How to Like Coffee

Coffee is a very flavorful, popular beverage that can be exceptionally enjoyable. Expertly brewed coffee or espresso made from freshly roasted coffee beans can make one's day all that much more enjoyable. Coffee is a great pick-me-up, and is very rich in antioxidants. If you are not a fan of coffee, or just haven't gotten around to drinking much coffee, read on to learn how to enjoy and appreciate coffee.

Coffee Farm in Kona, Hawaii
Coffee Farm in Kona, Hawaii
Learn about coffee. Coffee has quite an incredible history and continues to be a source of political, ethical and gourmand discussions today. Knowing more may help to encourage you to try different varieties that you may not have considered before. For instance, did you know that some shade-grown coffee protects biodiversity? And were you aware that coffee is a very rich source of polyphenol antioxidants, and may help to prevent liver cancer and cardiovascular disease? Such facts may spur a new appreciation of this well-loved beverage.

Trellised Kona Coffee Plants
Trellised Kona Coffee Plants
Try all of the different types of coffee and pick the one you like the most. Coffee grown in different parts of the world will have different flavors, aromas, and caffeine content. Some coffee will be perceived as harsh, while other coffee, such as Kona coffee, will be very mild. Larger, fuller coffee beans are generally more prized. The very small pea-berry beans are said to have a lower acid content, and therefore coffee made from them may be easier on the stomach.

Ripening Coffee Berries
Ripening Coffee Berries
Seek out the very best coffee that is available where you live. It may be that once you taste truly excellent coffee, you will realize how truly wonderful coffee can be. Excellent coffee should be made fresh from freshly roasted coffee beans, so try to find a cafe or market that roasts their beans daily, or make your own coffee from freshly roasted beans. For top quality espresso, seek out a cafe that uses the finest espresso machine and employs a skilled barista.

Dark Roasted Coffee Beans and Coffee
Dark Roasted Coffee Beans and Coffee
Consider adding some milk, fresh cream, and sugar. This will make your coffee taste milder than having it straight. Depending on your personal tastes, you may like to only have milk, cream or sugar or combine them. One can also add steamed frothy milk (for a latte or cappuccino), chocolate powder, muscovado or raw sugar, and other gourmet ingredients.Join a coffee club and ask questions. Remember in a coffee environment you will be more encouraged. There are online coffee appreciation societies that you can search for on the internet. Hang out with the gourmet coffee crowd and in trendy cafes, or find some coffee joints where people like to have a good discussion about intellectual topics. Coffee has historically been used to spur intellectual thought and conversation in social settings.Coffee is an acquired taste. Starting out with a sweet Mocha Frappuccino, moving onto a latte (coffee made with hot milk), and then a regular steaming cup of the stuff will help you gradually like coffee. That way, you can find what method you prefer, what roast, what company, etc. you like best...slowly.

Like fingerprints, no two beans brands, roasts, or brew methods are the same. French Roast at Starbucks is usually not the same as a French Roast at Joe Mugg's (or Daily Grind, or whatever your local roaster/coffee shop is) and taking the same coffee and brewing in a home style maker will differ from that same coffee made with a french press, or using it in an espresso maker. Higher quality beans and roasters will yield better coffee, and often the recommended strength can be reduced to make a more satisfying cup (eg. starbucks coffee of the day, try 7/8ths a cup of their coffee of the day, adding the last 8th as hot water to slightly dilute it, or even further to 3/4ths regular and 1/4th hot water..note also dilution is starbucks' recommended way of changing the taste rather than reducing the amount of coffee used in your brew method.

Coffee tastes great. Convince yourself of that fact. Darker coffee beans contain less caffeine because they have been roasted more. Before being roasted, coffee beans are green and contain the most caffeine, but have almost no flavor. Convince yourself that if you don't drink coffee everyday without cream and sugar and milk then you will die the next day. Continue with it until you like coffee. You may feel compelled to drink Fair Trade Coffee. This coffee is labelled and certified by the FLO-CERT, FairTrade Labeling Organization Certification. Organizations with this label buy coffee from farmers at fairer price, skipping the greedy middlemen. Or, better yet, look for a "Farm Friendly Direct" label. While there is no international certification for it, the company will most likely be more than willing to prove that they have a long-term, mutually beneficial working relationship with growers. With this concept, thousands of dollars are not wasted on the annual bureaucratic certification of a company and can be returned to the farmers.

Coffee, while a great source of antioxidants, is not a substitute for a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, regular exercise and fresh air, all of which have the potential to give you a more natural source of energy.Coffee contains caffeine, which is addictive. Withdrawl symptoms such as headaches and shakiness are common in those that consume excessive amounts and then go without or attempt to cut back.