Not everyone needs to like coffee, but if you’ve ever wished you could enjoy a warm cup of java as much as your friends there is some good news. It’s possible to train yourself to like coffee, or at least to discover the parts of coffee you enjoy.
Whether the bitter taste of coffee holds you back or you just haven’t found the right cup of coffee for you, we’re here to help.
Just remember that learning to like coffee is almost always a process, so don’t worry if it takes some time to find the coffee you love.
In this post, I’ll explore how to start liking coffee, the best coffee for beginners, and much more. Let’s get started!
Why You Should Train Yourself To Like Coffee
Now, we already said that not everyone needs to like coffee, but there are a few reasons you might want to train yourself to enjoy drinking coffee. It’s true that not everyone needs to enjoy coffee or coffee drinks, but there are a few advantages that are worth considering if you don’t have a health concern.
Caffeine Helps
Let’s be honest, caffeine is a great way to help with motivation, keeping your energy up during your workday, and even with high-stress social situations. There’s a reason so many people reach for a cup of coffee when they’re stressed.
If you want to start drinking coffee, chances are caffeine is one of the big reasons.
The truth is that coffee is an acquired taste for most people. There aren’t many people who drink coffee for the first time and immediately love the drink. Instead, we love the caffeine boost and how coffee can help us feel.
Over time, you can go from liking caffeine to being a bonafide coffee lover.
Your Social Life Will Benefit
One of the other big reasons people start drinking coffee is because it’s such a huge part of modern social lives. Sure, most coffee places have other drinks like tea or smoothies, but there’s a much wider selection if you like coffee.
Plus, coffee shops can be a good location for work meetings with clients, taking a break when you’re out running errands, and just anytime you want a low-stakes place to go hand out.
Coffee Is A Popular Flavor For Food And Desserts
While coffee snobs will insist that you need to like the beverage to really enjoy everything coffee has to offer, the truth is that coffee is a popular flavoring for a lot of different foods and desserts.
Coffee ice creams are only the start of the coffee in food adventure. Coffee also plays a starring role in cakes, popsicles, and lots of other desserts.
You might not find coffee in savory dishes as often, but it’s still a good addition because of the savory and slightly bitter taste. Coffee is sometimes added to sauces, as a seasoning in brines and marinades, and makes a great balance to red meats.
If you like coffee you’ll be able to enjoy a wider variety of foods and cuisines, which is great for adventurous eaters.
Liking Coffee Makes It Easier To Make It At Home
A lot of people who don’t like coffee still drink it, they just go to a coffee shop to get their favorite brew instead of making it at home. But if you learn to like the flavor of coffee it can be a lot easier to start brewing coffee at home.
That’s great because it means you can save a ton of money, and it makes it easier to enjoy coffee whenever you want to instead of having to make a trip to the coffee shop every time.
Plus, making coffee shops a less regular part of your day will make it all that much more special when you do take a trip to a shop.
Coffee Has Lots Of Health Benefits
One of the other reasons to start drinking coffee is that coffee can have a lot of health benefits. For instance, coffee beans have a high amount of antioxidants, which also get passed into the coffee itself.
Drinking coffee can improve alertness, and make it a lot easier to concentrate.
Coffee drinking is also associated with lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, but only if you avoid coffee drinks that have a lot of added sugars and fats. It’s thought that the antioxidants in the coffee help prevent insulin resistance and contribute to fighting other key factors when it comes to diabetes.
Coffee consumption is also linked to preventing cognitive decline in seniors, though the studies are still pretty new.
The last big benefit we want to highlight is that having two or more coffee drinks per day is also associated with meeting fitness goals, and can even help promote weight lost.
That’s a lot of benefits in one delicious cup, at least once you’ve figured out how to start liking coffee.
How To Start Liking Coffee
If you hate coffee, remember you can start slow. But if you already like the taste of coffee at least some of the time you can probably train yourself to like coffee a lot faster.
This isn’t just about figuring out what coffee drink you like. Ideally, you’ll also find coffee grounds you enjoy, and a coffee flavor you like.
Enjoying coffee is a whole process, but getting started on your coffee journey doesn’t have to be hard. Here’s how you can get started.
Start Making Your Own Coffee At Home
Making your own coffee might not seem like a common-sense way to get started drinking coffee more, but it’s actually a really good first step.
That’s because you have a lot more control over the finished product when you make it yourself. You can choose what coffee beans you want to use, how much of the coffee grounds per cup, whether you’re going to make hot coffee or cold brew coffee, and a lot more.
While most people don’t like drinking plain black coffee, making plain black coffee at home can also help you figure out what strength you like, and which coffee flavors suit your palate.
Making coffee at home is also a good way to decide between strong coffee and weak, whether you like adding milk, almond milk, cream, or creamer, and is a good way to experiment. You can even keep whipped cream around if you like a little extra touch of sweetness in your finished cup.
Your taste buds will thank you if you take the time to experiment with different brews and styles of coffee. Even people who already love coffee can benefit from finding new and exciting ways to enjoy it.
Related: How to Save Money on Coffee
Consider Trying Black Coffee
Black coffee is often considered the worst way to drink coffee, to the point where some people think that enjoying black coffee says something about your personality, but it can be an important part of your coffee journey.
Freshly brewed coffee is usually the best kind for figuring out different flavors and why things like dark roasts and medium roasts taste so different. But the second you add cream or sugar to the mix, you’re changing the flavors.
So, even if you don’t wind up enjoying black coffee as much as the local coffee snob, it’s still a good step toward training yourself to like coffee and figuring out what kinds of coffee you like.
Just, maybe sample in small sips, okay? We don’t want the bitter notes in black coffee to turn you off coffee entirely.
Start A Coffee Routine
A lot of things in life are easier if you have a routine, and coffee is no exception. One of the secrets to making good coffee is to have a routine for how you make it and when you make it, especially once you find the best flavor for you.
As a general rule, making coffee in the morning is one of the best ways to start making coffee a part of your routine. It’s also when getting more caffeine can help the most in your day.
Whether you’re looking to use steamed milk, coffee flavoring, and a lot of different ingredients or just want to toss some cold brew coffee, sweetener, and cream in a mug and go, making it a routine will help you learn to love coffee.
Invite Some Flavor To The Party
One thing dark roast, light roasts, hot coffee, and iced coffee can all agree on? Adding a little flavor to the mix can help make coffee more palatable and help people learn to love this rich drink.
Choosing a flavor can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Think about what flavors you love in other drinks and desserts, like vanilla, chocolate, or cinnamon, and consider adding those to your coffee. Hazelnut and other popular chocolate flavors are also a good choice for a new coffee flavor.
It’s a good idea to try going to a coffee shop when you want to try a new flavor in your coffee because you don’t have to invest in your own flavoring syrup without knowing if you’ll like it. But, once you’ve found a flavor or two you enjoy, consider adding those to your coffee routine.
Expand Your Coffee and Coffee Beans Knowledge
Knowing about different kinds of coffee can help make it easier to start drinking coffee and enjoy drinking it. Knowing the difference between an iced latte and a cappuccino isn’t just for hard-core coffee lovers, it can also help you choose which kinds of coffee you’d prefer.
Plus, there’s something fun about knowing the difference between espresso and regular coffee, or knowing why blonde roast coffee is naturally sweeter, or why different beans are more or less bitter.
Related: Is Blonde Coffee Stronger?
Drink Coffee Regularly
Even if you don’t like coffee now, drinking it more regularly can help you get used to the taste and learn how to enjoy coffee more. If you can drink even a small amount of coffee every day you’ll probably grow to enjoy the taste faster.
Plus, you’ll get to start reaping the benefits of drinking coffee that much sooner.
Try Drinking Coffee Made Different Ways
Different people have different favorite coffee drinks, like lattes, cappuccino, espresso, cold brew, and more. Don’t feel like you need to be limited to a single type of coffee when you’re trying to learn how to like coffee. Try different drinks and different roasts and brewing methods to see if a different preparation changes how you feel about coffee.
Related: Can You Drink Expired Coffee?
What’s The Best Coffee For First Time Drinkers?
The best coffee for first-time drinkers depends a lot on your taste, and what benefits you’re looking for. People who dislike bitter flavors, or who are looking for more caffeine in their coffee might benefit from drinking a light roast.
But people who enjoy deeper, smokey flavors will probably like dark roast coffee better.
Almost everyone who is drinking coffee for the first time will probably benefit from a drink that has more milk or milk cream, and sugar added. That’s because the fats and sugar help sweeten the cup and make it easier to taste all the different flavors.
But, ultimately the best coffee for first time coffee drinkers is the one that sounds best.
Final Thoughts on How to Start Liking Coffee
Learning how to start liking coffee can take some time. With its unique taste and flavor, some people might not prefer the taste of coffee.
By using additives like milk, cream, or sugar you can lessen the bitter taste of coffee or espresso so you can start liking coffee.
