If you’re like most people, you need your daily coffee fix before things start moving in the morning. It’s part of the daily routine—the setup, the trip to the cafe, the smells, the taste. It’s like a ritual that gets you centered and ready to get things done.
Everyone’s got their drink. Whether you’re a cappuccino person, the several-shot espresso guy, or the iced latte lady, coffee is very personal.
But we all know that, even though we need our caffeine, coffee drinks with tons of sugar and milk added aren’t exactly healthy. Don’t kid yourself thinking that the benefits of coffee outweigh all that sugar you are downing in that frappuccino.
The best way to get the benefits of coffee without all of the calories is by drinking it black. Yes, we all know those people who drink black coffee. It’s hard for a lot of folks to understand.
However, you too can start drinking black coffee and learn to love it!
By following these 9 steps, black coffee, and its low-calorie, healthier benefits will become part of your daily routine.
Start Slowly
One of the most important things you can do when you’re learning to enjoy black coffee is to start slowly.
You can try to order an americano once every other time you go into a coffee shop. Or you can start to slowly reduce the amount of flavoring, sugar, cream, almond milk, or whatever else you usually add into your drinks.
Eventually, your add-ons will get so low that you won’t need them anymore.
A lot of people don’t know just how addictive sugar is. People who eat and drink a large amount of sugar every day will have some level of withdrawals if they try to go cold turkey.
You’ll get headaches, experience swings in your energy levels, and can become irritable more easily.
With a gradual approach, you dull the effects of sugar withdrawal to make drinking black coffee more reasonable.
Try Iced Drinks
For many people, iced black coffee is much more enjoyable than hot black coffee. If you’re trying to develop a black coffee habit, try to get your drinks iced. As the ice melts, it can dilute the coffee a bit and take some of the bitterness out of your drink.
Focus on the Flavor
We usually eat so much sugar or add vanilla or mocha into our drinks that we mask the true flavor of the coffee.
Different beans and preparations of coffee significantly change the way black coffee tastes.
So, don’t just swear off straight coffee after a few tries. Experiment with new pods, different beans, alternative roasting methods, etc. to find your drink.
Explore Different Preparations
The type of beans and the kind of drink affect flavor, and so does how black coffee is prepared. The temperature of your drink, how long it was brewed, and how much ground coffee you use will all influence the strength of the flavor and how it feels in your mouth.
Make Drinking Black Coffee Fun
Black coffee is never going to be as tasty as a drink full of sugar and cream. We’re not saying you’re going to start drooling over it like you did when you were drinking a mocha latte. However, you don’t need to drink those types of coffee all of the time.
Instead, make drinking your black coffee a bit more fun by getting cool mugs and spending some more money than you usually would on your beans. Even if it’s just in your head, you’ll feel like your coffee is something with added luxury.
Give It Some Time
Do you remember the first time you drank a cup of coffee? What about the first time you drank a beer? You probably didn’t think it was amazing the first few times around. Our taste buds change. We get used to new things.
If you want to enjoy black coffee more, you have got to drink it more often! The more you try it and drink it, you’ll start to like the way it tastes more.
If you still can’t stand drinking it, try having some black coffee before you add any sweetener or cream into your daily drink. Gradually grow the amount of black coffee you drink until you don’t need them anymore.
Make Sure the Beans are Fresh
If you’re homebrewing, check the expiration date on your beans to make sure you’ve got fresh coffee going.
The date and freshness of your beans will affect how your coffee tastes. You’ll start to appreciate the taste of coffee for what it’s truly meant to be.
Start Loving Espresso
When you’re drinking high-quality, fresh coffee, you will start to notice the nuances in flavor. You’ll start to geek out over how each coffeeshop and barista make their drinks and their dedication to the craft of coffee.
The perfect cup of espresso is something great to experience, and it will elevate your coffee passion to a new level.
Keep Track of How Much You’re Drinking
One good idea to start enjoying black coffee more is to keep a journal of what you’re drinking, how much of it you’re consuming, and when you’re having it.
It’s almost like you’re making your coffee drinks into a game, especially if you’re trying to slowly wean yourself off of cream and sugar. Track as you incrementally go down, and you’ll feel better going back and reviewing your progress.
You may also start noticing that you feel better and maybe will even see that you lose a few pounds from drinking black coffee.
All of those sugar calories are gone, so you make yourself feel better in terms of overall health as well. A journal will help you record your progress so it’s not all just in your head.
As you drink more black coffee, you’ll come to appreciate it more and will approach coffee purchasing, preparation, and drinking differently.