# Why Does My First Cup Of Coffee In The Morning Taste So Good? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** coffee\ **Created:** [April 17, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448 "2010-04-17T12:55:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/1 "2010-04-17T12:55:57Z")
I am thinking this has got to purely pyschological, but then again? I used to be a big coffee drinker, but now I’ve got my caffeine fix down to two cups of coffee in the morning when I wake up. But I noticed when I wake up the first cup of coffee is REALLY good, my second cup isn’t so good. Why? I use the exact same coffee, Equal and half and half. So I am thinking it must be a psychological thing right? But could there be another reason? Like your taste receptors are fresh from a nights sleep without any other influence? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/2 "2010-04-17T13:11:46Z")
I’m thinking it’s a little bit psychological (Yeay, I get to have COFFEE!), and a bit purely physical, since your body finally gets to have caffeine after a whole night of none. Some medo-type will come in soon and thrash us for our opinions. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/3 "2010-04-17T13:12:07Z")
Hmmm… First bites of dinner, check First sip of beer, check First taste of desert, check It has something to do with the way we are wired. Expectations. Sudden gratification rush. But you’re right, there’s always the “first” sensation. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/4 "2010-04-17T13:29:45Z")
In my case it IS better, because it’s a little fresher and a little stronger (because I poured it before the drip cycle was finished) and hasn’t sat on the warmer plate getting all of the goodness burned up. But YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/5 "2010-04-17T14:27:54Z")
It’s better because it’s fresh. Somehow, we got in the habit of finishing off yesterday’s pot before starting today’s pot. The first cup from today’s pot is (duh!) much better. Sometimes, though, we brew today’s pot but don’t get to it as soon as it’s done. If it’s been done a while, that first cup isn’t as noticeably good as when it’s just finished brewing. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/6 "2010-04-17T14:48:54Z")
I guess I’m going to have to go against the grain here and say that for me, the _second_ cup is actually better. I can’t defend it and I can offer no conclusive explanation why it is so but that’s the way it is. My best guess is that by the time my second cup rolls around and I’ve finished the **LIVING** section of my newspaper and I’ve moved on to the headlines my brain is more alert, focused and less like some creature from a George Romero zombie movie. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/7 "2010-04-17T14:54:57Z")
What I find striking is the level of (apparent) caffeine jolt I get from the _very first sip_. Seriously, if I’m groggy, one sip of brewed coffee makes me feel almost halfway to alertness. It _has_ to be a placebo effect; that one sip doesn’t have that much caffeine, and I suspect my body can’t even process that little bit so quickly. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/8 "2010-04-17T18:51:16Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Hmmm… > > First bites of dinner, check > > First sip of beer, check > > **First taste of desert, check** > > It has something to do with the way we are wired. Expectations. Sudden gratification rush. But you’re right, there’s always the “first” sensation. My first taste of desert brings no gratification rush, just a lot of coughing and choking. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/9 "2010-04-17T21:56:52Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > My first taste of desert brings no gratification rush, just a lot of coughing and choking. There were plants and birds and rocks and things. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/10 "2010-04-18T06:52:27Z")
I know there are coffee experts here who can give you exact details of the chemistry but that first cup is good because it hasn’t broken down yet. The longer it sits the more it will break down. For example, buy some really cheap coffee and make half a pot. Drink the first cup right away. Come back for the second and you’ll find it has turned into battery acid. It takes no longer than 15-20 minutes for this to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Spectralist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Spectralist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectralist)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/11 "2010-04-18T21:01:47Z")
If you’re using a drip maker and leaving it on the burner you might be burning the coffee. I’ve found I can usually drink around 1/2 a pot before it starts tasting burnt and chalky but I drink rather quick. I’ve recently started pouring the coffee into a carafe instead of leaving it on the burner. That seems to improve the longevity. ---
**Author:** ![Snake\_Plissken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@Snake\_Plissken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snake_Plissken)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/12 "2010-04-19T14:37:31Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > There were plants and birds and rocks and things. Sometimes I love this place. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/13 "2010-04-19T14:47:12Z")
Sometimes on the weekend, when I’m away from my office coffee pot, I get a headache that will last all day if I don’t go to 7-Eleven and get a cup of fresh brewed coffee, pronto. Instant coffee Will. Not. Do. So is that a sign of physical addiction, or is it all in my head? ---
**Author:** ![daff0909](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@daff0909](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daff0909)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/14 "2010-05-21T12:53:39Z")
It’s not psychological - for me, at least - because I always brew just one cup at a time. But, the first cup in the morning is absolute heaven - a second cup doesn’t ever come close & tastes very different. Same goes for a cup in the afternoon. And, it makes me crazy that I can only get the great taste once a day! ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/15 "2010-05-22T07:44:12Z")
When I want a real coffee rush, I take that first sip outside on the porch. Best first sip ever: Easter Sunday after I had given up coffee for Lent. > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **NoClueBoy** : > > There were plants and birds and rocks and things. > [@](#): > > **Snake Plissken** : Sometimes I love this place. **NCB** , don’t look now, but there’s a snake lovin’ on you. It’s behind that cup from Mickey D’s. What kind of roast would a snake drink? ---
**Author:** ![cgg419](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cgg419/32/2847_2.png) [@cgg419](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgg419)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/16 "2010-05-22T15:45:53Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > What kind of roast would a snake drink? Light of course. The dark leaves them cold 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/17 "2010-05-22T16:31:35Z")
It’s the same for me. It was also the same when I used to be a smoker. That first cigarette of the day tasted like heaven. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-first-cup-of-coffee-in-the-morning-taste-so-good/536448/18 "2010-05-22T16:36:26Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Sometimes on the weekend, when I’m away from my office coffee pot, I get a headache that will last all day if I don’t go to 7-Eleven and get a cup of fresh brewed coffee, pronto. > > Instant coffee Will. Not. Do. > > So is that a sign of physical addiction, or is it all in my head? It’s a real addiction, albeit a mild one. I gave up caffeine two months ago and had strong cravings, a headache for a week, and a mouthful of ulcers for two weeks. But it was worth it: my chronic insomnia problems have all but evaporated. I agree about instant: that’s not coffee, in my book - it’s some kind of soup.