Before I was a beer geek, I liked my morning coffee with milk and a couple of packets of Equal – a sweet pick-me-up to start the day. But then two things happened; I started working on the Starbucks Coffee account at work, and I started getting into IPA’s. Both taught me to appreciate bitterness as a flavor, and I eventually ditched the milk and the Equal. Now I take my coffee like LeBron James: Strong, black and tall. I’ll still do sweeteners and milk in iced coffee (which is a growing addiction for me), but my morning coffee is always unadulterated.
I started to wonder if other beer geeks were the same as me, if they liked their coffee bitter as well, so I created this little poll. Please vote below and tell us how you take your coffee, and if you’d be so kind, please share this post with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest (no one will judge!), Reddit, whatever. We’d like as much input on this as possible, because the more votes, the more accurate the results.
Thanks, and happy voting!
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
Although I will occasionally doctor up my coffee, more often than not, I like it straight up (just like I like my Whisk(e)y!). I also like it very strong and full flavored. My weekend java is done using a Bialetti Moka pot, and I typically use Cafe Bustello which is (a) inexpensive, (b) stong, and (c) very flavorful. We have one of those Keurig machines at work and I find that it makes a rather watered down cup of coffee (and I use that Jet Fuel stuff which everyone else seems to think is quite strong). But since it’s free, I use it on most days and get an occasional Double Macchiato at the coffe shop down the street.
I do Peets mostly, because I can get it at the grocery store now. Major Dickason’s Blend is usually what we’ll so, or French Roast. I also just got a new Melitta brewer, the kind with the thermal carafe so the hot plate doesn’t cook the crap out of the coffee as it sits. So far, it’s been a pleasure.
Ah yes! Peets has a sterling rep, but since I’m the only one that drinks coffee, I go for something quick, potent, and flavorful. Besides, I usually have coffee just in the morning. After Noon I move on to other caffeine sources like Iced Tea or sodas.
I usually cut myself off after 11am and stick with water, of which I drink 3 to 4 liters a day. I also pee like a Triple Crown Winner!
I marked “some milk” but I actually prefer half-and-half. A buddy of mine who roasts his own coffee actually adds milk and sugar. Some of the best coffee I’ve had is the cafe con leche in Spain – lots of warm milk with some espresso, often with sugar added. That said, I’m a hop head and am not sure one kind of bitter has much to do with the other.
Also, we prepare our coffee in a French press and prefer French roast – the oilier the better.
I’m with you on the dairy-rich European coffees – they’re awesome. I used to have a cappuccino/espresso maker, and that was a treat. But it took a lot of time in the morning, and when it broke, we turned to doing drip.
I also have a French press and agree about delicious, oily coffee. But again, it’s a lot of futzing around on the weekdays when I’m trying to get out the door, so we use it with the same frequency as our ice cream maker – it’s a special occasion when we drag it out.
Yes yes! A well crafted Caffe Latte, Cappucino, or Machiatto is a beautiful thing. Pity I haven’t found a place near me that makes one consistently well.
I think we all need to go to Northern Italy…
Sign me up! Between coffee, gelato, Craft Beer, and of course all of the crazy good food, I think we would have a fabulous time. Think we can write it off as a blogging business expense? Oh wait… that assumes we actually make money doing this. 🙂
It’s all fun and games until Cappy Schettino takes the helm 😦
Cappy Schettino?
This guy:
Ohhhhh…. that guy! Who said anything about a cruise? Italy is Vespa and train central as far as I’m concerned. Or how about a Maserati Quattroporte? We could roll like Vinnie Chase. Besides, the great stuff that is going on in Northern Italy, you can’t get to by boat.
I love the Quattroporte idea (I’m a car nerd) but I don’t think piloting it fits into our other plans. Unless we’re adding sober supermodels to the mix…
Agreed… drinking and driving in that crazy country would be a big no no. Drivers it is! I have family in Milan, so I’m sure they could hook us up.
Really? French Press takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. Of course, I’ve been known to make a Starbucks run now and again when time was tight.
But it doesn’t make enough coffee for my wife and I, so I have to do two. Then there’s clean up, etc. Drip is so much more economical on time, and there’s a far lesser chance that you’ll scald yourself, too!
You need more than 1.5 cups? That’s about what we get in standard-sized mugs.
We both like a getting ready mug and a driving-to-work cup of coffee, and that requires a 10 Cup coffee maker.
Whoa. That’s hardcore.
I actually like my coffee much like my beer………I love super dark roasts for the bitterness and strength (see: hops), but I do add cream and sugar to balance it out (see: malt)…..I never really thought about the correlation, but it makes perfect sense.
I see coffee as the beer you can drink in the morning and not crash your car on the way to work. 🙂
I hand press my espresso shots with an aeropress, then add water for the best Americano one can have. Having one right now, in fact.
So very Washington State of you, Evan!!
Why thank you! We love our coffee here, and most of us loathe starbucks.
When I was in NJ for work earlier this year, I almost died by day 3 due to lack of coffee availability. I’m going prepared next time.
Yes, we’re Philistines out here…
I know I went with the “cute” beer nerd answer but I really didn’t have a choice. I’ve never had coffee in my life, so coffee stout is the closest and some may consider that it counts since it’s made with coffee beans anyways.
Totally counts – you’re practically an expert!! 🙂
I do add a little cream and sugar, but I also make it as strong as possible, dark Italian roast is the best. I find that the addition of the cream and sugar actually brings out tastes that you wouldn’t get if you drink it black; the key though is just a little of both.
Luckily, the Wife likes it dark and strong as well, but then she pours about half a container of cream into it making it “a little coffee with her cream” 🙂
The weird thing for me is that I can “add” the sweetness in my head. I used to only taste the bitterness, but now I create my own mental sugar substitute. It sounds nuts, but that’s how it works…
I always drink my coffee black with nothing added with one exception; sometimes after a long night of drinking I’ll add Bailey’s to help with the headache haha. I really started to love black coffee after my parent’s friends brought back some genuine Colombian coffee and it blew me away how tasty and bitter it was.
You make a good point about quality. I usually add stuff to cheap coffee, because there’s not that huge “middle” that a dark roasted, premium brew provides. Instead, I add milk and sweetener to slug it down.
Would this be a good time to interject with Mikkeller’s coffee IPA? It’s better than you’d think. I have a hankering to brew one myself. It’s just a matter of choosing the right coffee and hop schedule.
I think it sounds like a cool idea. One thing I like about Peet’s Coffee is that it’s big on flavor but very smooth. I know it’d be great in a coffee stout, where I like the coffee flavor in the middle, not on the high end where the bitterness plays, but I’m not sure what you’d use in an IPA…
My friend who roasts coffee likes to do a light roast on fruitier varieties (from SA, I think). In a concentrated form, the fruitiness would match seamlessly with the right combination of hops. I’m not sure what coffee Mikkeller used, but they seem to have connections to some high-end stuff (see their weasel-poop stout).
My fear would be that it’s would be too bitter and acidic, like drinking stomach bile. And I’m sure that’s exactly how it’ turn out if I brewed it. 😦
Yeah, I didn’t think about the acidity. This will require more research.
You may want to “cold” brew your coffee before adding it into the beer. This method greatly reduces the acid in the brewed coffee.
Great suggestion. I seem to remember some friends telling me about cold brewing and how it cut the acidity.
I like the play between bitter and sweet in my coffee. A quite small splash of milk and some sugar to take the edge off. But I still want to taste the bitter.
And Zac is right. I had the Mikkeller Sleep Over Coffee Imperial Pale on tap just the other day. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Seems like an odd combo, but totally works. At least in this beer. Give it a try if you see it around.
Plan to. Actually, I have a lot of catching up to do with Mikkeller.
I drink nothing but Stumptown. It’s the bean to end all beans.
I drink nothing but whatever’s in the coffee I buy at the grocery store. Because I’m from New Jersey. We’re philistines, apparently.
You may have to make a trip to NYC. They’re there now!
You may have to make the trip into NYC for some Stumptown. They’re there now. Stumptown is the Russian River Brewing to Peet’s Natty Ice.
That’s a BOLD statement right there!
I stand by it! Stumptown is flavor country. It’s like coffee is throwing the sexiest party ever in your mouth. Peet’s is like the “walk of shame” the next morning.
Not only that, but I had Sleep Over with a Bavarian pretzel and mustard. Again, odd pairing perhaps. But totally worked.
http://twitpic.com/a6ihoe
I had a “sleep over” with a pie once. They made a movie about it.
Always black. I like good coffee, and I like to taste it. Cream, sugar, etc. are like mixing a single malt Scotch with Coke.
That’s what the Starbucks work taught me. Go to a tasting or two, and you’ll find milk and sweeteners blot out a huge part of the character of a coffee, just like ordering a Lagavulin and cranberry.
All of this talk about coffee reminded me of a beer that Wit’s End here in Denver brews (in both senses of the word). It’s called Ambition Stout, and it’s unique in that he actually brews the coffee as part of the boil rather than add in previously brewed coffee later on. He worked with a local coffee distributor on what was the optimal temperature to brew at and found he already had the perfect conditions during his beer brewing process.
It has a much more pronounced coffee flavor than others I’ve had, but it blends well with the roasted malts he has in the recipe.
That’s a very cool idea. Even cooler if the kettle is a giant French press. 🙂
Elysian brewing did an espresso milk stout for Seattle Beer Week that was amazing. It was perfect at room temperature.
Let me ask this…do you have to love IPAs to be a beer nerd? What if you prefer something maltier than hoppier?
Then you’re like me. I prefer rich and smooth barrel aged goodies over all other kinds of beer.
Same here. While I do really enjoy a good IPA, I am far more partial to imperial stouts, barleywines, Belgian quads, etc.
I could tell you had good taste from your writings… Had some excellent bourbon barrel aged from Allagash this weekend.
I don’t drink coffee–its pure poison to me (literally.)
I take my coffee with a small amount of half and half. I also mail order green coffee beans and roast them myself. This way I can try beans from many countries and roast some of each to a City roast and some to a Dark Roast and decide which I enjoy more. I am a confirmed hophead, but I do still enjoy Barleywines etc. with a significant malt presence as long as they are well balanced. I would no more buy the same coffee from a supermarket all the time than I would buy the same fizzy yellow stuff all the time. Both coffee and beer are so full of intricate flavors which are manifested by the way the ingredients are handled that it seems a bit on the lazy side to drink the same beer or coffee day in and day out. Variety is the spice of life.