origin (I quite like Ethiopian coffees, but have to settle for Colombian because that is the easiest to find in the midwestern US) than the trash Folgers or Maxwell House puts out, which is cut beyond rescue with cheap robusta beans.

Personally, I limit myself to one cup of coffee a day, brewed immediately after waking in a stovetop espresso maker and drunk with milk (2% fat) and no sugar.  To take care of coffee breath, which is by far the most irritating aspect of being a coffee drinker, I follow it with a very small amount (just one swallow) of orange juice.  If I need a pick-me-up in the afternoon, which happens once or twice a month, I usually fix myself a cup of Earl Grey.  I have always been a fairly light sleeper, but have become more so with age, so I have a rule of never drinking a caffeinated beverage after four PM.

[formulanone]

I never understood why coffee is considered an adult drink.  Pop, iced tea and hot tea were all considered acceptable drinks for kids when I was a kid, but coffee was something that only adults drank.

Probably because some children cannot handle high doses of caffeine, but one the other hand, I suppose they also get a tolerance for it. I've seen children drink coffee and/or cappuccino and they didn't turn into uncontrollable monsters. Some adults tell me they have little to no reaction to caffeine, so they don't bother with coffee. My kids haven't had anything stronger than iced tea, and they've never even had soda or Coke yet...they definitely show a reaction to too much sugar, though.

I don't think it's solely a matter of becoming habituated to the taste of coffee in general; the type of coffee matters.  It is much easier to pick up a liking for a good medium-roasted 100% arabica coffee of defined ethnic origin (I quite like Ethiopian coffees, but have to settle for Colombian because that is the easiest to find in the midwestern US) than the trash Folgers or Maxwell House puts out, which is cut beyond rescue with cheap robusta beans.

I drank Maxwell House when I was a teenager...but yeah, once I discovered smoother (and more potent) blends coffee houses, it really does make a difference. Not sure if it was tolerance to general flavor of coffee, in the first place or not.

[agentsteel53]

my wife does.  she has a cup every morning, like clockwork.

I can take it or leave it.  if she offers to make me a cup, I'll take it.  but I've never gone out of my way to seek coffee.

[Pete from Boston]

I never understood why coffee is considered an adult drink.  Pop, iced tea and hot tea were all considered acceptable drinks for kids when I was a kid, but coffee was something that only adults drank.

Probably because some children cannot handle high doses of caffeine, but one the other hand, I suppose they also get a tolerance for it. I've seen children drink coffee and/or cappuccino and they didn't turn into uncontrollable monsters. Some adults tell me they have little to no reaction to caffeine, so they don't bother with coffee. My kids haven't had anything stronger than iced tea, and they've never even had soda or Coke yet...they definitely show a reaction to too much sugar, though.

The caffeine concentration in a cup of coffee is far greater than in tea or coke.

I don't think it's solely a matter of becoming habituated to the taste of coffee in general; the type of coffee matters.  It is much easier to pick up a liking for a good medium-roasted 100% arabica coffee of defined ethnic origin (I quite like Ethiopian coffees, but have to settle for Colombian because that is the easiest to find in the midwestern US) than the trash Folgers or Maxwell House puts out, which is cut beyond rescue with cheap robusta beans.

I drank Maxwell House when I was a teenager...but yeah, once I discovered smoother (and more potent) blends coffee houses, it really does make a difference. Not sure if it was tolerance to general flavor of coffee, in the first place or not.

It's not impossible for me to stomach Maxwell House.  When you're cold and tired it's still coffee when there's no substitute.  What I can't do is instant, something I probably last had 15 years ago in England, where they can't be blamed for not knowing better.

[english si]

Coffee is an adult drink due to the bitter taste - children don't like that. Of course, you can stuff it full of sugar, but then that makes it worse for kids.

I was 19, I think, before I re-tried coffee (having tried it on-and-off until at about 14/15 I just gave up) and liked it. Before then I was a tea drinker, with more brewing time, less milk/sugar as I got older: when I was 5 or 6 it would have been weak tea with lots of milk, then as I had it like my dad would have it after a couple of years, I had to put sugar in. When I was about 15/16 I was drinking it strong and black. I prefer strong and slightly white now, not least as it doesn't stain my teeth, or the mugs, as much.

We do know better than instant, though I have acquired a taste for it, and find that mediocre proper coffee tastes OK, but is missing something to what I'm used to, so I'd prefer the (decent-for-instant) instant coffee I have.

[roadman]

I tried coffee once when I was a teen.  Couldn't stand the taste, and I've never drunk it since.  However, I generally like the smell of good coffee, except for any of the "fancy" or "speciality" blends (there's one Dunks blend that screams "putrid liquid choclate chip cookies" to me every time I smell it).

And I could never figure out the appeal of iced coffee.  Coffee is supposed to be a hot drink, not a cold one.

[Ren97]

And I could never figure out the appeal of iced coffee.  Coffee is supposed to be a hot drink, not a cold one.

The taste of iced coffee is a bit different. It has something more sugary, not as strong a taste as hot coffee. Maybe because they add more milk or because the ice cubes dilute it.

[J N Winkler]

However, I generally like the smell of good coffee, except for any of the "fancy" or "speciality" blends (there's one Dunks blend that screams "putrid liquid choclate chip cookies" to me every time I smell it).

Artificially flavored coffees are a curse--they taste fairly horrid and take up supermarket shelf space that could be given to better-quality coffees.

[Pete from Boston]

And I could never figure out the appeal of iced coffee.  Coffee is supposed to be a hot drink, not a cold one.

The taste of iced coffee is a bit different. It has something more sugary, not as strong a taste as hot coffee. Maybe because they add more milk or because the ice cubes dilute it.

Good cold-brewed iced coffee is a revelation. I think there are people that like neither hot nor iced who would find a good cold brew quite palatable.  It avoids so much of the bitterness that's typical of most coffee. I always have to remind myself to use very little sugar in it, because it almost tastes sweet to begin with.