I like good coffee. I currently drink 2-3 cups in the morning. I am not as fond of it later in the day, it tends to make me too full. Sometimes I feel I should give it up and I do try but then I find that I am hungrier in the mornings. Yes, it could be withdrawal causing the hunger but since I am not a morning person, coffee is actually better in my stomach than the things I would be more likely to grab (pastries, bagels or whatever). I do try to pay attention to the amount of sugar and half and half I use but it is one of the few treats I indulge in. I rarely purchase alcohol and I rarely pay for big name coffee drinks "like Starbucks). Also, my coffee drinking supports the local economy as we go to a local roaster and it is nice to talk to him when we go in.

I actually do go without when we run out and have not made it into the city for more beans. We have found nothing in the grocery store that is acceptable to us. I sometimes drink good tea in the afternoons/evening since it is less filling but soda is pretty rare here so I do not feel as bad about my coffee.

Dedtired, I love my aeropress!

I also love my coffee, no sugar, any fat added. I am trying to cut down to one cup a day for sleep reasons. I once quit cold turkey and had a headache for a month...never again! I'm happier with my dependence.

I like tea fine, but my heart lies with coffee.

I've recently started whisking in a teaspoon of coconut oil most mornings and find it does mitigate the low blood sugar/caffeine crash and helps me feel satieted until lunch.

I know the optimum brewing temperature for coffee, which roast has more caffeine, which roast increases the bitterness of coffee. I own a coffeemaker that cannot be programmed to a start time or to keep the coffee simmering for hours, but brews at the optimum temperature. I buy locally roasted coffee beans and grind only the amount needed each day. When I retire, I may start roasting my own beans. The name says it all. Javachik

Only decaf for me. I gave up caffeine years ago. Four days of headaches and fogginess, then it was easy. Last year for some reason I got back into the caffeine habit for several months, and had the same withdrawal symptoms when I stopped. I like coffee fine, but I prefer not having the dependence on caffeine.

I have 2 cups daily-one with breakfast at home and a second sometime in the morning at the office. Actually this topic made me realize that the only beverages I drink on a regular basis are my coffee, water with meals and a cup of milk in the evening with my daily cookie :). I gave up wine last year and haven't missed it at all.

I don't think a couple of cups per day is a big habit. To me a strong coffee jones is drinking it all day long and/or into the evening. I cannot imagine having coffee in the afternoon; I'd be awake till it was time for the next day's morning cupppa joe!

Ann

I love the aroma of coffee but I don't drink it any more. The taste never lived up to the aroma. I quit drinking coffee, 20 years ago, after a bad period of migraines. I was concerned it was a trigger but also seeing it twice, if you know what I mean, was just plain nasty. I also gave up chocolate then.

I've always been primarily a tea drinker. The same tea can perk me up or calm me down. Now that I'm an old lady, I have to avoid caffeine late in the day so I switch to decaf after 2 pm.

I totally agree with what mtnrdredux wrote! I hate coffee.

I have to ask, isn't coffee just a caffeine delivery system? Since I starting working at 19 I got in the habit of having 1 or 2 diet cokes each day with the 1st one at about 8 am. People used to ask how I could drink that so early in the morning. I would say, how can you drink coffee at anytime.

Thankfully at some point a few years ago I found tea. I have green tea with a mix of herbs every morning. I continue to drink tea during the day and into the night. I switch to decaf green tea after the morning dose of caffeine. I also drink a bunch of herbal teas (which are really not teas, but thats another story).

So my point is that I don't think its the coffee you are all in love with but the caffeine. Usually people can adjust to less caffeine. Some caffeine at the right times can be good for you but too much is bad. Same with the other properties of coffee. With tea the only issue is too much caffeine but we have more choices. The health benefits of tea are fantastic.

Did you know that diet coke has more caffeine that regular coke? Regular coke has sugar so I guess they figure that can cut back on the caffeine.

I think what was making me question coffee was more the dependence on it, as a couple of you have said -- I sort of hate feeling like I need coffee to start my day. On the other hand, I enjoy the ritual of sitting down with it each morning. Especially on a day like today, as Wed. is usually the only weekday when I don't have to rush out the door, so even now I am still in my pj's sipping my coffee!

I don't use sugar, just low fat milk.

I like tea, too, and sometimes will have black tea in the afternoon instead of coffee. I often have a cup of peppermint tea after dinner, too, or some other sort of sweetish decaf tea.

sueb - hate to say this but look at your milk carton. There's more sugar in low fat milk than in half and half or cream - and one *could* argue that the fat is content in those choices is better (or less bad) for you than the sugar! Only half kidding here - we all make choices about our diets (coffee/tea/low fat, whatever) so whatever works and feels right to you is the right choice.

I do like my coffee in the morning. About 20 or so years ago we switched to half-caffeinated. We grind our own beans fresh daily from a specialty coffee house & I mix the caff and decaf beans. I have a cup while I'm getting ready for work and take a to-go insulated cup to work and that's it for the day. Occasionally I'll have another cup if we go out to breakfast. I love tea and will sometimes have a cup of decaf green tea in the afternoons and occasionally drink a glass of unsweet iced tea.

Years ago, late 70's-early 80's, I gave up carbonated drinks and now drink a lot of water during the day. Rule of thumb there is to drink in ounces, half your body weight (if you weigh 100 pounds, drink 50 ounces of water/day).

dim is right. Sugar has no nutritional benefits and only risks, but fat is actually a nutritional necessity as it is what carries vitamins to your cells. Hooray! Finally something GOOD about fat!

I gave it up. A few times :P currently almost off again. I do feel better and sleep better without it regardless of what time of day I drink it.

I recently read about how many chemicals are used in the decaf process and now I at a loss. I do like decaf ice tea. I am down to some green tea daily but that has caffeine too.

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I didn't realize white tea was less than green tea till I looked those up. Maybe I will switch to that. You see so many charts it is hard to know what is right!

I have a cup of tea when I wake up and coffee with breakfast an hour later. Coffee gives me acid reflux and I need a Tums afterwards. I was using three scoops of fresh beans in a 12 oz. mug. Two months ago I switched to two scoops of beans and now drink a cup of coffee instead of a mug. I also use sugar and milk, so I was able to cut back on sugar too. The small cup is just as satisfying.
All that coffee might catch up with the heavy drinkers. Or do you all have iron-clad stomachs?

This caught my eye today since we were discussing coffee. From the August issue of Prevention magazine:
"Another look at the Nurses' Health Study research tells us that women who drank two to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day were about 15% less likely to be depressed; those who drank four or more cups were at 20% lower risk. Caffeine is a psychoactive drug that works sort of like a harmless crack cocaine, increasing dopamine and serotonin transmission within just 30 minutes."

I gave up caffeine 20 years ago when my husband died very unexpectedly. I was already a jangle of nerves so I switched to decaf. Lucky to live in the land of boutique coffee roasters, I can get decaf that tastes every bit as good as caffeinated and better than most of the caffeinated available in some places.

Boop, if you want to drink decaf, look for a roaster who sells/roasts Swiss Water Method decaf. They do not use the harsh chemicals to remove the caffeine. I buy from Olympia Coffee Roasters -this place has the best decaf (Asterisk Blend Organic) I have ever tasted, hands down and is available mail order (I have no affiliation). Here are some other ideas, but you might have someone local who has a good decaf:

Here is a link that might be useful: 5 top rated decafs

I've been drinking coffee since I was in high school (back then it was instant coffee). I have a pretty uncomplicated relationship with coffee. Love the stuff, feel no guilt about it, have no ill effects from it, and it starts my engine in the morning. When I was pregnant, I lost my taste for it, but I resumed drinking it after my two were born.

These days I drink high-test Italian espresso. We got into the habit one year after staying in Venice where our apartment had a stove-top espresso maker. We bought a similar one before we left Italy, and sometimes take it with us when we travel.

We buy the raw beans and roast our own decaf because of the inferior quality of most pre-roasted decafs available. We mail order high quality beans in bulk, and the results are excellent.

"Harmless crack cocaine." I love that. They should use that in coffee advertising!

Both my parents were hardcore coffee drinkers....black, no sugar...breakfast and dinner. I never understood how they could drink coffee with dinner...in the summer...ugh!

I never aquired a taste for coffee. I only ever enjoyed it with dessert when out to dinner at an upscale restaurant. I guess the brands they used or method of preparation was just so superior to everyday coffee at home.

I have never liked wine or beer either, unless you count Boone's Farm in college!

Now that I get my kids breakfast, it does not include coffee anymore (but they often order it out). However, if they have a big test or presentation, I will make them a cup of decaf (about half milk) in the morning. A little legal dope, if I read HHireno right.

I am not sure if caffeine is evil or not, I just don't like coffee. Not even mocha or tiramisu.

What I drink the most of is probably Tisane; ie herbal teas. We make iced tea every day until the weather turns cold, lots of types, all of it just by putting a few bags in a Poland Spring and setting it in the fridge. Sometimes the kids add sugar when I am "not looking", but not usually on the fruity teas and still far less then in commercial drinks.

My favorite tea is a loose leaf Assam I got from Dean and Deluca, but I also love this one:
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I have a tea quest, if anyone can help. British Air used to serve a green apple tea (not green tea; it was probably a tisane). They don't anymore, and I'd like to find some. Whenever I see apple tea, it is always cinnamon or caramel, or it is "green tea" with apple, not "green apple" tea.

Boone's Farm - haven't heard or thought about that stuff in __ years!!! Is it even still made?

Boone's Farm and Mad Dog 20/20. I now feel like retching!

I definitely use coffee as a caffeine delivery system but I also just really like it, I enjoy the taste and largely prefer it to other caffeine delivery systems (diet coke and tea). I really cherish my morning cup.

I guess it's a bit like wine, I can't say I liked the taste of wine when I started drinking it but now it's my favorite alcohol delivery system of all and I think it's delicious. Especially the bottle of white burgundy I had at New Years that I can't stop thinking about...

This post was edited by robotropolis on Wed, Jan 14, 15 at 12:05

I've always felt, though, that if you're going to have it, have the real thing. So rather than butter substitute or margarine, use actual butter; I never drink soda, diet or otherwise, but if you're going to, drink the real thing, i.e.: the Coke from Mexico, and never the diet stuff; Same with coffee - I think it's probably wiser to drink the real thing than decaf due to the chemicals used in the decaf process. It's the truly fake stuff and processes that I think are profoundly unhealthy, i.e.: corn syrup and aspartame in place of sugarâ¦that kind of thing is what I'm always reading labels for. And I've found the best sub for butter is olive oil. And of course, everyone must have their pleasures too. Coffee with cream and sugar is one of mine. Just doesn't make me feel or look good.

I never drank coffee until I was 22, out of college, and moved to North Beach in San Francisco. I was about a block from the Trieste Cafe, and it was impossible to walk past it without wanting a cup of coffee. I still do like good coffee but hate mediocre coffee, and I only drink coffee at all on special occasions, such as vacations. Most of the time, it upsets my stomach, especially if it has milk in it, although cream does not have the same effect. I did drink coffee regularly for the 12 years I lived in San Francisco - not so much after I left. I do drink tea, however, and it does not upset my stomach. I prefer Japanese roasted green tea or Fancy Keemun, but I will drink plain Indian tea. There doesn't seem to be as much bad tea as there is bad coffee, and there is little worse than bad coffee.

Lars

What I find interesting in the theory of coffee as a caffeine delivery system, is that for some reason, I am much more sensitive to the caffeine in tea. I will drink less coffee in the summer because the only cooling we use in our house is ceiling fans so I do not like the extra heat.

publickman - it may the lactose in the milk upsetting your stomach, not the coffee, but I'm not trying to be a coffee pusher - honest! If it doesn't happen with coffee and cream, then it's probably the lactose. The higher the fat content in dairy, the lower the lactose (sugar) content. A lot of people don't make that link. I can't drink a latte without great discomfort but real cream in my coffee is no issue.

On another coffee note..... is anyone on the coffee with butter bandwagon? I tried it a couple of times at the urging of a friend/massage therapist/healer who promised it would rock my world (well maybe not exactly) and couldn't finish it either time.

Living in a city where Starbucks stores outnumber banks, where you will find no fewer than a dozen coffee cafes on a downtown block, where even doctors offices have espresso carts, where baristas can makeclose to a 6 figure salary-i guess you could say YES to coffee.

I drink two mugs at home in the morning then bring a 16 oz travel mug to the office. No caffeine for me after noon however.

I love the taste of good coffee. I cannot drink canned grocery store stuff. Must be fresh ground, preferably a locally roasted blend of arabica and Ethiopian beans. We would like to roast our own too.

We`ve been on a hunt for some GOOD kona-which you can only get from Hawaii. But its got to be roasted right!

I cannot stand tea. Ive tried to drink it dozens of times, but just cannot get past that tea taste. :(

dlm - I am on the coffee with coconut oil bandwagon and I do love it. Not sure it's healthy, but it's tasty and filling.

Coconut oil is also really good for your hair and skin. Saturate your hair with the oil, put it under a shower cap for a half hour or so, and shampoo out. Like baby hair.

I never drank anything but water growing up and that's still my favorite beverage. I had a brief flirtation with Diet Coke at a time when I was working long, long hours, but I weaned myself off of it. If I'm going to drink coffee ever, it will be as an after-dinner restaurant latte. Somehow, the warm milk must offset the effect of the caffeine because I never have a problem sleeping afterwards.

I'm happy to sip a glass of good champagne on occasion, too, but I don't care for other forms of alcohol.

Pesky1 and other who say they don't like tea, what kind of tea have you tried? Try organic loose tea. Go to Teavana if you have to but try to find a local tea shop that will help you out. I rarely drink bagged tea and never the well known brands.

Also, I rarely drink green tea alone. I always have herb blends I add to it. It does change the taste, not that I need it to. Perhaps that is what you need. In the morning I mix a blend of "memory" herbs with the green, later I will mix in a blend called "vibrant health". Right now I'm drinking a blend of decaf green and a mix of herbs for stress.

I now find black tea has way too much caffeine for me. When I switched from cola I had to replace it with 3 cups of black tea in the morning. I slowing weaned myself off.

No one mentioned Oolong tea. It is between black and green for taste and caffeine. DS gave me some in a pumpkin blend for Christmas. I didn't realize it was Oolong. Drank it before bed and wondered why my heart was pounding.

I worked in the dorm kitchen in college where my job was to clean the coffee brewer.That was enough to turn me off coffee for life.
And I second mtn. Don't use a carafe for hot water that was used for coffee. Coffee and tea don't mix, and the stale coffee oils in the carafe make the tea undrinkable.

I'm a coffee drinker (straight black or a cappuccino and never any sugar) and a tea drinker (black, white, green and herbal). I didn't have coffee for over a month a while back -- food poisoning or such had me a mess for a while and I didn't feel I could tolerate it. During cooler weather, I like tea more anyway.

mtn, here is a site that has granny green apple tea, though the notes say hints of caramel. Wonder if that is the tea itself with the sweetness of the apple, because it doesn't say any caramel in the flavor name? http://www.englishteastore.com/green-apple-loose-leaf-flavored-black-tea.html

Also found this one that talks about the flavor of little green apples with no mention of caramel.
https://www.baltcoffee.com/products/loose-tea/eastern-shore-greenapple-tea

Hope that helps!

If coffee is a caffeine delivery system, then food is a calorie delivery system :-)

I like tea too, just not as much as coffee.

HH, that is such an interesting quote. It explains a lot for me!!

Our Scottish nana raised us drinking tea with her as we were growing up and, despite both our parents being total coffee drinkers, all of us "kids" grew up as major tea lovers. After I married DH (32 years ago today, as a matter of fact) I slowly started drinking coffee with him in the mornings. I brew a small pot for us every morning and have one or two cups(black) with him then. And I do enjoy it with a nice orange cranberry scone (again, that strong Scottish influence!) but, truth be told, I could pretty much give it up tomorrow and happily just drink tea for the rest of my life. The caffeine never bothers me in tea or coffee. In fact, one of my favorite indulgences is to crawl into bed at night with a good book and a cup of sweet hot tea while I wait for DH to finish dictating his daily charts. I have many brothers and sisters and when we all get together for our reunions, our spouses get a big kick out of how we all immediately revert back to drinking tea together every morning and evening. Great memories.
Lynn

This post was edited by lynninnewmexico on Thu, Jan 15, 15 at 17:53

Happy Anniversary, Lynne!

I enjoy one Large cup of coffee in the mornings.
Real cream, no sweetener.
I also enjoy an occasional evening cup.
I do not like actual tea in any shape, form, or fasion.
Love herbal tea.
Unfortunately, I'm also hooked on diet sodas.

I'm definitely a caffeine addict.
I was hospitalized last year and couldn't have any caffeine for five days.
It was a horrible experience...just horrible.
If I try that again, it will need to be at the Betty Ford Clinic.

Happy anniversary, Lynn!

DH and I rarely drank coffee until receiving a coffee maker as a gift.
That was 10 years ago. DH gets up first and starts it brewing.
I love waking up to it, and the cozy ritual of my two ( large) mugs
every morning. Some years later, whenever I had my blood pressure taken,
it was no longer normal, but slightly high. We began mixing
1/4 caffine to 3/4 decaf, and sure enough, bp back to normal.
Reading about the chemicals in decaf, I will look for those without....thank you for that info! Also, was not aware of more sugar in 2% milk than in cream.
I am glad i read this post! I am so not a purist, and prefer a "coffee flavored milkshake": Lots of non diary vanilla or caramel creamers, but the liars
calling it "sugar free" when top ingredient is corn syrup made me give it up.
We sweeten with stevia, which is supposedly all natural and okay. Wish I did like it black, but nooooo way. Interesting post.

Doest anyone know if coffee machines on promo sale like this are reliable to purchase? I would like to get to a high level grinding and brewing on my own but these machines are never cheap

I haven't had coffee since I was a child, when it was mostly milk, except I had cappuccino a few times in India, of all places. Over a decade ago I began drinking diet Pepsi in the morning so I wouldn't get a headache and have now become an addict, probably drinking 1 liter a day. My husband is a major coffee drinker, and fortunately the latest research states that it's very good for you. Who knew?

My siblings and I were raised drinking tea. I never drank coffee until I married DH. He drank good black coffee with his breakfasts and occasional desserts, and I gradually picked up the habit, too. I now enjoy it, but only at the above mentioned times. Probably 2 cups each time. I'm totally not concerned that it might not be good for me. In my opinion, it would only become a bad habit if i had to have it all day in order to function. I don't, so why would I give up the pleasure of it? I'm still a tea drinker, although I don't enjoy drinking it with a meal. I never have. But hot tea with sugar, no cream, between meals is such a comfort. Again, I don't drink it all day long. I don't need it, so why would I deprive myself of that pleasure?

Just commenting on the part about using Poland Spring water. It's not spring water at all. The trucks pull up to Moose Pond in Maine which is a large body of water and I watch them, from my sun porch, take thousands of gallons of water out at least three times a week. Mind you, the water is suctioned out right next to the boat ramp which is disgusting with oil. Four towns are fighting to have it ceased but, because of the tax revenue on Poland Springs, they have hit one barrier after another. I make it a point to tell people the truth about Poland Springs and many many other bottled waters. They then transmit it to a cleansing factory which is based on the cleansing process that cleans ocean water. Yes it began with springs which are rampant in Maine and that water is potable as I've stopped and had it on occasion but it's natural. So essentially you are drinking water that has been cleansed with chemicals, just so you know.

Due to a health issue I had to give up coffee. I was a 3 to 4 cup a day addict. I gave it up cold turkey and felt HORRIBLE the first day. I really thought I had the flu. After I got past that day I just had a headache each day for about 2 weeks. Now I only drink the organic decaf to have on weekends. Organic uses water vs. chemicals to do the decaf process. I honestly feel so much better now. I wake up so much easier and I don't see myself going back. Looking back it might have been easier to ween myself off but I didn't have that option. I feel like I have a badge now, I survived caffeine addiction!

I saw this question and had to add my two cents. I would prefer coffee to food any day. But, when I gave it up for a while (I had to go back), I have to say I felt much more hydrated. It isn't great for blood pressure, either, so I would love to quit myself. But that was the most noticeable benefit for me, felt more hydrated for sure.

My husband had double bypass surgery last May (right in the middle of his bathroom reno). It's extremely important he keep his bp under control. His coffee intake was not playing nicely with his bp so he's had to cut way back and switch to Folger's Half Caff. I've never been a coffee drinker so I have no idea how it tastes or if it gives him the kick start he needs. Hummm, I don't think he's made coffee in the morning for a few days. That means he's getting it at the gas station in the mornings and they don't have decaf. Someone is busted!

Am I the only one who hates coffee? It's horrible bitter and yucky to me, I prefer tea.

Sueb20 i havent read any of the responses and if you have elaborated on why you are considering giving it up ive missed that. Just wanted to assure you that unless you have a medical condition that contraindicates caffeine, coffee is GOOD for you. Really good, as study after study has shown.

Anton P, you might want to ask about coffee machines in the Appliance forum, or possibly in Kitchens.

I enjoy coffee, but I'm no too picky about it, as long as the beans are freshly ground and it has plenty of milk. My daughter is pregnant, so we've been using decaffeinated beans most of the time. If she's not here, I'll make my favorite--half regular and half French vanilla. Other than keeping me awake if I drink the coffee with caffeine late in the evening, I don't notice a difference between regular and decaf.

We've switched to decaf for family gatherings, because one of my brothers-in-law was advised to give up caffeine due to hypertension.

I've never even had a sip of coffee. I attribute that to the early morning, Great Santini car trips of my youth when my car sickness was intermingled with the steaming scent of coffee coming out of mom and dad's plaid thermos. DH doesn't drink it either- he doesn't drink anything at all with caffeine.

i drink iced tea, black. No lemon, no sweetener. I don't care for hot tea. I guess I just don't care for any sort of hot drink (tea, chocolate, cider).