# What exactly is the point of coffee whitener? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2013, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095 "2013-04-30T13:30:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095/41 "2013-05-01T06:17:54Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I present one data point to the contrary. I started off stealing sips of my mother’s coffee with a teaspoon and can’t recollect ever not liking the taste. She liked it very hot, very strong and very black, so it wasn’t some pansy-ass candy coffee thing, either.. I grew up being given coffee by my Mom - she grew up drinking coffee [farm girl, everybody started the day with coffee and bread with butter and jam, some chores and then a big breakfast after an hour or so of ‘small chores’ then more work or school for the kids with a sizable lunch, more work or school, an afternoon break with more coffee and either cake or pie, then more ‘small chores’ until evening supper, then relaxing and bed. Depression era farming with a horse and manual labor was _hard_ work.] She liked it black and hot in the winter and iced in the summer, she gave it to my brother and I with cream. I think her coffee [and mrAru’s coffee] can crawl out of the pot and scare pets and small children - we like it _strong_. > [@moriah](#): > > Since many natural poisons are bitter alkaloids, many humans have a natural strong disgust for things bitter. This is especially true for infants and children (and that’s why they gag when forced to eat brussel sprouts). Some people grow out of their disgust for things bitter, some retain their antibitterness to the end. > > Anyway, aside from the few [del]freaks[/del] people outside the norm who absolutely love the taste of bitterness; most people need to tone down the taste of bitter for it to be palatable. That’s why sugar is usually added to coffee and chocolate. Milk and dairy-like products also dilute the bitterness (and also cool the burning hot coffee). My brother and I are supertasters, but we oddly like sour/bitter and grew up liking most vegetables like brussels sprouts, spinach, asparagus and broccoli. I have been known to peel and eat lemons like they were oranges 😛 > [@Polycarp](#): > > Most coffee whiteners/creamers are powdered coconut oil, and a slight improvement over injecting a blood clot directly into a coronary artery, but frankly IMO not a whole lot better. Using heavy cream is actually likely to be more healthy for most people; half-and-half, whole, 2%, and 1% milk, in that ascending order pf preferemce, are very much better healthwise. Blargh, always makes me happy that I am unable to consume tropical products - the idea of coffee whitener always grossed me out. Probably was originally based on seeing it in the work breakroom clumped in coffee cups and looking disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095/42 "2013-05-01T10:07:17Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > And “organic” means nothing more than the presence of the element carbon. Ask any high-school chemistry teacher. 🙂 I remember once seeing a bottle of water in the supermarket, whose label proudly touted the water’s purity: “Contains no organic or inorganic ingredients”. Then what the hell is in the bottle? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095/43 "2013-05-01T11:06:16Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > I remember once seeing a bottle of water in the supermarket, whose label proudly touted the water’s purity: “Contains no organic or inorganic ingredients”. Then what the hell is in the bottle? Neutrinos. Very briefly. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095/44 "2013-05-01T11:13:26Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > This is a _good_ thing? Why would flavorless be a plus? If you hate the taste of coffee but desperately need a caffeine fix that might be your best option. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095/45 "2013-05-01T12:14:24Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > Even high-quality coffee tastes very bitter to the untrained palate. No person anywhere, ever, has liked coffee the first time they tasted it. I did. Been drinking and loving coffee since I was 10. I also liked things like dark chocolate, strong olives, balsamic vinegar, and dry red wine on first try. Palates are different, and what you’re fed as a toddler makes a huge difference in your preferences, I think. My health-nut mom didn’t feed me baby food or allow me any sugar, and had trouble getting me to eat much but vegetables (the more bitter and green, the better) as a young child. I couldn’t stand drinking soda until my teens. A sweet tooth isn’t universal. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095/46 "2013-05-01T16:51:19Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > Even high-quality coffee tastes very bitter to the untrained palate. No person anywhere, ever, has liked coffee the first time they tasted it. From your perspective, then, this may qualify as a “black swan” event. My grandmother, my father, and myself–all three–liked coffee the very first time we tasted it. Maybe it’s a genetic thing. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095/47 "2013-05-01T17:20:46Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I think her coffee [and mrAru’s coffee] can crawl out of the pot and scare pets and small children - we like it _strong_. Good point. You can’t really add whitener or sugar to real coffee. Well, you can’t stir it. Real coffee would dissolve the spoon. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095/48 "2013-05-02T15:37:55Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > Another reason some people use Coffee Whitener is Kosher considerations – an observant Jew will not take milk in their coffee within something like 6\* hours of consuming meat… Of note: “nondairy” creamers actually aren’t. They aren’t nondairy, that is. :From the Coffee Mate web page, the ingredients are INGREDIENTS: CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, VEGETABLE OIL (PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COCONUT OR PALM KERNEL, HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN), SODIUM CASEINATE (A MILK DERIVATIVE)\*\*, AND LESS THAN 2% OF DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE (MODERATES COFFEE ACIDITY), MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES (PREVENTS OIL SEPARATION), SODIUM ALUMINOSILICATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ANNATTO COLOR. Yes, they contain a milk derivative, which would seem to make the stuff not at all suitable for someone who needs to avoid milk for religious reasons. If your problem is “just” lactose, it might be an acceptable choice. Many fake dairy products (e.g. “cheese”) contain casein, which is utterly bizarre to me. I mean, if you’re avoiding it for religious reasons or because you’re a non-lacto vegetarian, you can’t have it. If you’re allowed those things, then why not have the real stuff??? ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095/49 "2013-05-02T17:28:55Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Of note: “nondairy” creamers actually aren’t. > > They aren’t nondairy, that is. :From the Coffee Mate web page, the ingredients are > INGREDIENTS: CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, VEGETABLE OIL (PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COCONUT OR PALM KERNEL, HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN), SODIUM CASEINATE (A MILK DERIVATIVE)\*\*, AND LESS THAN 2% OF DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE (MODERATES COFFEE ACIDITY), MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES (PREVENTS OIL SEPARATION), SODIUM ALUMINOSILICATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ANNATTO COLOR. > > Yes, they contain a milk derivative, which would seem to make the stuff not at all suitable for someone who needs to avoid milk for religious reasons. > > If your problem is “just” lactose, it might be an acceptable choice. > > Many fake dairy products (e.g. “cheese”) contain casein, which is utterly bizarre to me. I mean, if you’re avoiding it for religious reasons or because you’re a non-lacto vegetarian, you can’t have it. If you’re allowed those things, then why not have the real stuff??? Good point – I was set in an Israeli mind set - most Coffee Creamers here _are_ “Parve” (non-dairy); I agree that one would have to check the label to be certain (and Orthodox Jews are _very_ good at checking the labels…) ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095/50 "2013-05-02T18:29:07Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > Good point – I was set in an Israeli mind set - most Coffee Creamers here _are_ “Parve” (non-dairy); I agree that one would have to check the label to be certain (and Orthodox Jews are _very_ good at checking the labels…) I wish you’d export some! The parve ones in the NY-NJ are hard to find, and when I do find some, they’re awful. (They taste ok, but they don’t dissolve well.) But thanks for the idea - now I know what to ask for the next time someone asks what they can bring back for me! ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095/51 "2013-05-02T18:54:13Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > I wish you’d export some! The parve ones in the NY-NJ are hard to find, and when I do find some, they’re awful. (They taste ok, but they don’t dissolve well.) But thanks for the idea - now I know what to ask for the next time someone asks what they can bring back for me! I didn’t say they’re any **good** … I’ll bet that more thought has been put into it here and that you will find a better grade on true non-dairy creamer than in the US. I personally can’t stand the taste of Coffee Whitener – dairy or not – and I don’t keep kosher. When in a kosher premises I’ll just take my coffee black after dinner :rolleyes:. So I’m afraid I don’t have any better pointers for you ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095/52 "2013-05-02T19:27:51Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > … I don’t keep kosher. Yeh, I saw that in your previous post. Still, thanks for the idea! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-point-of-coffee-whitener/657095.md?page=2)