Do you wish you could enjoy drinking black coffee? Are you wanting to try and start drinking your coffee black and want to learn how to like black coffee?
There are a number of reasons why you may want to drink black coffee, such as the health benefits that you can receive from drinking black coffee, or just cutting back on sugar and tasting the different notes in your cup of joe that won’t be dulled with sugar and cream.
Black coffee can be bitter and hard to drink. Especially if you are used to adding cream and sugar to make it sweeter.
However, it can be good for your health to drink black coffee, even if you are drinking it occasionally. Which is why we are excited to share how to start drinking black coffee!
Table of Contents
What Is Black Coffee
Black coffee is the cup of coffee you brew and pour into your mug before you add anything to it. It’s not a specific type of roast, coffee bean, or brew method.
It’s simply your coffee before you have added anything to it.
Black coffee may taste different from cup to cup depending on the type of brew method or roast you brewed.
Tips to Start Drinking Black Coffee
First to start drinking black coffee, you will want to do some experimenting to see what you like. As previously mentioned, the taste of your black coffee can change based on a variety of factors. Such as brew style, coffee bean, roast, etc.
So you will want to try different methods and roasts or a combination of both to see which black coffee suits your taste buds the most.
1. Try a New Brew Method
No brewing method is necessarily better than any other for drinking black coffee. You should try a few different brew methods to see which one you prefer and tastes best for you. Each brew method will create and bring out different flavors.
French Press
French press is made using coarse coffee grounds that are added to a French press with hot water. You then let it steep for a few minutes before serving. For a more in-depth guide on how to make French press coffee, click here!
French press coffee is great to drink black because this brew method keeps your coffee flavorful and delicious with a smooth finish.
Cold Brew
Cold brew is another brew method to try when you are trying to get used to drinking coffee black. You put your coarse coffee grounds into cold or room temperature water for 12-20 hours.
This method makes it a lot less likely for the coffee to become burnt or bitter-tasting which can happen if the grounds are heated up too much. It will create a sweet and smooth taste.
Pour-Over
Pour-over coffee is when you pour hot water by hand onto coffee grounds that are placed in a filter above a coffee mug or pot. The water filters through the grounds and brews coffee.
It’s similar to how drip coffee is made however you are the one pouring the hot water over the grounds, instead of a machine manually doing it for you. This brewing method can bring out intricate flavors that you may not get from other brew methods.
Drip
Drip coffee is made with a coffee machine that you fill with water in a water reservoir and place grounds inside a filter within the machine. The machine then heats up the water that then passes through the coffee grounds, saturates them, and flows into a mug or coffee pot.
This is one of the more common ways in America to brew coffee. Through this brew method, the water takes more time to pull flavors and oils from the coffee grounds. It can create a different flavorful taste compared to other brew methods.
2. Try Different Coffee Beans
You can also try different coffee beans to find out which one you prefer for black coffee. There are two types of coffee beans you can try: Arabica and Robusta.
Arabica
Arabica coffee is the most popular type of coffee worldwide. It originated in Ethiopia that come from a Coffea arabica plant.
Arabicas can have a wide range of tastes and you can get beans that will taste sweet, tangy, and everything in between. If you like your coffee sweet, Arabicas are a good coffee bean to try for drinking black coffee.
Robusta
Robusta coffee originated from Africa from the Coffea canephora plant. It is known for being bitter, so if you are looking for a more bitter non-sweet taste to your black coffee, you should try drinking Robusta coffee beans.
3. Experiment With Drinking Different Roasts
Different roasts can have different flavors and strengths. We recommend experimenting with trying different types of coffee roasts when getting used to drinking black coffee and seeing what you like.
Light Roast
Light roasts have a light body and usually taste more acidic. The original flavors of the bean are more prominent in light roasts. You’ll find light roasts have fruity or floral notes. However, due to the shorter roast period to make light roast coffee beans, the flavors can vary.
Medium Roast
Medium roast coffee beans have more body than light roasts and have a more balanced flavor and aroma. They tend to have a sweeter taste and fuller body compared to light roasts.
Medium-Dark Roast
Medium-dark roasts have a heavier body and very little acidity The flavors are generally deep, rich, and a hint of a bittersweet after taste.
Dark
Dark roasts are usually more bold and rich in body and flavor. They’re typically more smooth and mellow tasting.
They also can be sweeter and have a more buttery finish. They have the least acidity compared to the other coffee roasts.
4. Gradually Reduce Cream and Sugar
Another way to start drinking black coffee is to observe and measure how much cream and sugar you typically put in your coffee and every week put in a bit less.
As you gradually reduce the amount of cream and sugar you are adding you should get used to the taste of coffee by itself.
Basically weaning yourself off of cream and sugar and gradually drinking your coffee more black.
4. Add Salt
As strange as this one might sound, it can help you drink your coffee black. It doesn’t take much, just a pinch of salt can make for a better-tasting cup of coffee.
When you add just a pinch of salt to your cup of joe, it will neutralize the bitterness, enhance the flavor, and most likely make it easier for you to drink black coffee!
Don’t add too much, just a pinch, you don’t want to ruin your coffee and make it taste salty.
Top 6 Benefits of Drinking Black Coffee
1. Rich in Antioxidants
Coffee has a bunch of antioxidants that are great for your body and your health. A lot of the antioxidants found in coffee are known to reduce inflammation and ultimately helps fight off free radicals in your body.
2. Could Help You Live Longer
There have been over 200 studies that have concluded that those who drink 3-4 cups of coffee a day have a lower risk of death and heart disease compared to those who did not drink coffee.
3. May Lower Belly Fat in Women
One study that has been published in The Journal of Nutrition found women who drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day typically have lower belly fat when compared to women who drink less than 2 cups of coffee a day.
4. Improves Athletic Endurance
The University of Georgia published a study that found drinking caffeine improved endurance performance an average of 24%. If you want to improve your endurance before working out, you should try drinking coffee the morning before you hit the gym!
5. Could Contribute to an Increase in Muscular Strength and Power When Exercising
Speaking of working out and coffee helping improve your performance, multiple studies have found that drinking coffee can also contribute to an increase in muscular strength and power. It can also reduce your pain and circulation while working out too.
6. Improved Memory
A study done by John Hopkins University concluded that consuming caffeine after a learning session or class may contribute to better long-term memory of what was learned.
Other studies have found that caffeine can also help short-term memory as well by acting as a cognitive enhancer.
If you want to learn more about the health benefits of drinking coffee, click here to read our post on 45 benefits of drinking coffee every day!
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, drinking black coffee has a variety of health benefits and there are different ways to experiment to get used to and enjoy drinking black coffee.
If you want to enjoy drinking black coffee, we recommend experimenting and finding what brew method, roast, or a combination of the two tastes best for you so you will be able to enjoy your cup of black coffee every time!