# Want some coffee with your sugar? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719 "2004-03-05T16:51:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/1 "2004-03-05T16:51:09Z")
So the last three times I stopped in at EvilCoffeeBucks for a cup of coffee (grande mocha, if you must know), I came across the same bizarre behavior. A man (in each case around 40 or 50 years old) with a _venti_ coffee (that’s the really big one) standing at the condiments bar **poured a non-trivial amount of his coffee into the trash** and proceeded to upend the sugar canister into his cup. He held it there, streaming sucrose granules into his coffee until the fluid level was back up to where it was. This means there was about a 1.5cm layer of sugar on the bottom of his cup! He stirred it vigorously for a few seconds, put the lid back on, and walked out. Just to be clear: three different guys, three different days, same approximate behavior. Is this really as simple as “he just likes his coffee sweet” or perhaps “there aren’t any hot beverages easily available that are as sweet as what he wants”? I just can’t figure out why you’d pay almost $4.00 for a huge cylinder of coffee, and then pour a goodly amount out and replace it with sugar. I don’t even really know what my question is. I just thought it was really damned bizarre. Maybe someone here can clue me in. ---
**Author:** ![seaworthy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@seaworthy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seaworthy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/2 "2004-03-05T17:00:40Z")
When I was a teenager and had nothing better to do than sit at Denny’s at all hours of the day and night, I would put 3 creamers and 6 packets of sugar into every cup of coffee I got. When you think about the size of a Denny’s coffee cup, that’s a lot. But even though I liked my coffee really weak and sweet, I would never pour a bunch of coffee in the garbage so I could put more sugar in it. I’d just put as much sugar in there as I could, drink a little, then put more sugar in it. That is kinda bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/3 "2004-03-05T17:16:22Z")
I dunno about the sugar, but I can say that sometimes Mr. Athena dumps part of his coffee in the garbage. Sometimes he just wants a little bit, and doesn’t want to deal with a half cup of coffee left over in his car or something. A “small” is still too big for him, so he pours about half of it out before leaving the coffee shop. He’s tried to ask for half a cup, but invariably it ends up with the coffee clerk getting confused, and it holds up the line when it’s busy. So he just pours out what he doesn’t want. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/4 "2004-03-05T20:15:31Z")
I’d be more disturbed by the sight of someone pouring that much liquid into the trash bin than I would by the sight of him replacing the lost volume with sugar. When the bin liner breaks or leaks, and the liquid coffee on the bottom spills all over the floor, you know I’ll be the one to slip in it and break my arm. Then, when the frivolous lawsuit is settled, and you’re paying $17.50 for an 8oz cup of “gourmet” coffee from Casey1505bucks…(hmmm, this train derailed about 3 lines ago, didn’t it? I digress.) Isn’t there a drain or drip can he could pour excess coffee into? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/5 "2004-03-05T20:36:29Z")
That’s bizarre. I have no possible explanation. On a completely different topic, has anyone here seen _The Fly_? Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Zhen\_ka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecccb3/32.png) [@Zhen\_ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zhen_ka)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/6 "2004-03-06T01:40:35Z")
He should’ve just asked for a tall in a venti cup. That way he pays less and doesn’t have to waste coffee. Though, I’ve only used this trick at Peet’s (small in a medium cup–room for cream, ya know). ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/7 "2004-03-06T16:19:12Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > That’s bizarre. I have no possible explanation. > > On a completely different topic, has anyone here seen _The Fly_? > > Daniel I’m ashamed to say it took me ten seconds to get that. ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/8 "2004-03-06T21:44:45Z")
I don’t see why he needs to pour it out. IIRC, adding solute will not increase the volume of the solution. So, as the sugar is mixed, the coffee level will not rise. Of course, that only applies if it’s dissolved. He’d have to pour it in slowly, and dissolve it continuously to avoid overflowing that cup. if the sugar is sitting there on the bottom of the cup, it will displace the coffee. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/9 "2004-03-07T01:46:44Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > I’m ashamed to say it took me ten seconds to get that. Not me. As soon as the text registered in my brain, I immediately got the visual image of Jeff Goldblum spitting ook on his donut. Back to the OP… Sugar in its white powder form is a powerfully addictive drug, just as addictive if not more so than caffiene. So, the guys in question were probably looking for that optimum sugar/caffiene combination to maximize their morning rush, more than they were trying to sweeten their coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moo_the_Magic_Cow)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/10 "2004-03-07T03:36:13Z")
I like my coffee with sugar and creme. The three men in question are obviously Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock. ---
**Author:** ![Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moo_the_Magic_Cow)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/11 "2004-03-07T03:37:21Z")
Sugar with coffee and creme. God I’m an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/12 "2004-03-07T17:22:49Z")
> [@Jurph](#): > > Is this really as simple as “he just likes his coffee sweet” or perhaps “there aren’t any hot beverages easily available that are as sweet as what he wants”? I just can’t figure out why you’d pay almost $4.00 for a huge cylinder of coffee. I can’t figure out why anybody would waste $4.00 on a big cylinder of coffee, either. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/13 "2004-03-07T17:41:02Z")
I dunno, some people are just weird. When my brother drinks coffee he puts A TON of sugar in his. He doesn’t pour any coffee out eaither. Just lots and lots of sugar…he is so odd… ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/want-some-coffee-with-your-sugar/232719/14 "2004-03-07T20:38:41Z")
I knew a guy who took his coffee “7-11.” Seven creams, eleven sugars. I don’t know why he even bothered to add coffee in the first place.