Drink coffee or Kool-Aid

[Leego]

I love coffee. I don't like being dependent on it for energy in the morning, and I'm not, and I don't like drinking it too late at night, and I don't, but damn, if I don't love the taste of it with a good, hearty meal or with some toast and eggs.

 

I've been trying decaf as an alternative to drinking coffee without getting too hyper, but I'm not sure if decaf is any better.

 

I tried seeing if coffee has any calories, and it doesn't. I do use creamer, but with proper use and no abuse, it's only 35 calories. It's the use of sugar that concerns me some, though.

 

My other alternatives are to buy tea from the store, buy juice from the store, or drink instant-made Kool-Aid, which I'm kind of tired of, and from what I've read on the containers, potentially has more calories than a cup of coffee with sugar and creamer.

 

But I prefer to stick with Kool-Aid and coffee because they're the only drinks in my house that I like, and can easily make in a matter of minutes with nothing but already plentiful ingredients, and some faucet water, which helps me save money, and I'm kind of getting tired of Kool-Aid because it tastes so sweet and artificial. It doesn't go well with every meal I eat.

 

Is it so wrong to like coffee with cream and sugar? I only have 1-2 cups every day anyways.

[Dilnad]

I love coffee. I don't like being dependent on it for energy in the morning, and I'm not, and I don't like drinking it too late at night, and I don't, but damn, if I don't love the taste of it with a good, hearty meal or with some toast and eggs.

 

I've been trying decaf as an alternative to drinking coffee without getting too hyper, but I'm not sure if decaf is any better.

 

I tried seeing if coffee has any calories, and it doesn't. I do use creamer, but with proper use and no abuse, it's only 35 calories. It's the use of sugar that concerns me some, though.

 

My other alternatives are to buy tea from the store, buy juice from the store, or drink instant-made Kool-Aid, which I'm kind of tired of, and from what I've read on the containers, potentially has more calories than a cup of coffee with sugar and creamer.

 

But I prefer to stick with Kool-Aid and coffee because they're the only drinks in my house that I like, and can easily make in a matter of minutes with nothing but already plentiful ingredients, and some faucet water, which helps me save money, and I'm kind of getting tired of Kool-Aid because it tastes so sweet and artificial. It doesn't go well with every meal I eat.

 

Is it so wrong to like coffee with cream and sugar? I only have 1-2 cups every day anyways.

Is it wrong? No. Is it better to not drink it with cream and sugar, yes!!

I used to take my coffee with C&S and I gave it up. Miserable tasting crap without the addins, for awhile. Then I got used to it. I've been taking my coffee black for a year now and I love the taste. I've gotten more finicky about brands (Kona and a french press). Perhaps you could reduce it over time and get used to it black? It seems rough now but in the end you'll learn to love it and your body will love you more for treating it right.

 

I wont debate the cup of coffee to wake up. We aren't fans of that reliance at NF but that's one place I decided not to budge. I have my 1 cup of coffee in the morning, every morning, and that's it. Is it better for me to not drink it every morning? YES. Is it better for my co-workers continued existance and my morning work performance if I keep drinking it? I say yes <G>

[TheGreyJedi-Ranger]

I'm a fan of C&S in my coffee, but mine is creamer and Splenda. NF isn't a huge fan of the Artificial Sweeteners either, but your fitness decisions are about what you can live with!

 

I don't drink a ton of coffee though, I prefer tea with a bit of (2%) milk and some splenda. One is equivalent to 2 packets of sugar so the expense is somewhat balanced.

 

You could also try fruit infused water to replace juice/kool aid. 

[Raincloak]

They also make this stuff called water. It's pretty good.

If you're tired of koolsludge (great, it's pretty nasty) why not squeeze up some lemonade? You know, from actual fruit. Iced tea is good too.

Coffee is not bad in and of itself but "creamer" is pretty hideous. Read the ingredients some time. It's mostly corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. You could put actual cream/milk (you know, from a ruminant) in your coffee. Or start buying better coffee and drinking it black.

[CttWalla]

If you really enjoy coffee, I would invest in a French Press, you can pick up a quality one for like 30-40USD or less. This method of brewing coffee is quick, easy, and makes an amazing cup. I love my coffee with milk and sugar but, ever since I got my own French Press, I feel it actually takes away from the flavor.

[Kaylya]

Water is the best thing to drink, and even easier to make than coffee or Kool-Aid

 

Nothing wrong with a bit of coffee, and you can work to reduce the amount of cream and sugar you use over time (start with just measuring what you do use).

[Bullroarer Took]

A tablespoon of skim milk and a teaspoon of sugar isn't the end of the world.  Coffee has many health benefits in moderation.  I drink most of mine out of an Italian coffee makes so no filter.  It's like 5 calories a cup since it has more natural oils in it.  I drink it black most of the time but you just have to decide if the calories are worth it.

 

I make myself a gallon of unsweet tea regularly as my go to drink.  I used to drink it with 2 cups of sugar a gallon and just slowly worked it down until now sweet tea tastes gross to me.

[Gobnait]

For the kool-aid, try buying it in unsweetened packets and controlling how much sugar you put into it.  The instructions say 1 cup, try a half cup, maybe you can get it to a lower sugar content than that depending on the flavor.

[Leego]

OK, coffee without cream and sugar is something I think I'm gonna have to wean myself off of. I might invest in a French Press some time soon. Maybe i"ll ask for one for Christmas. I'd rather just avoid Kool-Aid altogether, even though I have tons of the stuff. With sugar, it tastes artificial and sweet. Without sugar, it tastes artificial and bitter. But coffee and tea? Those taste real, when done right.

 

Drinking straight, plain faucet water is something I'm going to have to ease into as well. I don't know why the idea of just drinking water feels so bad to me. I already just drink water with snacks and deserts for when I don't feel like spending extra money or time on a drink for such a small, short meal.

 

Same issue with tea. To me, unsweetened tea is not the worst thing I've ever tasted, but it's pretty damn bitter. A gallon of sweet tea has pretty low calories per serving, and I'm not going to drink it with every meal. Especially if it's 80 calories a cup, but still, it could add up if I'm not careful.

 

Also, I use Folgers brand coffee. The more I think about it, the more it seems wrong if you have to sweeten your beverage to make it drinkable. I read from an article that Eight o' Clock and Chock Full o' Deez Nuts are pretty good choices.

[Raincloak]

Most tap water (in civilized countries) is legally safe to drink, but if yours doesn't taste good, just get a filter. I use one of those Brita pitcher filters. mine lives on the kitchen counter by the sink, but many people store them in the fridge. Voila, slightly purer water. (Purer than most companies sell in bottles, btw.)

If you find tea too bitter you may be oversteeping it. Most people do. Try whole leaf tea, use slightly cooler water, and don't steep longer than a couple minutes. If you're using cheap tea, shorten brewing time, because the cheaper the tea, the finer it's ground and the faster it brews. Surface area, doncha know.

If you're accustomed to a lot of sugar, everything will start tasting better a few weeks after you stop eating sugar. Your taste buds adjust.

[MasterOfCows]

You can get 0 calorie water flavourings as well.  Dasani, Crystal Lite and Mio are a few of the brands.  They aren't cheap, but a few drops make water taste like delicious instead of boring ol' water.  If you don't care about "THE CHEMIKILLZ" they are a good option, and pretty much the only way I'll get more than a glass of water in me a day.  Or you can try infusing your water with different kinds of fruit or veggies (cucumber is a good one on the veggie side, quite refreshing).

[Leego]

Yeah, I actually used to use water flavorers, but my school stopped selling them, and I ran out on the ones I had. I'll have to look some place else for those, they're a neat, useful little thing.

 

I'll just take straight tap instead of spending an extra $50+ on a filter that costs $20 a month to maintain, for now. It's really just my bathroom water that tastes and feels musty and filmy. It's interesting that bottled water is less pure and tastes worse (sometimes) than faucet water with a filter.

 

Today, I tried coffee with just creamer. I feel like it would just be healthier to use a little sugar, than to use creamer, but I'm out of sugar right now, and I'm taking y'all's challenge and trying to see how long I can go before using a 1/4 cup of sugar in something. The creamer kept the coffee from getting bitter, and helped it tastes ever-so-slightly sweeter, but that's about it. It actually made the coffee taste a little...boring. I'd imagine I would enjoy coffee more if I just use a little sugar in it. I actually kind of miss the strong taste of black coffee with a little sugar in it now.

 

I need to make note to try black coffee with just a little sugar. I guess I'm just so used to coffee being a sweet, almost desert-like drink, that it's off-putting to try and drink it as the strong, slightly bitter beverage that it's meant.

 

Also, I've seen "gourmet" coffee grounds that supposedly already have a slight French vanilla flavoring to it. Are those just as good as normal coffee grounds, or is it just as bad as using creamer?

[Raincloak]

eh, pitcher filters don't cost $20 a month.  Mine cost $30 or so for the pitcher and one filter, and the replacement filters are about $8 a pop, every three months or whenever I decide to put in a new one.  That's like a few cents a day.  You can even get them in bulk.  (yeah, it's a bit of a ripoff for just plastic and charcoal, but still way cheaper than any beverage on the market. And water, tea and coffee are pretty much all I drink, so to me it's worth spending a few extra bucks for cleaner flavor.)   YMMV of course.

 

Some people like to cut up fruit or cucumber and/or herbs, and put it in a pitcher of water in the fridge.  Then you get natural "flavored" water.  I've never bothered with this at home because I like regular water, but if you get hung up on flavor, give it a try.

 

Flavored coffee is usually sprayed with some kind of flavor syrup at the factory.  I couldn't comment on the health effects vs. creamer, but if they're pre-flavoring it, it's probably not the most high quality coffee, because they don't cover up good coffee with flavorings.  (If you're picky like me, you avoid artificial flavors just because you hate the taste, but I realize I'm in the minority.)  If you're hooked on Folgers, maybe you'll like it.  Not everyone has to be a coffee snob.

 

If you wanted to go upscale, buy whole bean coffee and grind it at the store (they have a machine for this).  Or, get a grinder for your kitchen and grind at home just prior to brewing.

[CttWalla]

It actually hadn't occured to me to naturally flavor your own water by adding things to it. I suppose it is mostly because I like drinking plain old water but I Think I will actually try this. I've had it with cucumber at this sushi place I go to and it was pretty good but I wonder if something like pear would work well too.

[Dilnad]

I know it's crazy expensive but I have a Berkey counter top water purifier and while it did cost over 200 bucks, it purifies over 6000 gallons before needing new elements and my water tastes awesome!!

[MissoulaSquatch]

If you like Kool-aid, and you like caffeine, and you don't like calories..check out Good Earth Tea.

You could make it both hot or cold, it tastes sinfully delicious, without any calories (thanks to Stevia).

[Cinda]

Almond milk perhaps? Unsweetened (or maybe a sweetened one to help you wean off C&S?) I love that shit. There are so many options out there now too, mixes with coconut milk or cashew milk. Not sure where you're posting from, but the options for pretty clean nut milk are good just from the super market here in Australia- although I did have to try a couple brands before I found one which doesn't "split".

Otherwise I drink my coffee black and cold (just like my heart haha). Seriously, I find if you drink it black over ice, the cold takes away some of the bitterness and it's bloody good if it's good coffee

[Eleanorsbee]

Coffee rocks !!! 98% of the blood in my veins is coffee ... have it with milk, milk is an excellent source of fat, protein and lactose and can easily be fitted in to your daily calorie and macro needs.

Energy boost + recovery all in one

[Stonefist]

I drink my coffee black. The way I see it, if I have to put milk and sugar in it to mask the taste, I'd rather drink something else. Thing is, this requires a good coffee.

Folgers is, to put it mildly, not very good coffee. A large part of the reason for this is the use of the cheaper (and usually fouler) Robusta bean.

I would suggest getting a french press and a coffee made from the more expensive Arabica bean. This is both less bitter and contains more sugar than the Robusta, and might make it easier for you to give up the milk and sugar. It also has about half the caffeine, which could be a positive or negative, I suppose.

[Gobnait]

I can drink carbonated water and lemon juice... I'm wondering how the local tapwater tastes when boiled, but I can stand drinking it straight.  (I'm wondering if letting it stagnate makes it more palatable, or if I'm just dehydrated when I drink the sitting glasses.)

[Leego]

Only when I get French press, water filter, and whatever else money, first. I can stick with tap water for now.

 

I would like to try Arabica bean coffee and Good Earth Tea, though. And no, I'm not hooked on Folgers. It's just what my family has always used, and that's what they gave me.

 

I don't usually carry Almond milk. I tried it once. It was pretty good-tasting, but then got gross after using it a lot because my milk was tasting like a rich peanut. But I haven't tried adding it to coffee before. I might try that.

[TheGreyJedi-Ranger]

my milk was tasting like a rich peanut.

This. I just died laughing. Best description ever

[Leego]

This. I just died laughing. Best description ever

> >

 U

 

What were YOU thinking of?

[Leego]

Oh, what does Jasmine tea taste like?

[RisenPhoenix]

Oh, what does Jasmine tea taste like?

 

Good jasmine tea will taste lightly sweet and floral.

 

Bad jasmine tea will taste approximately of complimentary hotel soap.