Sweetening Coffee

[phaelon56]

Coffee was scooped in, boiled up, taken off the fire, set on for another bare simmer, then cascaded through a brown-tinged stocking affair into the small flowered pot.

I'd never seen this coffee-making before or since, until a few days ago, I channel-surfed through a Penelope Cruz move, paused for a moment, and there it was, a bedraggled, limp tobacco-brown gauzy bag, through which she poured a concoction of cinnamon sticks, coffee, herbs and perhaps wolfbane, all of which combined in a brew which made whole populations of men follow her down the street.

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The little gauzy bag you describe must be the gizmo available at most Spanish grocery stores - those that cater to the Caribbean disapora here is the US: Puerto Rican (Borinquen), Dominican et al.

For a period of time back in the late 1980's I was hooked on making coffee with Bustela brand and that little muslin sock asembly. Coffee into cold water, bring to the boil, steep and then pour off a really dense dark strong liquid. Always consumed (for me at that time) with half coffee and half scalded milk and a bit of sugar.

[PCL]

I don't know, the concept of 'good coffee' becoming like a 'fine' ingredient, I mean, are we discounting the utilitarian origins of the beverage? Not claiming to be a historian, nor a particularly learned member of the coffee drinking fraternity (or any culinary fraternity for that matter except for the Cult Which Worships the Pig, Duck and Pinot Noir), I have to address the following:

The use of sugar in coffee is almost universal among the general population, ranging from the backstreets of Cuba to the moped strewn boulevards of Saigon. In many instances, the preparation and consumption of coffee reflects specific requirements of the lifestyle or in less emotive parlance, the sociological environment, prevalent in the lives of those making and drinking the beverage. Sugar, could very well be the 'hit' required, in tandem with the caffeine, and when mixed cold in the tropics, it's a refreshing drink.

I mean, I"m not about to denounce one method of consumption by calling it 'rape', just as I'm not about to rave on about how unpalatable I find most coffees coming from S'bucks, Hudsons, etc etc when I was in the States and preferred to sit in diners/coffee shops downing cups of sweetened and creamed washing up liquid... it's all very peculiar anyway, but if one is to denounce sugaring one's coffee, then one should denounce the mass-marketing of coffee and the ultimate 'rape' of coffee which some consider the fast-fooding of coffee to have become.

Spare a thought for the child labourers harvesting and processing your beans instead. Sugar is the least of the coffee drinker's worries.

There, grumpy I am today, no coffee yet in the system! :grin:

[phaelon56]

If I took the small sampling size available for my scientific observation when I was growing up I'd reach the conclusion that half the population takes sugar and cream and half does not. My mom always drinks it straight black and my dad takes it with cream and plenty of sugar.

It doesn't matter a whit to me how people drink their coffee but I think one of the points being made here (or at least proffered as a possibility to discuss) is that really, really good coffee can be consumed without sweeteners or cream.

Many people who assume they could never enjoy a straight unadulterated coffee have never had the opportunity to try a cup made from freshly roasted very high quality beans and one that is brewed correctly. Then again they might try it and still want sugar and cream. So be it.

I sell brewed coffee over the counter four mornings per week. We have a few coffee aficionados among our clientele but most are just folks who appreciate a really good cuppa joe or a dececent espresso drink (both are hard to find in this town outside of our shops). I'll hazard a guess that 65 - 75% take cream in their coffee and about 30 - 40% of that group also add sugar. And a handful of the black coffee drinkers add sweetener.

But there's lots of coffee served in this town that simply wouldn't be drinkable without cream and sugar and even when doctored up like that it still barely resembles real coffee.

[PCL]

Amen brother.

But I was really trying to find out whether people prefer one type of sugar over another, not including artificial sweeteners... not intending to exclude those with medical reasons for using artificial sweeteners.

[cdh]

I'm disturbed by the repetition of the "raw/brown sugar" category.

They are DIFFERENT from each other, and should not be lumped together.

Raw sugar had gone through far fewer steps of refining... Brown sugar is white sugar with molasses sprayed on it. Wikipedia sez...

Molasses in coffee is WRONG!

Edited September 22, 2005 by cdh (log)

[PCL]

thanks!

didn't know that.

saved me a google.

so brown sugar is like, double crap then... it's refined and then some pathetic attempt at reverse evolution, or de-refinement had to be imposed on it...

okay... so are you saying that there should be 3 categories then?....

and i don't agree with the molasses point, despite the smiley qualification... people are simply different, and the molasses crowd is a small portion of the spectrum of differences... i mean, sweetened condensed milk et al, not wrong, right in the correct circumstances...

coffee, like all else, is drunk in different ways in different places... right?

[kingseven]

oh my, "the rape of the cuisine".

this is like when someone says white chocolate is my favorite chocolate, or do you like a good piece of meat well yes i eat KFC all the time...

good coffee is naturally sweet, with a pleasant bitter character as in chocolate, perhaps an aroma of toasted nuts or vanilla and the flavour of coffee, not sugar or cream or anything else.

treat good coffee like you would any other ingredient, don't bastardise it.  coffee can taste as good as roasted coffee smells.

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Without a doubt a well made espresso, full of naturals and the like will have a wonderful sweetness to it. However for me putting sugar in coffee is not bastardising it. I drink espresso every day repeatedly as its part of my job. I don't put any sugar in it because most of the time I drink it to diagnose it, not to enjoy it.

If someone likes sugar in their coffee then there is nothing wrong with that. We all taste things differently. Flavour preference and the like is too complex, certainly with something like coffee, to be dicatative about.

As a small aside coffee will never taste quite like its smells as many of the flavour components of coffee are non-volatiles.

[phaelon56]

I drink espresso every day repeatedly as its part of my job.  I don't put any sugar in it because most of the time I drink it to diagnose it, not to enjoy it....

Good point. Although I don't have to taste straight espresso every day for my part time gig I do check it about 3 times per week and there's simply no valid reference point if it's sweetened.

As a small aside coffee will never taste quite like its smells as many of the flavour components of coffee are non-volatiles.

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I think the original comment about coffee "tasting like it smells" may possibly refer to something mentioned in the book Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques by David Schomer. My copy developed a set of legs when I left it around the back counter in the shop for a few weeks so I'm quoting from memory here... something like this...

"Properly prepared coffee (espresso) offers a taste that fulfills the promise made by the way coffee smells."

I'm paraphrasing but one point (which suspect we we nearly all agree on) is that many people, if not most, have never tried a truly stellar cup of coffee or a world class shot of espresso.

Can't speak for others but I've lost track of how many people find out I'm associated with the coffee business and say something to the effect of:

"Gosh I just love the way coffee smells but I can't stand the taste - won't drink even a drop - it tastes terrible"

And chances are that they smelled something like the Folger's brewing in the company kitchen as I speak... which actually puts a pleasant brewed coffee aroma in the air when it's being made and tastes like dirty dishwater when you drink some.

I take that back - I'm being unfair to dirty dishwater - it does taste a bit better than Folgers (which... by the way... constitutes 28% of the retail coffee sales in the US!)

[Moopheus]

so brown sugar is like, double crap then... it's refined and then some pathetic attempt at reverse evolution, or de-refinement had to be imposed on it...

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Unless you buy muscovado sugar, a natural (less refined) brown sugar, which is generally pretty expensive but tasty. Ironically, in Ye Olde Days, poor folks had to make do with relatively unrefined sugar, and only rich folks could get the white stuff. Now it is reversed.

Generally, I don't like any sugar in my coffee. Even if I'm in a diner or someplace where the coffee is not good, I'll just put in a little milk or cream. On the other hand, I like coffee-flavored candy and coffee ice cream, so go figure.

[kingseven]

I think the original comment about coffee "tasting like it smells" may possibly refer to something mentioned in the book Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques by David Schomer.  My copy developed a set of legs when I left it around the back counter in the shop for a few weeks so I'm quoting from memory here...  something like this...

"Properly prepared coffee (espresso) offers a taste that fulfills the promise made by the way coffee smells."

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I know Schomer's writings quite well. What amazed me was how different his coffee tasted to what I expected - I had one from him at the SCAA show in Seattle.

(intriguing bit of scandal going on in the SCAA, no?)

Its amazing just how many people have never tasted real coffee, frightening. Not even just espresso but a good cup of single estate, freshly roasted, freshly ground coffee.

I have a book called "Coffee" by Claudia Roden that has a lovely opening passage about how delighted she is that people are starting to buy coffee from microroasters, are grinding at home and how the tide may final be turning away from instant coffee.

The amusing/amazing thing is that it was published in 1976!

How things change....

[gtidan]

Lately, I've been enjoying hot Vietnamese coffee (Trung Nguyen brand) with just a teaspon or so of raw sugar. The few time that I've had to use refined sugar, I've definitely noticed a difference. I prefer the fuller flavor that the raw sugar imparts.

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Here in 'lil' Saigon (Westminster, Calif) I too enjoy Vietnamese coffee and like Trung Nguyen. Just wondering; do you use a Vietnamese dripper? The one that sits on top of your cup and you just add hot water and let it seep through the grounds. If not, your missing out on a lot of flavor. You can pick them up almost everwhere in an Asian grocery store et al. Start with two teaspoons of coffee and adjust from there. You'll end up with a nice fairly strong cup of great coffee.

I have not tried raw sugar in my coffee but rather have been using splenda instead. Trying to hold down the calories if possible.

[PCL]

With Vietnamese coffee, my in-laws always make it with a teaspoon and a half of sweetened condensed milk stirred vigorously into the cup/glass. The stirring is purported to 'emulsify' the milk and coffee. The sweetness is hard to described, but it is very rich.

[sanrensho]

Just wondering; do you use a Vietnamese dripper?

You betcha. I stopped using condensed milk all the time because it leaves a bit of, er, fuzz on the mouth and tongue. Just using raw sugar gives a cleaner aftertaste. I almost always drink my Vietnamese coffee hot, probably due to our mild climate.

OTOH, I always take my regular drip coffee (and tea) black. Not sure why I don't drink Vietnamese coffee black, except that I probably associate it with a certain sweetness.

[melonpan]

Molasses in coffee is WRONG! 

dont worry, i wont put any in yours...

[Moopheus]

[i'm paraphrasing but one point (which suspect we we nearly all agree on) is that many people, if not most, have never tried a truly stellar cup of coffee or a world class shot of espresso. 

Or even something that ventures into the range of "good". Presumably, for most people, and "average" cup of coffee means something like Folgers, Maxwell House, diners, and the industrial goop they get at work. Against that background, even Dunkin' Donuts coffee is brilliant. I mean, I can understand needing to put cream and sugar in that kind of thing, though what I really don't get is powdered nondairy creamer. That stuff tastes nasty.

I guess I should add that the wife puts milk in the coffee I make for her.

Edited September 23, 2005 by Moopheus (log)

[cdh]

Molasses in coffee is WRONG! 

dont worry, i wont put any in yours...

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Thanks!

[Rebecca263]

A friend in South Beach had a molasses pie on his menu. We agreed, a strong french press was the best taste with it. The pie overwhelmed epsressos and drip brews. I eventually preferred a strong pekoe tea with this pie, the astringency was a nice contrast. I'm not a big fan of molasses, though, I admit.

[PCL]

Would anyone consider tasting a coffee flavoured dessert wine?

What about a coffee flavoured vodka? There's probably one out there already.

And of course, Kahlua...

these would all go with dessert... no?

[sazji]

[i'm paraphrasing but one point (which suspect we we nearly all agree on) is that many people, if not most, have never tried a truly stellar cup of coffee or a world class shot of espresso. 

Or even something that ventures into the range of "good". Presumably, for most people, and "average" cup of coffee means something like Folgers, Maxwell House, diners, and the industrial goop they get at work.

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Hey, at least it came from beans of a sort and was brewed. Here, aside from Turkish coffee (which ranges from hideous to fairly decent, mostly on the hideous side), most people don't even know that there is anything other than Nescafe. Still, I was somehow sad to see Starbucks open here and start giving courses on how to drink coffee, with a bunch of "shouldn'ts" about how to drink coffee. We drink it for pleasure, we should do what makes it pleasant to us. (And I think many people here who make a big deal about not putting sugar into it probably want to but don't because someone told them they're not supposed to enjoy it that way...)

But since they sell (as well as other "gourmet" shops selling hazelnut and irish cream-infused beans) their beans at an outrageous price here -- we are talking nearly 20 dollars a pound -- it is unlikely to affect anyone but the yuppies. There is one local company that isn't bad actually, but nobody knows about them because they are not in chichi districts.