"Regular" coffee in MA is loaded with sugar and cream, lol. It's confusing if you aren't from the area. When I first moved there, I was in the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru and I ordered "coffee with cream and sugar" and she goes "coffee regular, ok" and I go "no, I want it with cream and sugar" and she had to explain.

I like Trader Joe's soy milk creamer. It's thicker than regular soymilk and never curdles and I like the taste. I think the brand version is Wildwood.

I use whole milk for coffee. I find half and half and whipping cream too rich for my taste. I also use a non nutritive sweetener or a bit of sugar. I also looked at the calorie count of h&h vs liquid flavored nondairy creamers. Plain h&h has fewer calories which surprised me. And a lot of stuff I don't need to consume.

If calories are a concern I know that TJ makes a "fat free" milk. Not skim. It is skim milk with skim milk concentrate so it has no fat but a creaminess one finds in whole milk. And probably boosts the calcium as well. I haven't tried it but a friend of mine thinks it's great stuff.

I think you can break your Coffeemate habit with some sugar free flavored syrups and perhaps whole milk or TJ's fat free milk or something similar. Maybe find some new coffee beans that have more flavor. I am not fond of flavored coffee beans but many people are. Or a good quality plain bean such as Indonesian or African coffees. I prefer them to others as a rule. Grind as you go and buy in small amounts.

You'll find something that will work for you eventually, yennej. There are lots of good responses here. I think change is hard. I like to soften my coffee with cream. I use half & half. If the coffee isn't smooth, I use sugar, too. Depends on where I get the coffee. At home we have coffee we both like - DH drinks it black and I drink mine with cream. Out somewhere, if it has a lot of acid, I have to put sugar in it, as well.

In Massachusetts that's called "regular" coffee (cream and sugar). My brother (from Ohio) has a huge problem ordering coffee here. He finally decided to deal with the standard vocabulary at the local Dunkin' Donuts and ordered a regular large coffee to go, no cream and no sugar. The girl behind the counter said "you want it hot?"

He said he just can't win!!

seagrass

Back when I lived in the North east....black coffee was considered kids of daring and extreme...rather like drinking straight shots of whisky. When you went to the counter and ordered a "coffee...black", that meant you were serious about it....either had spent an all-nighter or had a hangover! Glad to hear things haven't changed!

Sometimes I will put about 1/4 cup of skim milk in my mug, heat it in the micro and fill it up with coffee....sort of a poor girl's cappucino...sort of. With a bit of flavored syrup it might be a way to kick the Coffee mate habit.
Linda C

Ha, Linda! When I was 16 I taught myself to drink my coffee black because I thought it looked more seriously cool!

I didn't start to drink coffee until I was in my twenties. In high school I once asked if I could take a thermos of coffee to school for the coolness factor. I was living with a Christian Science family at the time. I may as well have asked for a hip flask of whisky to take to school! Strict Christian Scientists don't drink coffee or tea.

My staff goes through those big cans of coffeemate from Costco like crazy. And the bottled flavored stuff. I'm going to make this coconut milk creamer for them. Of course, I won't tell them what's in it...they already think I'm weird.

Here is a link that might be useful: Homemade creamer

And plain, hot, black coffee is so much easier on everybody! Ha!

My humble opinion is that our morning coffee is as much a routine/ritual as it is actually drinking a beverage first thing in the morning. I fill my little retro Corning Ware tea kettle with filtered water, grind my coffee beans and put the coffee in my plain Melitta filter that sits on top of a tall (2 cup) mug. Then I pour the boiling water over and let the coffee drip through. Other people like the aroma of hot coffee while it perks or drips thru an automatic drip machine. Others like their small cup of espresso from their little Italian stovetop maker or fancy schmancy espresso machine. Now lots of people like the k-cup machines for convenience or variety of coffees/teas/cocoa....but where is the romance in that machine, I ask you?

You just need to find another morning coffee/beverage that fills that pleasing, look-forward-to-it anticipation that your coffee with Coffee Mate held for you. Did you use flavored Coffee Mate? You could try a flavored coffee, Hazelnut or Southern Pecan are two good ones, with some half and half cream and sugar/sweetener if you use it. You could try half regular and half decaf blend if you purchase the coffee at a shop that grinds their own beans and will mix them for you. This might help you to transition to all decaf if that is what you feel you should do.

If you want to try tea, I might suggest Earl Grey or one of the Breakfast teas, English, Irish, etc. With or without sugar/sweetener or some milk (no cream in tea!) or lemon slice, there is a world of hot tea waiting for you to try.

Teresa

I drink my coffee with about a quarter of a package of sweetener, I like Equal better than Splenda, but I'll use whatever. However, I have a fondness for those coffee house "mocha" drinks. And sure enough, when I went to the dentist I had cavities and he said to switch to sugar free mocha. ; If that doesn't help, it's back to just coffee with a quarter of a package of sweetener. Elery says he doesn't know why I bother to put any in at all, but I like it that way better than black. I mostly drink Paramount Breakfast Blend, roasted right here in michigan, but I've been known to drink Biggby coffee too, a local chain of coffee shops. So I'm with you Yannej, I need to stop the flavoring in the coffee, and I have. Mostly. (grin) I don't add Coffeemate because the stuff gives me the most awful heartburn.

AS for tea, I don't care for Earl Gray, but I really like Irish Breakfast Tea, Earl Gray has that Bergamot and I don't care for that at all.

Annie

The homemade creamer looks interesting. Have you tasted it? How is it? I don't care for Coffeemate myself though it seems very popular. I saw another product in the cold case recently that was dairy based but still faux creamer. I looked it over. I bought milk instead. :)

A lot of those fake food products are very addictive. I just use some milk or cream or half and half, whatever I decide to buy at the time. I tried coconut milk but I wasn't impressed. I really evaporated canned milk the best but does it have additives? Probably...waaaah!!!!!

Thanks so much for all of your advice and support. It means a lot to me.

My hubs is the coffee geek in the family. He drinks it black. When he went to Brazil on business, they were incredulous that he could drink their brew that way. Me, I gotta have some dairy in my cup. REAL dairy. ANY real dairy. Hubs considers me a total wuss, contending milk or cream completely masks the flavour of a find blend. I suppose that's true. I just want a hot brown beverage, with dairy in it. But, I do like a coffee-flavoured coffee. Don't want hazelnut, almond, Baileys, or any other frou-frou flavouring. I particularly don't want sweet. So, I guess you can understand that I won't do Coffee Mate in any configuration. I like a drop of milk in my tea also, but can drink it clear, especially when the only available coffee whitener is sweetened oil product.

I think if you ordered a regular, or plain coffee anywhere here, most would presume you mean black. Except maybe at Tim Hortons. Their standard seems to be a Double-Double, and you can all guess what that is.

Am I the only one? When I am not drinking black coffee, I use powdered milk.

dcarch

Oh, and here "regular" means a cup of caffeinated black coffee, nothing in it. Whatever you want, you have to order and "regular" is just the opposite of "decaf".

dcarch, my grandmother used to use powdered milk when she was out of canned evaporated milk, but it was strictly second choice.

Annie

Yeah, regular here means caffeinated, you know, regular coffee as opposed to decaf. I guess I'd be lost, too, ordering coffee in the northeast. But, I usually don't use a description at all when I order coffee, I just order a cup of coffee.

Sally

I have never been able to use Coffee Mate. It always has soured on my stomach. I just drink my coffee with a little Splenda and I'm happy. I do have some sugar free flavored syrups to use, but usually forget I have them. Now, if we go out for breakfast, I will use a little cream in the coffee as well, but for a day to day thing, I really don't need the calories.

If you have to have dairy or fake dairy, it's not good coffee. Buy better beans, grind your own, get a better method of making coffee. But you need better coffee.

The only time I use a creamer is if the coffee is sub-par and you need to mask it or smooth it out.

I love hot black coffee. I use the heavy cream(and sweetener)when I make it iced. I also use cream in my tea...unless it is iced, then I just use sweetener.
I grew up taking sips of my mother's instant coffee with evaporated milk and lots of sugar. I drank it that way until I was in my 30's working in a shipyard. There weren't a lot of amenities in the coffee shacks, just big pots of strong coffee and if you needed a little wake-me-up, you drank what was available. After a few years I just started drinking it black at home.

I need at least a few drops of dairy in my coffee. If I have to choose between no milk or no sugar, I'd rather have no sugar. I have had black coffee twice that I enjoyed, one was kopi luwak in Bali (that's the weasel coffee :-) ) and the other time was at a homestay on the Vietnam/China border. I can't duplicate either so I'll stick with dairy.
I generally have one coffee a day, in the morning, Vietnamese style, about 4 x strength and with condensed milk.

Whether or not you like coffee black or something else is your own personal choice. I personally do not like the taste of a black coffee, good beans or otherwise. My brother WAS one of those coffee purists that it made him angry if someone drank their coffee other than black and made a big deal of it...well his new most perfect wife drinks her coffee with creamer and two packets of sweet n low(gag!) so it's OK now...HAHAHA!

The only time I drink coffee black is with cake, otherwise no one on this earth is going to convince me that black coffee tastes better than with sweetener and cream so might as well just ZIP IT!

I have never lived anywhere that serves coffee any way other than black, then they off sugar, sweetener, and creams for me to put in it.

I agree with you, Arkansas Girl. I like that little splash of milk in my coffee. Yes, maybe very expensive coffee brewed in a very expensive contraption would be good enough to drink without that splash of milk, but I'm not in that income bracket.

Sally

The powdered Coffee Mate is nasty! Blech and ptooey!

I used to buy the liquid Coffee Mate brand, but it's so expensive. I've found that Wal-Mart's Great Value brand of creamer is the same thing. At $1.63 a quart, it's much cheaper than the Coffee Mate brand which is $2.99 a quart.

I've had some really fabulous coffee many times in my life and I still want some milk/cream/white stuff. I can drink coffee black with sugar if I must. But I struggle with straight black coffee unless I have a lovely sweet pastry to go along with it. :) Gee. I think it's breakfast time and I'm hungry.

"---I personally do not like the taste of a black coffee, ----"

Black coffee and a scoop of coffee ice cream will change your mind.

dcarch

Getting back to the original problem though...it is the sticky sugar in the coffee creamer that might lead to tooth decay. Pureed dates may be natural but they are loaded with sticky sugar also and will be no better for your teeth. Another option is to be sure and brush your teeth after your morning coffee.
Joann

Maybe try this: vanilla-scented coffee and use fat-free half and half for your dairy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vanilla scented coffee

If you brush your teeth after drinking coffee, be sure to wait a few minutes (20, I think). The acid softens the enamel of your teeth and you will wear it off more quickly brushing while the enamel is softened.

I drink my coffee black most of the time, but every once in a while, I enjoy some cream. I do not tolerate liquid milk very well, so cannot use that. However, even with my semi-lactose intolerance, I am able to handle real, honest to goodness, full-fat cream with no problems. As others have pointed out, when you use real cream, you don't need more than a tablespoon at a time. I've tried fat-free creamers and they are too thin to make a difference. I'd just as soon stick with black coffee.

I think using favored coffees or flavored syrups are good suggestions if that is what you like. If you're looking for creamy alternatives, then I think the best is old-fashioned cream. Or learn to drink coffee black. I started drinking coffee with no cream or sweetener years ago when I was working on my teaching credential. I did my student teaching at a school with a lovely teacher's lounge. Since I was stuck there all day because of car-pooling, I'd take my breaks in the lounge. Unfortunately, the coffee was vile. I tried to doctor it up with milk, creamer, sugar -- you name it. Instead of making the horrid coffee taste better, all the additions made the coffee even worse. I eventually settled on straight black. Not good, but at least I could get it down.

I only learned to like coffee in my 40s! Hubby's gourmet, good-smelling coffees made me just have to try to find a way to enjoy it with him. That meant a dash of cream and a splash of sugar-free DaVinci flavored syrup I'd found at TJMaxx. Loved it! For awhile, I was collecting all the flavors I found there (and panicked when they didn't stock it). Within a year, I noticed heartburn that I'd never had before and coffee ended up being the culprit. I'm back to hot tea now..... I just sniff the coffee these days.

I think you should try the flavored syrups and some milk/cream to replace the coffeemate.

Loves my coffee-mate powder. The other half always used to drink his coffee with sweetened condensed milk.. Seems a lot of Newfies like it that way.. I found that yuck.

Pete, I drank coffee with sweetened condensed milk a couple of times, thanks to SharonCB. I liked it a lot, then I made the mistake of looking at the calorie count on the can of that milk, LOL.

I went back to black with a tiny bit of sweetener, my word that stuff is fattening, although yummy...

Annie

Trader Joe's just started selling organic SCM in a squeeze bottle. First thought - perfect for coffee and Thai iced tea/chai - second thought - too many calories!

Oh my, Jessica, that could be very dangerous to have in my house, I am NOT going to look for that item!

dcarch's powdered milk is probably the most healthy option, other than doing without.

annie

Sally....

Really ot but if you are having a problem with hot and cold sensitivity with your teeth it could be you having a reaction to the sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), an ingredient in most commercial toothpastes, I had this problem for years . My dentist couldn't figure it out and I tried every toothpaste made for sensitive teeth that was out there. Finally I came across an article about this ingredient that was somewhat new to toothpaste, with in the past 10 or so years, and I stopped using tooth paste. I only use baking soda and in a matter of a few days the sensitivity went away. My hygienist went nuts when I told her but my dentist said he would pass the information along to several patients and now he thanks me for the tip every time I see him. I tried going back to regular toothpaste and it took 2 days and the sensitivity came back so I'm sticking with baking soda. Give it a try it may or may not be your problem but if it is it's a really easy fix.

Claudia

LOL Claudia I'll see your 'ot' and raise you one

SLS is also considered an evil in shampoos. I don't have a problem with it, but the issue is out there for some folks. I buy Kirkland SLS-free shampoo for my son.

Here is a link for SLS-free toothpaste, I also get Tom's for same kid.

Here is a link that might be useful: toothpastes

I like my coffee black. I can't even drink coffee with cream or sugar in it. I am currently addicted to Barnies flavored coffee. They closed most of their stores so I have to mail order it.

I read an article the other day by Dr Weil and he was critizing Paula Deen for taking a drug instead of trying to alter her diet. Then he went on to dis people who take acid suppressing medicine instead of altering their diet. He was talking about me with that second one. This thread made me face that my body is probably rejecting the coffee. I was told a story about cold pressed coffee by someone at Sur La Table. He said that it didn't have the acid of hot brewed coffee.

I researched it last night and made a small batch. I filtered it and tried it tonight. At first I thought it was a little weak but I got used to it and then I found it smooth. I may have to start taking my own coffee to work. And who knows, maybe I can stop taking that stupid Prilosec if I start paying attention to what my body is rejecting.

Here is the method I followed. I used 1 to 1 concentrate to water and then heated it. Surprisingly good.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cold pressed coffee instructions

Thanks for the link Jessica.

I'll look for the shampoo on my next trip to Costco.

Claudia

I wash out my teeth with coconut oil or sesame oil. It's called oil pulling - there are supposed to be health benefits to it but not sure about that, I love that it naturally whitens my teeth and makes my gums feel good, if anything. Google oil pulling on how to do it properly if you are interested.
Back to Coffee Mate. I was so addicted to it for years! I even used enough to make snowman light decorations - see, it messes with your brain too and makes you do stuff like that, ha ha. But the lights are cute. I cut it out cold turkey as a friend would visit and tell me how bad it was and how it can be used to make explosives, etc. I don't even drink coffee anymore and moved on to green tea but if I do have a coffee I do miss the Coffee Mate but I stick with half and half.

Oil pulling, how interesting!

Ha ha - you mean wacky? That's what I thought when I first read it but opened myself up to it and love how it whitens my teeth. The other health benefits? I'm not noticing those so I will just toot it's horn for the whitening and that my gums don't bleed ever.

Joanm--for the acid reflux, try ginger juice. You can google for more info (specifically when to take it, etc.). I don't have acid reflux, but I know a few people who swear by the "cure".

As for the acidity of the coffee--is it the brewing method that's responsible for it or the temp that you drink it?

Thanks,

I think the problem is that sugar and acid sit on your teeth for hours. Caffeine dehydrates you, both by giving your body caffeine to flush out, and by giving you a belly full of liquid so that you don't feel like drinking water. Thus you have decreased saliva production, and if you're drinking coffee after or between meals, the stuff sitting on your teeth doesn't budge. I've never seen any evidence that high fructose corn syrup rots your teeth any worse than sugar does. I think if you get in the habit of swishing with water after you drink coffee, you'd be ok. I hate to see anyone compromise on coffee. You can pry my cream and sugar out of my cold, dead fingers!!

Cookie8, no, I don't find that wacky. I find many western techniques, like putting loads of chemicals on our teeth and faces much wackier!

On the Beauty & Fashion Forum, there used to be a thread about MoM (Milk of Magnesium) and Miracle Whip combined together for a facial, but there were warnings to "step away from the fumes", and so I never tried it. It was pretty funny to read, however, and I should have saved it for future reference.

I'll have to look into the coconut oil treatment for teeth. Sesame oil is too expensive.

Lars

This has been a long and interesting thread. I'm almost an ex-coffee drinker because it does raise my BP so mostly switched to tea. I was not aware that coffee mate damaged your teeth. I have a huge problem with plaque or tartar but my hygienist always is impressed at how well I maintain my teeth. I use tooth powder, it's mostly baking soda or Tom's or TJ toothpaste with myrrh & propolis. I just recently read in a health newsletter that to control dental plaque soften a probiotic pill between your teeth, then chew it to let it sit around your teeth as long as you can before swallowing it. It helps prevent plaque and improves gum health. I still love coffee and continue to drink it (limited) with real cream, no sweetener. DD is lactose intolerant and insists on coffee mate and sweetener. I avoid processed stuff as much as I can. That may be why my teeth are holding up as they are. I've switched to hibiscus and blood pressure tea, green tea which have all helped to lower BP but that isn't your issue. That coconut milk with date sweetener seems a good option. Maybe DD will give it a try instead of Coffee Mate.

Thanks for the info on the chemicals in toothpaste and shampoo. I have 3 capped teeth, and they are the ones that are the most sensitive, but I'll look into switching toothpaste and see if that makes a difference. I'm going to look at my shampoos, too.

I think a lot of processed foods are addicting. The sugars, and salts they add to the foods can't help but cause craving for more. I once heard a story on NPR several months ago about soft drinks. They interviewed one young man that said he had to drink sodas because he couldn't tolerate water. Really?! Give me a break. He was addicted and just wouldn't admit it. I remember when I first gave up sodas, water tasted flat to me. Once I got used to the water, though, and drank a soda after a long time going without, the soda tasted too sweet, and I didn't like the way it made me feel. I'm a coffee addict for sure, but at least I feel that it's a bit healthier to drink than soda. It does have antioxidants. I have cut back, though, to two cups a day instead of 3 or 4 cups.

Sally

Lars, the Miracle Whip and Milk of Magnesia facials were two separate treatments. The MoM is used as a mask to reduce oiliness. The MW is an exfolient. That was the one people thought was "fumy" because of the vinegar in it. I never tried the MoM but I have used the MW facial as an exfolient and it does work. Shower after!

Joann, that cold press coffee sounds an awful lot like the Toddy coffee system. In it, you put a pound (yes, a pound) of ground coffee in a large plastic container which has a stoppered hole in the bottom; a filter overlies the stopper on the inside. After 24 hours, you drain the container into a decanter. This makes a very smooth coffee extract. Most of the bitter oils have been left behind. (Makes sense: oil rises to the top, and the coffee grounds act as an absorbent filter) You keep the extract in the fridge, where it stays good for a week or two. (Or you can freeze it in ice cube trays and store the cubes in a plastic bag.)

To make coffee, you put an inch or so of extract in a mug and fill with boiling water.

The advantage is, the Toddy system makes extremely smooth and digestible coffee. Disadvantage is all the caffeine IS extracted, and you can have a few cups of this smoothest-ever coffee and you're flying before you know it. Great stuff, especially for delicate/flavored coffees.

Here is a link that might be useful: toddy coffee brew system

I used the Pioneer Woman's recipe for iced coffee concentrate made in the cold extended brewing procedure. It was so good that I drank two big glasses of it one morning. Unfortunately when I was driving to work half an hour later, I felt like I was having a heart attack. Scary stuff! I don't do much caffeine so it really shocked my system.