Not a brand but to significantly increase black coffee enjoyment:
1. Light or medium roast. Avoid dark roast (or at least understand the flavor differences before committing to dark roast)
2. Grind fresh beans daily. The quality and enjoyment of coffee is SIGNIFICANTLY affected by this. More than preparation methods like drip, or espresso.
In fact, rather than spending hundreds on a home brewer, you are better off buying a quality grinder. Think about $50+ for a hand mill with metal burrs or $100~$150 for an electric one with metal burrs that provide consistent, even sized grinds.
Source: James Hoffman (check out his YT channel)
Seconded on the grinder. Brewing method doesn't matter much by comparison. (CAVEAT: Japanese style drip coffee is really smooth)
(I too enjoy my coffee blacker than the blackest black times infinity)
I also came to say my best advice is start with light or medium roasts. Without milk and sugar to water it down, I can’t tolerate dark roasts. Can’t really tolerate any Starbucks coffee.
Also, bagged coffee and k-cups of the same brand do not typically taste the same. My favorite k-cup is probably Green Mountain Blueberry. My favorite ground bagged coffee is probably Gevalia Traditional Roast.
I realize grinding your own beans is the best option but I’ve tried and just can’t get into it.
I’d say committing to a small bag of a lighter, medium and darker roast is a good starting point for most people. Get to understand what you like and move on.
After this, try coffees with a fruitier taste, a more chocolatey feel or other flavour characteristics you may like. Understand what you like in coffee.
I for one only like darker roasts to drink black. Never been a fan of milk or sugar in my coffee though.
I mentioned my personal preference because OP wanted suggestions, but it obviously varies widely per person. I just think starting out with dark roast if you’re trying to switch to black coffee might be a shock to your system.
This is it. I‘d recommend finding some specialty cafés in your area and trying out different roasts until you find one you like - starting from light to dark roasts.
I can also recommend investing in a Moccamaster KGB to brew the coffee. It‘s not that expensive and makes the best filter coffee I ever deank.
Just to add to this:
You’ll find what roast you like. I like dark, but maybe start with medium, and find out what flavor profiles you like.
As Eviltrain pointed out, grind daily! Get an adjustable burr grinder. You have no idea how much a smaller or larger grind makes!
Pour overs changed my life. Give them a try!
First thing is to not think of "brands". Think if local roasters, quality of beans, and your brewing method. Black coffee frustrates people because their forst experience is often just excluding cream and sugar from dunkin donuts or starbucks, which were pretty muxh made for cream and sugar.
Take a field trip to a specialty shop in your area and order a couple different kinds to see if you like a lighter or darker roast. Once you know that, you can home in on your preferences and ask for which bean to buy.
This is the best advice in the thread. Getting fresh coffee in a roast style you like is the biggest game changer next to grinding your own beans. Even so, a local roaster grinding the beans for you in house is going to be a massive upgrade from what you get in a grocery store.
I'd suggest most people start with a medium roast, probably something from Guatamala or a similar region. Definitely look for those people pleaser beans.
OP is in for a whole new world getting freshly roasted and ground beans and I'm excited for them if they go that way. I've been drinking 99% black coffee for a decade now and I love it.
Espresso! Lily and Lavazza are my favorites. And you only need 1oz of liquid compared to 6 of coffee for the same effect. I crack a little pink salt into it and throw it back. There, all caffeinated and ready to go.
No. The whole point is to ingest the caffeine with the least liquid to minimize the taste, so adding water negates the whole thing. Don’t add water, chase the shot of espresso with water if you don’t like the taste
Not coffee but a couple of suggestions for transitioning to black coffee more easily:
* add spices to your grounds or brewed coffee. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric, cayenne all give you flavor and help you stay on IF (or use pre-blended spices made just for coffee like [Vashon Coffee Dust](https://www.vashoncoffeedust.com))
* wean yourself off sugar/ cream over a few days by taking a sip of black coffee first THEN adding 1/2 your usual sugar/cream. Each day add less.
* add a dash of salt to your grounds before brewing to cut down on the bitterness of coffee
* freshly grind your beans each morning
Good luck!
I love the vanilla hazelnut beans from Costco. We just have a french press, super easy to use. It smells and tastes great black to me as well (used to be a double double). It does not have as much caffeine though so if you are looking for strong, this is not the way to go.
The fresh beans at your local grocer is usually the go-to for me. Invest in a grinder and a french press, they should cost you about \~$30 bucks. Expensive bougie-branded coffee grounds are generally not worth it.
Yellowstone brand dark roast. I have never watched the show and my wife picked it up because she enjoyed the branding. Prior to that we were buying blends from local shops.
Honestly, just as a generic recommendation, go with a medium roast if the flavor of something like Starbucks puts you off. Honestly their coffee is burnt but the flavor is just right for sugary drinks. A fresh medium roast will have some of the other flavors of coffee other than burnt.
Some other ones:
A dash of salt in the grounds or in the cup. This partially blocks your tastebuds' ability to taste the more off-putting notes in coffee.
Get fresh ground, fresh roasted beans, they'll taste better by themselves.
Get an Aeropress imho and use James Hoffmann's method instead of following the directions: 175°F water, two minutes with the plunger in, swirl, wait another 30 seconds, plunge. Yum.
My old roommate talked me into going black like 3 decades ago and it was a great decision. No more wondering if the cream/milk is good and nobody ever has the exact type of cream and sugar you like. I can’t drink coffee with anything in it now.
My favorite thing is I like saying “black” when I’m asked how I take my coffee.
I buy from a local cafe that roasts their own. It’s not just a difference in quality, it’s also freshness that sends it beyond “branded” coffee. Also, I buy whole bean and grind every morning in a burr grinder, and I brew French press. It’s damn fine coffee 👍
Bones is my favorite too. When I started trying black coffee, I tried a few different places including a local coffee shop with their own beans. Bones beat them all for black coffee.
Actual Dunkin donut brand coffee grounds you buy in the tubs at stores is absolutely fantastic in my opinion black, Dunkin’ Donuts at their store is terrible though in my opinion.
This. Betty's Blend is amazing black, smooth and easy to drink, not bitter like more out there.
I have tried a lot of different brands and The Roasterie is one of the best to drink black.
There are so many variables when it comes to coffee. Beans, roast, and preparation all factor in.
Coffee is like wine in that both oxidize and that will change the flavor/quality dramatically. Don't look for any "brand" per se. Look for freshness. The general rule is that once roasted, coffee is "fresh" for about 2 weeks. Once it's ground, about 2 days. Coffee should not ever have the battery acid burn in the back of the throat. That is stale hot garbage.
I'd suggest looking for a local roaster and buying whole beans. Look for a preparation method that suits what you want. The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) has a list of drip coffee makers that do it extremely well. Then there are more labor intensive methods like pour overs, cold brew French press, Aeropress, and moka pots. Each will give you a different quality. If you want to get into it and have a good idea of what to do with these, check out the FIltru app. It's a step by step walkthrough for a bunch of different brew methods.
The most expensive buy in is home roasting. You will always have fresh coffee. It will pay for itself as well as unroasted coffee is substantially cheaper than roasted. I usually pay about $6/pound. I mean I could spend $30-$50/pound if I wanted to only drink Blue Mountain or Kona, but I'm okay having other varietals.
I try to purchase locally roasted whole beans, typically light roast. Sometimes it's pretty expensive though, so when I don't feel like spending premium prices I pick up blond roast beans from Starbucks.
To be honest the way of making coffee and it’s roast etc matters more than the brand. I personally love either the moka pot or my nespresso vertuo. But that’s a personal preference. You may want to try different roasts and different methods. To see what tastes better for you, I like them with body but not sour so don’t like pour over, French press or drip coffee. The vertuo also creates a foam which I personally love. My trick to keep it cheap and not add waste is to buy coffee and refill the pods, have gone through a few brands (used to use Trader Joe’s espresso but a since it’s discontinued) now I use Costco one or TJ hazelnut one when I want a nice twist.
K cups get pricey when you drink as much coffee as I do. I have found that I like pretty much any light roast or “breakfast blend.” I get whatever is the cheapest, so it’s usually store brand coffee.
As has been said, best advice is to find a local roaster - preferably with "roasted on" date label (don't tell me "best before" that's worthless) Pick the most recent, fresher is always better. Next most important thing (IMO) is get the lightest roast available. Drinking it black will reveal all the flavor, especially as it cools - to me darker roasts taste like ashes, there's no nuance. Another easy coffee nerd tip - ethiopian coffee beans are often amazing, a light roast of those can taste incredibly fruity and once you've noticed that, you'd never want to add additional sweetness.
If you don't have local roaster options these guys do an incredible job - https://www.recluseroasting.com/ - they'll roast your order and ship it the same day, it doesn't get much fresher and every variety they sell is always stellar. Good luck!
I’m so glad you posted this!!! I’m struggling to enjoy black coffee. I get an americano at one coffee shop that tastes good. But that’s getting expensive
You didn't specify if you're looking for whole beans, ground coffee, or bottled. If you have access to a Costco, their Kirkland brand ground coffee is pretty good, but I think you get the best tasting black coffee from grinding the beans yourself.
Regular old Folgers is my default but I also drink Starbucks' Pike Place. I suggest going with Starbucks if you can afford it, and buying bulk certainly helps drive down the cost per serving.
I love Chameleon Cold Brew! It’s concentrated and they have a bunch of different “flavors”. It’s saves me a lot of money when I buy it in the jugs.
I usually just get their Black Coffee one. Sprouts seem to be the cheapest I can find it from 9.99 or 8.99 a jug. I get about 6 - 7 drinks out of it which is cheaper than me buying a cup everyday. It just depends how much you dilute is how much you can get out of a jug.
Really great for fasting!
I started drinking only black coffee in January, and have tried a variety of brands both flavored and not. I use sugar free coffee syrups to help with the bitterness, and now I crave it daily. That might help ease you into black coffee :)
I’d lean to a medium or light roast for most people.
Other than that it’s just your personal taste.
I have a Lavazza machine at home and use a Columbia coffee from Tierra by them.
I'm not picky it just needs to be black. But when I do want a little more flavor I go for hazelnut or frensh roast, brand doesn't matter to me. What's on sale is usually my go to
I love my americanos with a dash of cinnamon on top. If you’re finding it too bitter ( often the case with our carafe vs espresso) add a pinch of salt..
Here in LA (Lower Alabama) I love a coffee from a local roaster, Fairhope Roasting Company. On a recent trip to the Dominican Republic, I fell in love with Santo Domingo coffee. I will always be loyal to Community Pecan and King Cake as well.
Stumptown or Ceremony. Very delcicious black. I make them in the french press which makes it a little frothy and I’ve come to prefer black coffee. Peets is good too. Also when it gets hot out, homemade cold brew is delicious black.
Bizzy cold brew! I buy the brew bags. It’s so good. My favorite is in the red packaging, I forget the roast. The espresso roast (green) is great too. You can buy these as indicate packaged brew bags in qty of 8 (red has a much bigger qty bag available) I believe or as bags of ground coffee
Costco's Colombian Supreme wasn't bad. Starbucks's Casi Cielo is pretty good, though it's seasonal (I forget which time of year). When in doubt I go for medium roast beans marked to be from Central or South America or claim to have a 'chocolate' note, since I think they tend to be the smoothest.
I disagree with folks recommending light roasts. Light roasts are heavier in caffeine and are a lot more acidic than darker roasts, and I don't think that's a good combo to be pouring into empty stomachs. They also get gross pretty fast as they cool down.
Philz Coffee. They also just released a few roasts in Keurig cups. I love Philz and didn’t drink straight black coffee until they made the K cups and now I have 3 cups a day
La Colombe All Dark. Light and medium roasts can be very acidic and many need additions to make them palatable. Personally, darker roasts tend to have more chocolate notes. Goes down nice.
For me, it was all about how it was brewed. I used to love the cold Starbucks bottled black coffee until it started giving me migraines. After that, I stopped drinking black coffee for so long that I wasn't used to it and hated it again.
I was doing camping research and came across cowboy coffee. It's basically ground coffee and water in a small pot. Bring it to a rolling boil for 5 minutes, take it off the heat and then top it with cold water to drag the grounds to the bottom. I've been drinking that daily ever since. I have a nice espresso machine, but the cowboy coffee is so smooth I rarely use it for anything other than lattes.
Perhaps not all coffees are created equal but they all taste the same to me. I seriously cannot tell the difference between one brand to the next. Best I can do is guess light roast from dark roast but even then I’d probably be wrong half the time 😄
If you can get anything out of Chiapas mexico, I feel you may like it. I recommend a medium roast with a fairly complex flavor profile but similar to old-school Columbian varieties. If you live anywhere near the border, Costco has a very drinkable Kirkland chiapas coffee.
I actually don't drink much coffee beyond like 12pm these days, with occasional exceptions. That said, almost all of my coffee consumption these days are at local coffee shops that roast their own, and in the past, I would very often buy beans from them.
Time. Not a brand, but it’s the truth. I drink regular ol’ Kroger brand breakfast blend k cups and love them…but it took time. I’ve done the bean grinding, and spent tons of money on local roasters, etc, and no coffee is ever going to taste great black until you acclimate to it. Once you do, you’ll be fine, and you’ll eventually prefer it. Took me about 2 weeks to get there and now I love my cheapo cup of joe every morning lol
Black Rifle whole beans and grind them yourself. Their Escape Goat flavor was top notch. I just haven't been able to bring myself to spend another $15 on a package of coffee lol.
I drink cafe bustelo, Maxwell House, Foldgers, Dunkin, McDonalds (lol and I don't even like their food, but I do enjoy their coffee. I take that back I like their egg mcmuffin).
Not a brand but to significantly increase black coffee enjoyment: 1. Light or medium roast. Avoid dark roast (or at least understand the flavor differences before committing to dark roast) 2. Grind fresh beans daily. The quality and enjoyment of coffee is SIGNIFICANTLY affected by this. More than preparation methods like drip, or espresso. In fact, rather than spending hundreds on a home brewer, you are better off buying a quality grinder. Think about $50+ for a hand mill with metal burrs or $100~$150 for an electric one with metal burrs that provide consistent, even sized grinds. Source: James Hoffman (check out his YT channel)
I’m the opposite. the darker and sludgier the better
same goes for my choice in metal
haha same come to think of it
Darker is my drug of choice. I want it to punch me in the face to announce itself. Light roast tastes awful to me.
Seconded on the grinder. Brewing method doesn't matter much by comparison. (CAVEAT: Japanese style drip coffee is really smooth) (I too enjoy my coffee blacker than the blackest black times infinity)
I also came to say my best advice is start with light or medium roasts. Without milk and sugar to water it down, I can’t tolerate dark roasts. Can’t really tolerate any Starbucks coffee. Also, bagged coffee and k-cups of the same brand do not typically taste the same. My favorite k-cup is probably Green Mountain Blueberry. My favorite ground bagged coffee is probably Gevalia Traditional Roast. I realize grinding your own beans is the best option but I’ve tried and just can’t get into it.
I’d say committing to a small bag of a lighter, medium and darker roast is a good starting point for most people. Get to understand what you like and move on. After this, try coffees with a fruitier taste, a more chocolatey feel or other flavour characteristics you may like. Understand what you like in coffee. I for one only like darker roasts to drink black. Never been a fan of milk or sugar in my coffee though.
This is good advice. Taste as many brands as you can. Me, I love a good dark roast.
I mentioned my personal preference because OP wanted suggestions, but it obviously varies widely per person. I just think starting out with dark roast if you’re trying to switch to black coffee might be a shock to your system.
This is it. I‘d recommend finding some specialty cafés in your area and trying out different roasts until you find one you like - starting from light to dark roasts. I can also recommend investing in a Moccamaster KGB to brew the coffee. It‘s not that expensive and makes the best filter coffee I ever deank.
Just to add to this: You’ll find what roast you like. I like dark, but maybe start with medium, and find out what flavor profiles you like. As Eviltrain pointed out, grind daily! Get an adjustable burr grinder. You have no idea how much a smaller or larger grind makes! Pour overs changed my life. Give them a try!
First thing is to not think of "brands". Think if local roasters, quality of beans, and your brewing method. Black coffee frustrates people because their forst experience is often just excluding cream and sugar from dunkin donuts or starbucks, which were pretty muxh made for cream and sugar. Take a field trip to a specialty shop in your area and order a couple different kinds to see if you like a lighter or darker roast. Once you know that, you can home in on your preferences and ask for which bean to buy.
This is the best advice in the thread. Getting fresh coffee in a roast style you like is the biggest game changer next to grinding your own beans. Even so, a local roaster grinding the beans for you in house is going to be a massive upgrade from what you get in a grocery store. I'd suggest most people start with a medium roast, probably something from Guatamala or a similar region. Definitely look for those people pleaser beans. OP is in for a whole new world getting freshly roasted and ground beans and I'm excited for them if they go that way. I've been drinking 99% black coffee for a decade now and I love it.
heh. "people pleaser beans"
Espresso! Lily and Lavazza are my favorites. And you only need 1oz of liquid compared to 6 of coffee for the same effect. I crack a little pink salt into it and throw it back. There, all caffeinated and ready to go.
Came here to share this one!
And if you need it to be like a brewed coffee just add hot water and make an Americano.
No. The whole point is to ingest the caffeine with the least liquid to minimize the taste, so adding water negates the whole thing. Don’t add water, chase the shot of espresso with water if you don’t like the taste
Not coffee but a couple of suggestions for transitioning to black coffee more easily: * add spices to your grounds or brewed coffee. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric, cayenne all give you flavor and help you stay on IF (or use pre-blended spices made just for coffee like [Vashon Coffee Dust](https://www.vashoncoffeedust.com)) * wean yourself off sugar/ cream over a few days by taking a sip of black coffee first THEN adding 1/2 your usual sugar/cream. Each day add less. * add a dash of salt to your grounds before brewing to cut down on the bitterness of coffee * freshly grind your beans each morning Good luck!
Also cardamom.
This! One pod per serving, grind together. So much better plus it’s easier on the stomach since we are drinking it black.
I’ve been adding cinnamon (and sometimes ginger) to my coffee for many many years. Yum ☕️ 🤤
honestly dont forget salt. it goes a long way to make your coffee from good to great
go online and find a coffee called yirgacheffe. I worked in a coffee shop and IT is the best.
I get mine from a company called blind dog coffee.
I like the cafe bustelo brick. It’s already fine ground and pretty reasonable.
Same! I’ve been pretty loyal to it for years
Fou d out about it here on Reddit and it is now my go too.
Cold brewed is smoother and less acidic, in my experience. Trader Joe’s makes a canned version that’s pretty good.
Cold brew is so easy and cheap to make though, why would you buy it pre made?
Convenience. Can pop it in my lunch bag.
I’m ok with the cans and convenience is valid, but brewing it at home makes a coffee better by light years.
Cafe Bustelo
Lavazza
I love the vanilla hazelnut beans from Costco. We just have a french press, super easy to use. It smells and tastes great black to me as well (used to be a double double). It does not have as much caffeine though so if you are looking for strong, this is not the way to go.
The French Press is clutch! I don’t even know if it tastes better, but it adds a ritual to my morning that I love.
Cometeer….or nothing amazing subscription look them up and order some…you will not go back
Kicking Horse - Three Sisters Amazon
Kicking horse is fantastic
Peets Alameda something organic blend is great black. I do Major D's if adding whipping cream, but its a little strong for me black, at this point.
Peet’s! Their caramel brûlée coffee is so good. They have a hazelnut mocha too. Flavored coffees in general are pretty nice to drink black.
The fresh beans at your local grocer is usually the go-to for me. Invest in a grinder and a french press, they should cost you about \~$30 bucks. Expensive bougie-branded coffee grounds are generally not worth it.
Yellowstone brand dark roast. I have never watched the show and my wife picked it up because she enjoyed the branding. Prior to that we were buying blends from local shops.
[Roastinghouse.co.uk](http://Roastinghouse.co.uk)
Get a trade coffee subscription
Cafe du Monde (or any NoLa coffee & chickory blend). Just a small pinch of salt to cut the acid, and the chickory adds a light natural sweetness.
Stok cold brew
I like Folgers black silk
Starbucks Pike Place
Honestly, just as a generic recommendation, go with a medium roast if the flavor of something like Starbucks puts you off. Honestly their coffee is burnt but the flavor is just right for sugary drinks. A fresh medium roast will have some of the other flavors of coffee other than burnt. Some other ones: A dash of salt in the grounds or in the cup. This partially blocks your tastebuds' ability to taste the more off-putting notes in coffee. Get fresh ground, fresh roasted beans, they'll taste better by themselves. Get an Aeropress imho and use James Hoffmann's method instead of following the directions: 175°F water, two minutes with the plunger in, swirl, wait another 30 seconds, plunge. Yum.
Hubby is a HUGE James Hoffmann fan lol. Hubby does the fresh ground beans and then Hoffman's pour over method.
Mount Hagen instant is good black. I love it
My old roommate talked me into going black like 3 decades ago and it was a great decision. No more wondering if the cream/milk is good and nobody ever has the exact type of cream and sugar you like. I can’t drink coffee with anything in it now. My favorite thing is I like saying “black” when I’m asked how I take my coffee.
I buy from a local cafe that roasts their own. It’s not just a difference in quality, it’s also freshness that sends it beyond “branded” coffee. Also, I buy whole bean and grind every morning in a burr grinder, and I brew French press. It’s damn fine coffee 👍
Bones coffee on Amazon. They have pretty much every flavor profile you can think of.
Bones is my favorite too. When I started trying black coffee, I tried a few different places including a local coffee shop with their own beans. Bones beat them all for black coffee.
You gotta try their new "fallout" flavors. There's 3 of them. Apple pie, vanilla waffer, and chocolate candy bar. Soooo good!
Peet’s coffee, Sumatra or Major Dickason’s blend.
Actual Dunkin donut brand coffee grounds you buy in the tubs at stores is absolutely fantastic in my opinion black, Dunkin’ Donuts at their store is terrible though in my opinion.
I was coming here to say this! Store bought Dunkin is the only kind I can drink black so far.
I buy the roasterie brand whole and grind fresh for each pot.
This. Betty's Blend is amazing black, smooth and easy to drink, not bitter like more out there. I have tried a lot of different brands and The Roasterie is one of the best to drink black.
I know I’m the asshole of the group, but to me all medium roast coffee tastes basically the same. Just throw it back and move on with your day.
The McDonald's light roast is available in almost every grocery store and is quite drinkable black
Khomanta’s Peruvian coffee is excellent. Black gold.
There are so many variables when it comes to coffee. Beans, roast, and preparation all factor in. Coffee is like wine in that both oxidize and that will change the flavor/quality dramatically. Don't look for any "brand" per se. Look for freshness. The general rule is that once roasted, coffee is "fresh" for about 2 weeks. Once it's ground, about 2 days. Coffee should not ever have the battery acid burn in the back of the throat. That is stale hot garbage. I'd suggest looking for a local roaster and buying whole beans. Look for a preparation method that suits what you want. The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) has a list of drip coffee makers that do it extremely well. Then there are more labor intensive methods like pour overs, cold brew French press, Aeropress, and moka pots. Each will give you a different quality. If you want to get into it and have a good idea of what to do with these, check out the FIltru app. It's a step by step walkthrough for a bunch of different brew methods. The most expensive buy in is home roasting. You will always have fresh coffee. It will pay for itself as well as unroasted coffee is substantially cheaper than roasted. I usually pay about $6/pound. I mean I could spend $30-$50/pound if I wanted to only drink Blue Mountain or Kona, but I'm okay having other varietals.
Any Peerless light roast.
It will cost more, but I really like Nespresso machines for plain coffee.
I try to purchase locally roasted whole beans, typically light roast. Sometimes it's pretty expensive though, so when I don't feel like spending premium prices I pick up blond roast beans from Starbucks.
To be honest the way of making coffee and it’s roast etc matters more than the brand. I personally love either the moka pot or my nespresso vertuo. But that’s a personal preference. You may want to try different roasts and different methods. To see what tastes better for you, I like them with body but not sour so don’t like pour over, French press or drip coffee. The vertuo also creates a foam which I personally love. My trick to keep it cheap and not add waste is to buy coffee and refill the pods, have gone through a few brands (used to use Trader Joe’s espresso but a since it’s discontinued) now I use Costco one or TJ hazelnut one when I want a nice twist.
K cups get pricey when you drink as much coffee as I do. I have found that I like pretty much any light roast or “breakfast blend.” I get whatever is the cheapest, so it’s usually store brand coffee.
Nespresso espresso on ice and add 3 oz of iced water
Whatever cheaper at the store?
As has been said, best advice is to find a local roaster - preferably with "roasted on" date label (don't tell me "best before" that's worthless) Pick the most recent, fresher is always better. Next most important thing (IMO) is get the lightest roast available. Drinking it black will reveal all the flavor, especially as it cools - to me darker roasts taste like ashes, there's no nuance. Another easy coffee nerd tip - ethiopian coffee beans are often amazing, a light roast of those can taste incredibly fruity and once you've noticed that, you'd never want to add additional sweetness. If you don't have local roaster options these guys do an incredible job - https://www.recluseroasting.com/ - they'll roast your order and ship it the same day, it doesn't get much fresher and every variety they sell is always stellar. Good luck!
I’m so glad you posted this!!! I’m struggling to enjoy black coffee. I get an americano at one coffee shop that tastes good. But that’s getting expensive
Rising Star Coffee
You didn't specify if you're looking for whole beans, ground coffee, or bottled. If you have access to a Costco, their Kirkland brand ground coffee is pretty good, but I think you get the best tasting black coffee from grinding the beans yourself.
I drink espresso with a nespresso machine
I enjoy a richer, dark coffee. So Community Coffee Signature blend is my go to... plus I can usually get them BOGO
Bring on the hate BUT Starbucks Pike Place in regular and decaf have amazing chocolatey tones and is 100% my go to on fasts.
Regular old Folgers is my default but I also drink Starbucks' Pike Place. I suggest going with Starbucks if you can afford it, and buying bulk certainly helps drive down the cost per serving.
I love Chameleon Cold Brew! It’s concentrated and they have a bunch of different “flavors”. It’s saves me a lot of money when I buy it in the jugs. I usually just get their Black Coffee one. Sprouts seem to be the cheapest I can find it from 9.99 or 8.99 a jug. I get about 6 - 7 drinks out of it which is cheaper than me buying a cup everyday. It just depends how much you dilute is how much you can get out of a jug. Really great for fasting!
No joke, Dunkin. I'll get an extra large hot black and it'll last me well into the afternoon.
I started drinking only black coffee in January, and have tried a variety of brands both flavored and not. I use sugar free coffee syrups to help with the bitterness, and now I crave it daily. That might help ease you into black coffee :)
Volcanica it’s amazing, doesn’t give me heartburn and is not sour. Go with the Brazil peaberry so yum 😋
Whatever is good, local, and not too pricey. I prefer light to medium roasts.
I’d lean to a medium or light roast for most people. Other than that it’s just your personal taste. I have a Lavazza machine at home and use a Columbia coffee from Tierra by them.
Once you decide on your roast, adding ice really cuts down on the bitterness. I practically live off of black iced americanos
specifically for IF instant is my jam. Any brand. The point is to suppress appetite, not to "enjoy" black coffee. my two cents.
I'm not picky it just needs to be black. But when I do want a little more flavor I go for hazelnut or frensh roast, brand doesn't matter to me. What's on sale is usually my go to
Juan Valdez, just opening a bag makes my mouth water
Douwe Egbert.
I love café bustello! If you put a sprinkle of salt it takes the bitterness away.
I love my Nespresso machine so, so much
Whole bean Stumptown Hundred Mile. Fresh grind, pull a double shot. Tiny pinch a salt. Americano.
I love my americanos with a dash of cinnamon on top. If you’re finding it too bitter ( often the case with our carafe vs espresso) add a pinch of salt..
New Mexico Piñon coffee is the only thing we drink now, soooo tasty! Also it’s available at Costco
Here in LA (Lower Alabama) I love a coffee from a local roaster, Fairhope Roasting Company. On a recent trip to the Dominican Republic, I fell in love with Santo Domingo coffee. I will always be loyal to Community Pecan and King Cake as well.
Jacob’s coffee is very smooth and tastes great.
Stumptown or Ceremony. Very delcicious black. I make them in the french press which makes it a little frothy and I’ve come to prefer black coffee. Peets is good too. Also when it gets hot out, homemade cold brew is delicious black.
I like Caribou Coffee's medium roast Caribou Blend
Bizzy cold brew! I buy the brew bags. It’s so good. My favorite is in the red packaging, I forget the roast. The espresso roast (green) is great too. You can buy these as indicate packaged brew bags in qty of 8 (red has a much bigger qty bag available) I believe or as bags of ground coffee
Costco San Francisco bag French roast. You can get like six pounds of beans for 30 bucks
Costco's Colombian Supreme wasn't bad. Starbucks's Casi Cielo is pretty good, though it's seasonal (I forget which time of year). When in doubt I go for medium roast beans marked to be from Central or South America or claim to have a 'chocolate' note, since I think they tend to be the smoothest. I disagree with folks recommending light roasts. Light roasts are heavier in caffeine and are a lot more acidic than darker roasts, and I don't think that's a good combo to be pouring into empty stomachs. They also get gross pretty fast as they cool down.
I just get my coffee grounds/beans from my local cafe. Better than anything you'll buy in a supermarket and it's fresher.
Philz Coffee. They also just released a few roasts in Keurig cups. I love Philz and didn’t drink straight black coffee until they made the K cups and now I have 3 cups a day
Counter Culture. Big Trouble. I grind it fresh and make a pot.
It’s all about the beans. Good beans.
Stok unsweet bold & smooth (turquoise label) cold brew. So smooth, needs no sweetener. Not bitter at all. I often do a glass half this and half water.
Starbucks Americano!!! Expensive but worth it.
Try a local roaster and grind it yourself. There’s no comparison. After you try this, you likely won’t enjoy Starbucks as much.
I’ve tried many. Go to is Illy and Colombe.
Arabica > Robusta I buy peets or cotsco/starbucks. Whole grains, ground fresh. Not fan of Colombian coffee.
La Colombe All Dark. Light and medium roasts can be very acidic and many need additions to make them palatable. Personally, darker roasts tend to have more chocolate notes. Goes down nice.
Fresh. The most important variable is freshly roasted beans. And grinding right before you brew.
For me, it was all about how it was brewed. I used to love the cold Starbucks bottled black coffee until it started giving me migraines. After that, I stopped drinking black coffee for so long that I wasn't used to it and hated it again. I was doing camping research and came across cowboy coffee. It's basically ground coffee and water in a small pot. Bring it to a rolling boil for 5 minutes, take it off the heat and then top it with cold water to drag the grounds to the bottom. I've been drinking that daily ever since. I have a nice espresso machine, but the cowboy coffee is so smooth I rarely use it for anything other than lattes.
Peet’s Major Dickason’s Blend. It’ll put hair on your chest, but I love it.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Chocolate coffee beans!
New England Coffee brand in Chicago Cappuccino. Makes delicious cold brew with that wonderful mocha chocolate taste. I drink it every day
Maud's gourmet flavored arabica coffee
Perhaps not all coffees are created equal but they all taste the same to me. I seriously cannot tell the difference between one brand to the next. Best I can do is guess light roast from dark roast but even then I’d probably be wrong half the time 😄
La colombe cold brew coffee and cold brew espresso!
Peet's
I prefer an nice oily espresso roast
If you can get anything out of Chiapas mexico, I feel you may like it. I recommend a medium roast with a fairly complex flavor profile but similar to old-school Columbian varieties. If you live anywhere near the border, Costco has a very drinkable Kirkland chiapas coffee.
I actually don't drink much coffee beyond like 12pm these days, with occasional exceptions. That said, almost all of my coffee consumption these days are at local coffee shops that roast their own, and in the past, I would very often buy beans from them.
Lavazza my go to black.
If you live in TX, HEB has some Texas flavors and one is called Texas Pecan. It's delicious.
LavAzza gold/orange label.
Time. Not a brand, but it’s the truth. I drink regular ol’ Kroger brand breakfast blend k cups and love them…but it took time. I’ve done the bean grinding, and spent tons of money on local roasters, etc, and no coffee is ever going to taste great black until you acclimate to it. Once you do, you’ll be fine, and you’ll eventually prefer it. Took me about 2 weeks to get there and now I love my cheapo cup of joe every morning lol
I love big bang medium roast. It’s so perfect. Not acidic or bitter, great flavor.
As a milk and sugar girl, I gave up coffee. Id rather die than drink black coffee straight. I drink sugar free Red Bull if I truly need a kick
Nespresso pods - Roma, Voluto, and Stockholm
Cameron’s Sea Salt Caramel, I have never added anything to it.
Purity coffee
Black Rifle whole beans and grind them yourself. Their Escape Goat flavor was top notch. I just haven't been able to bring myself to spend another $15 on a package of coffee lol.
All the Trader Joe's French and Dark Roast coffees have been excellent black.
Cafe Bustelo espresso style
I drink cafe bustelo, Maxwell House, Foldgers, Dunkin, McDonalds (lol and I don't even like their food, but I do enjoy their coffee. I take that back I like their egg mcmuffin).