QUESTION: Is black coffee just coffee without milk? Or does it mean something different than that? — Clark M
ANSWER: If you are the type of coffee drinker that adds lots of cream and sugar, or other flavor-masking agents to your coffee, you are probably not a fan of black coffee. The pure, unadulterated brew that comes out so darkly brewed that its naturally brown shade appears black when poured into a cup. If you are not a black coffee drinker, you probably don’t understand why many people like their coffee this way. On the other hand, if you are a black coffee drinker, you probably like the taste of the coffee and most likely think of doctored coffee drinks as watered-down, or weakened versions of your favorite drink, and you have probably gotten plenty of strange looks from those that do not share your taste for black coffee.
For those that are unfamiliar with black coffee, or those wondering why people choose to drink their coffee this way, this article breaks it down for you. We first define black coffee, for those who are unsure of exactly what it means, then we list the reasons why many people choose to drink their coffee in its purest form. Finally, we talk about the science behind black coffee drinkers and discuss what research has revealed about those that prefer black coffee to flavored coffee.
What Is Black Coffee?
Black coffee is simply coffee that is brewed with ground coffee beans or an instant coffee, without any additives. For it to truly be black coffee, it cannot contain any milk or creamer, nor any sweetener of any kind, such as sugar, honey, Splenda, or sweet and low. Sometimes people call sweetened coffee black coffee, as long as there is no creamer or milk added to lighten the color, but true black coffee is made without using any sweeteners of any kind. Black coffee can be made from any type of bean; light roast, medium roast, dark roast or decaffeinated coffee and can be made in any type of coffee maker. It can be a hot cup of coffee, an espresso shot, iced coffee, or cold brew coffee as long as nothing is added to the coffee.
Why Do People Drink Black Coffee?
Of course, many coffee lovers simply enjoy the taste of coffee and drink their coffee black as a matter of preference. However, there are lots of other reasons why a person may choose to drink black plain coffee.
One of the main reasons black coffee is a popular choice is that many people are trying to restrict the number of calories they consume. On its own, black coffee is a low-calorie drink, but its calorie content quickly begins to climb when you start to add sugar and cream to the beverage. By choosing instead to drink their coffee black, a person can rest assured they’re making a healthy choice, as an eight-ounce black coffee has no sugar and only around five calories.
Whether you’re ordering your coffee from your local coffee shop or making it at home with your own supplies, a simple drip coffee served black is the most cost-efficient option out there. When you choose to enjoy your coffee black, you don’t even need to stock your kitchen with supplies like sugar and creamer, saving you money at the grocery store.
Some people may choose to enjoy this hot morning drink black to preserve the health benefits of coffee. For example, the caffeine your coffee contains helps break down the stores of fat cells in your body, unlocking the fatty acids inside and making it possible for your body to put those fatty acids to work as energy. However, if you add cream or sugar to your beverage, the calories and fat that come along with these ingredients can interfere with the benefits of the caffeine. You’ll also get to enjoy the increased energy levels the caffeine produces without worrying about any unhealthy additives from cream or sugar. Many energy drinks have as much caffeine as coffee and can have a similar effect on energy and alertness as coffee intake, but may also come with unhealthy additives.
Finally, when you enjoy coffee black, you are drinking it in its purest form. Some people may prefer to try a new variety of coffee beans by brewing up a cup of black coffee before they decide whether they’d like to add cream or sugar. By sampling the coffee black for the first time, they get to do a taste test and detect all the nuanced, complex flavors that can hang out in the background of the coffee’s flavor. Some of these more delicate flavors can go unnoticed if you add cream and sugar to your coffee from the outset.
What Type Of People Drink Black Coffee (According to Researchers)?
You may have heard about scientific studies suggesting that people who enjoy drinking black coffee are psychopaths. These statements can be traced back to a single study on the connection between personality traits and people’s preferences when it comes to taste. The study found that people who participated in the study and enjoyed bitter tastes were more likely to have traits of an antisocial personality and more likely to have traits considered harmful or malevolent. Although the simplified version of this study’s findings has been widespread, it’s been less publicized that the connection between bitter flavor and these personality traits is a very small association and that other research has not been able to confirm the study’s findings.
The truth is that people’s individual taste preferences are linked to their entire life history and have been shaped by their experiences. For example, a person’s genetic heritage that was passed down by their parents has a great deal of influence on what flavors they will enjoy. The environment in which they are raised and what flavors they are exposed to from a young age also goes a long way toward developing their taste as an adult. Even the culture that a person is born into has a lot to do with the flavors they will eventually find appealing.
So don’t let a single study that happened to find a connection between negative personality traits and enjoying black coffee count for too much in your mind. As they say, “correlation does not always equal causation,” meaning that just because a connection exists does not mean the connection is meaningful or that one of the two connected factors has caused the other one. If you enjoy drinking your coffee black, you’re in the company of lots of other coffee drinkers across the globe.
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What’s the difference between black coffee and normal coffee?