I'm sure this has been covered here before, but I thought I'd ask.

I had no problem with tea. I served a mission in Korea and we drank "herbal" tea all the time, it was expected and boiled so it was "safe" (black tea is the one that is officially banned). So, I was already accustomed to it and even enjoyed a cup of tea now and then on my return. Now, I have my daily cup of tea, usually the black variety and I enjoy it quite a bit.

I was just wondering about coffee. If only to see what the fuss is all about. There are at least two group trips to the coffee pot each day at the office I work at and I don't go because I don't want to embarrass myself by spitting out my first sip. I'm not sure how to try it... Black? with sugar and cream? Flavored? Not flavored? etc.

I don't know if I'll become a regular coffee drinker, but I'd like to at least see what I've been missing...

Thoughts? Suggestions? Humorous stories of first cups? All are welcome...

Thanks!

Go to a coffee house, get some brews made for you.

Drink after a meal, I don't recommend black.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2011 04:08PM by abish.

Maybe go to a coffee shop for your first try, then you can get it to go...if you hate it you don't have to worry about the "spit take" in front of co-workers.

I'd recommend a mild roast (a dark roast is usually a bad idea for your first taste- usually takes some time to get a taste for it). Even now after drinking coffee religiously for years, I still like A LOT of sweetener and A LOT of cream. Some flavored coffees are alright, but it's kind of hit and miss.

If you want to make your coffee at home, I'd recommend Dunkin Donuts regular roast. It has a really smooth and mild taste. It's my favorite.

I totally agree with you about the Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

Try a local coffee house instead of a chain. Ask for a medium roast, not a dark.

I think good beginners' drinks are flavoured lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, and frappes. Don't feel embarrassed if you need to add more sugar or cream. Coffee is a very strong flavour to people who aren't used to it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2011 02:50PM by itzpapalotl.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2011 02:51PM by dthenonreligious.

I don't recommend starting on black- it will probably be too bitter for you- but you can try it out of curiosity. What I recommend doing is this: Go to your local grocery store and buy a bottle of pre-made coffee like Starbucks bottled frappuccino or mocha-chino (really good if you like chocolate). Buy several flavors, go home and chill them- then have a tasting party! They're really mild (as far as bitterness) and extremely delicious chilled (as it is summer right now). They look like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Starbucks-Coffee-Frappuccino-Drink-Bottles-/dp/B0018AHMCA/ref=sr_1_27?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1309286949&sr=1-27

The plus side is that way you don't just stand there at starbucks staring at the menu and feeling really helpless and dumb. After discovering how delicious coffee is, just start going to a coffee house and trying things one by one to discover what you like. The blacker the coffee, the more you have to aquire a taste for it (at least for me). I can now drink black coffee (though it's not my favorite way), but I remember at first not liking it or understanding the appeal. Now I understand the appeal. Aside from being delicious with some cream and sugar, coffee is like sunshine in a cup. It brightens your whole day! :-D

So, I hate the taste and smell of coffee. But I loooooooooooooooove chocolate.

Is this still something for me to try?

Go go world market or some other place that sells Torani syrups. Get some almond roca syrup and add a couple of squirts to you coffee. It tastes great.

Torani is great. 'specially the Raspberry.

I'd start off with some dirty chai. It's delicious AND fun to order. I make my own at home by brewing a cup of coffee, adding a scoop of chai mix, and then stirring in about a half-cup of milk.

There's a tea cafe in Salt Lake that does an AMAZING frozen chai...used to go there almost every day when I lived up that way.

My first coffee experience was coffee ice cream. You get a good exposure to the flavor and it's sweet and mild.

From there, I had what my husband and I jokingly refer to as "Truck Stop" coffee -- the kind you get at breakfast places and coffee shops (not starbucks, etc.) It's usually weak, mild, etc. because back in the day, many working people drink their coffee black. Even so, I'd mix in cream and sweetener.

Next, I tried Starbucks Iced Mocha -- half coffee, half chocolate. I liked that for a while, but I got to the point where they were just too sweet -- much like the premade Starbucks bottled frapaccino's -- they're really sweet.

Now, I'm a double shot of espresso over ice kind of girl!

My first coffee house drink was a black and white mocha, which is a latte (espresso and steamed milk) flavored with both regular and white chocolate. It was absolutely delicious and didn't have a strong coffee flavor at all. I actually asked the barista what they would recommend for someone new to coffee, and that's what he gave me. Those sort of drinks are great for introducing yourself to coffee, but they are expensive and high calorie so you don't want to make a habit of it.

I brew coffee at home and mix in a little fat free flavored creamer. But I don't drink coffee at work because all my co-workers drink it black and I don't want to bother with my own creamer. I brew tea at work most mornings, since we have an electric kettle.

Drink Peets.

Try a latte' or a cappucino. It'll be more mellow with the milk and taste better if made by someone who knows how to make coffee.

Get a medium roast then add milk or cream and/or sweetener to taste.

I got my start in college drinking plain black. Love the aroma of fresh-brewed!

+1

I disagree with most everything that's been said so far except Outcast's reply. The advice here so far has been to try semi-exotic and flavored coffee. I honestly believe that, to start, you should get a two cup coffee maker, buy some Duncan Donuts Original (pre ground) at the grocery store, brew some up and add half 'n half and sugar to taste.

Start with a real cuppa joe and go from there. Most of the flavored and gourmet coffees will become an acquired taste later down the road.

If you hate it, then you haven't spent much on a coffee maker and coffee.

Just sayin'...

Ron

...with both milk and sugar. LOT'S of it. Furthermore you should start with arabica beans, they are less bitter, and the quality of coffee matters too. You need to learn to appreciate the taste before you can enjoy the bad quality stuff that is (unfortunately) the most common. I can't help you with brands though, I live in the wrong country, the brands I like doesn't exist where you are.

Then perhaps my personal favorite "Gevalia" can be found there...

drinking coffee with cream and sugar. What is the point? If you are going to drink coffee, drink coffee. If you doctor it up it isn't coffee.

Coffee is almost always prepared with sugar, and very often with milk.
The most delicious coffee I have ever had was Cafe con Leche in Spain.
The reason so many Americans hate coffee is because Americans generally don't know how to make coffee.

Pick up a bag of ground medium roast coffee, like the Dunkin Donuts brand.

Begin by appreciating the SMELL of coffee. I'm not talking about the road tar in the break room coffee pot.

Buy your first package of coffee and sit down and open it and just SMELL the aroma from freshly opened coffee. It's a universally loved aroma. It's got a lot of depth and richness to it, and the smell of coffee is often the invitation that many people had to take that first sip.

Then brew a pot of that coffee. Make sure everything is immaculate that you use. Decent water is mandatory. Get the cheapest bottled water, you want something absolutely tasteless so just pure coffee comes through. The directions for brewing are typically too strong, something like one tablespoon of coffee for each 6-ounce cup of water. While you are using your training wheels, I'd go for one tablespoon per 12 ounces of water.

While the coffee is brewing, again, just sit back and SNIFF. Freshly brewed coffee is an almost intoxicating aroma. It HAS to be, to get people out of bed every morning!

There are a jillion or more of flavored creamers at the grocery store. Try them all. The coconut one is insanely good. But once you've gotten your taste buds wet, you really do need to taste the actual coffee. For that, I recommend a carton of half-and-half. The butterfat smooths out the acid and the bitterness, and you can taste more of the complex flavors that comprise the brew. Understand that it won't be SWEET like the flavored creamers, but there is a dark mystery that you can appreciate without all the sugar. As a tea-drinker, you can understand that.

There's a wonderful world waiting for you!

~VOW

My personal fave coffee is Maxwell House instant coffee. It comes in a box of coffee bags, like tea bags, except coffee. It's so smooth, it's awesome. Boil some water, put a bag in for a minute or so, dunk and swirl the bag around, and ready to go. I use, no lie, about 3 big spoonfuls in my coffee. I know, I like some coffee with my sugar. And then I put in enough milk to make it fairly light, I've never measured how much, but it's amazing. Like sunshine in a cup, as someone said, for Real!

Lots of good advice here! I have a french press that I use for Tea sometimes and I think I can use that to brew a cup... I'm starting to look forward to giving it a try...

French press prepared coffee is simply AMAZING. I'd been drinking coffee for years before I finally tried French press, and I was completely blown away. The flavor is smooth and rich and it was perfect just black.

~VOW

My first cup was on my way to an early-morning freight shift at 4 am. I was starting to question everything, so I thought I would at least try coffee. I stopped by McDonald's, ordered a small coffee with 2x2. It was too bitter, but not so much that I couldn't finish the cup. The way it made me feel all day was what made me go back the next day for another cup - this time 4x4.

As I kept getting coffee, the perceived sweetness kept going up. I went from 4x4 to 3x3, to 2x2, to 1x1. Eventually I tried it black. I tried some cream and sugar again once, but it was nasty. I haven't turned back since.

Like others have said, I recommend you try plain coffee with sugar and creamer before moving on to espresso drinks. It was a good six months of McD coffee before I ordered my first white mocha. Now I make my drip coffee at home with beans roasted in town, my $150 grinder, and a Mellita manual pour-over pot and water at 200 °F ±2°.

Appreciating the coffee undertones is important, otherwise you'll never be able to get off the sugared-up espresso drinks.

Don't hit the office coffee pot, unless they get some really good coffee. Go out, buy some good coffee and don't skimp on the price. You get what you pay for with coffee. I like mine flavored and with stuff added to make it good. When at work, I drink Brasilian coffee, with a bit of chocolate and a dash of cinnamon for flavor. Cinnamon adds a nice touch by itself also.

The coffee at work would probably kill you, unless you've built up an immunity.

The BIGGEST problem with a community coffee pot is that it sits on the burner waaaaay too long and scorches long before the pot boils dry.

That, and unless there's a compulsive coffee pot cleaner like me working there, NOBODY cleans the damned thing and it has an accumulation of rancid oil and gawd knows what else.

Plus the person in charge of the coffee funds usually skims and buys the cheap shit stuff at a warehouse store.

~VOW

Get a medium hazelnut coffee. Add 3 art sweetners and 3+ little creams

Stir

Drink

You are welcome

Full Disclosure: I LOVE coffee. I learned to love it, that is.

But I hate being hooked on the caffeine.

I am not human until I have my first cup in the morning.

When I try and get off coffee, I am exhausted the first day and then have a killer headache for two more days until I cave and start drinking it again. (My justification? It's coffee! Not heroin.)

Try it, but don't TRY to love it. If you don't need it, don't drink it. It ain't that great.

because they remind me of the kids in high school sneaking to McD to have coffee only to dump 12 sugar packets and tons of milk so that it was almost off white color by the time they drank it. They would tell me how great coffee was, and I would just laugh and ask why if it is so great do they have to cover up the taste with so much sugar and milk?

Point is, a lot people start to drink coffee to fit in and most you will notice have to have some overpowering sweetner or dairy to make it drinkable.

If this is WOW rebellion related, try a jack and coke and go with 5 hr energy to wake you up in the morning.