That just sounds so weird to me. I like plenty of creamer (or milk/sugar if no creamer is available) in my coffee, and can’t drink it straight up, but COFFEE by default should just mean COFFEE. No cream, no milk, no sugar. It’s just bizarre to me that anything would be added unless someone specifies they want something added (excusing asking for a specific menu item where those things are already added, of course).
Dark Roast (currently Black Knight)
On Ice (I do cold brew with course ground).
Some type of Mocha creamer.
Easy Peasy.
I frequently tell baristas… “room for cream and sugar” just means “not enough coffee”.
Not just NYC and environs. “Regular coffee” in southern Ontario tends to mean the same thing.
Such meaning of “regular coffee” doesn’t exist everywhere in Canada though. When I moved to western Canada, I found that some places–like Tim Hortons–understood it, but a lot of smaller independents did not. The problem is becoming moot, though, as a lot of places will give you a cup of coffee, but you add your own cream, sugar, or whatever.
I love coffee and want to say it’s all about the ristretto, but it’s not, I also have my arabo, occasionally cubano, turco, even carajillo… I am also a heretic in that I will shamelessly drink a cappuccino after 10 a.m. if I have a thirst for one.
It makes me irrationally angry that some people think cream and sugar are the default, and that even “black coffee” doesn’t always get the point across without also specifying “no sugar.” If I have to list all the stupid things people put in their coffee that I don’t want we’re gonna be here all day.
Plus, it doesn’t seem too hard to err on the side of caution there—if somebody orders ‘black coffee’, or even just ‘coffee’, just give them unadulterated coffee: it’s much easier to add in missing cream, sugar, sprinkles and whatnot than to extract it afterwards.
I * like* sugary, milky, perhaps even chocolatey concoctions; however, I just drink it black on weekdays. Maybe with milk on weekends.
Fresh ground, from a drip coffee maker that actually gets hot enough (195°), very dark and about 1/2 teaspoon sugar (preferably raw). Also, the barest pinch of kosher salt over the grounds to temper coffee’s natural bitterness and bring out it’s other flavors.
ETA: And make sure one is using the correct grounds to water ratio, something almost no coffee maker instructions get right.
What the? Salt? Hang on a sec, this should be easy to try out. Hmm, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. I won’t be adding it to my usual pot of coffee, but I will keep it in mind next time I encounter some coffee that’s a bit on the harsh side.
Yeah, my dad would sprinkle a little salt into the cone before pouring, but I just chalked that up to him putting salt on everything. I may have to give it a try, but some bitterness in the coffee is a feature, not a bug.
The latest thing I have been hearing is adding some butter to the coffee (altho I suspect this has been around a while as well).
I suppose you could use salted butter and be done with it.
Many drinks are improved with salt. It’s common to add it to cocktails in amounts that are too small to detect directly. I had wondered if anyone did it with coffee too.
Yeah, I’ve never run into this craziness. Coffee and “black coffee” shouldn’t need any other instructions. Just the coffee, please.
I’m usually not too particular about the beans, but I was given some Finca Pacayalito for Christmas, and wow - very nice. Going to have to see what I can do about getting more of it when I run out.
I started on drip, loved my percolator, but got a french press on a whim a couple of months ago, and I’m a total convert to it. I now have a 4 serving and a 1 serving press, and I prefer the coffee from the smaller one. Having it absolutely fresh seems to make a lot of difference to me.
I’ll usually take it black, but sometimes I’ll go nuts and make Vietnamese style iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk. Mmmmmmm.
My Dad still obstinately uses a percolator (“obstinately” is kind of how he does everything, come to think of it), and he’s always put a pinch of salt in the percolator basket.
I didn’t continue the tradition. I like the actual taste of coffee.
Well, I did say temper the bitterness, not remove it. It’s the same reason why salt is added to nearly all baking recipes.
I learned pretty young that one should always be specific about what one is ordering, whether it is coffee or even McDonald’s hamburgers (don’t know what was worse, mustard on the burger or my Dad insisting* just eat it, it won’t kill you* or me becoming my Dad decades later).
I have a sweet tooth. So for me, either black coffee with three or four sugars, or a mocha with extra chocolate. Starbucks Frappuccinos are pretty good, too.