How to Start Drinking Black Coffee

Every coffee professional drinks black coffee, at least some of the time. Not because it is a badge of honor. Because it is the only way to taste what the coffee actually is. Milk and sugar are not wrong. They are opaque. They cover the coffee the way a heavy sauce covers a steak. You should know what the steak tastes like first.

Step 1: Upgrade the Coffee

The reason most people put milk and sugar in their coffee is that most coffee is bad. Stale, over-roasted drip coffee from a pot that has been sitting for two hours tastes terrible black. Go to a specialty roaster. Buy a light to medium roast, single origin, whole bean, roasted within two weeks. Grind it fresh. Brew it properly. Good coffee has natural sweetness that bad coffee does not.

Steps 2 Through 5

Reduce milk and sugar gradually over weeks. Start with pour over or cold brew. Both are easier to drink black than French press. Let the coffee cool 3 to 5 minutes before the first sip; sweetness and complexity emerge as temperature drops. Most people need 2 to 4 weeks to fully transition. By the third week, adding milk and sugar will taste like putting ketchup on sushi. Not everyone will prefer black coffee. But everyone should try it with good coffee at least once. Find a specialty shop near you and order a pour over black.

Keep reading: How to Taste Coffee Like a Pro, Light Roast vs. Dark Roast, How to Make Pour Over Coffee.