March 2, 2016
Like many first-time coffee drinkers, my first experience with coffee came out of my parent’s coffee pot and was drowned in white sugar and powdered creamer. My father, though, whom I looked to as the beacon of good reason and masculinity, always drank his coffee black, going on and on about it being the only “real” way to drink coffee. I, wanting to imitate my father, soon tried black coffee for the very first time:
Tasting Notes: “coffee”, charcoal, dirt, sadness
MMMMMmmmmmmmmmm. Gross.
But I struggled on anyways, suffering through each sip as though it were a rite of passage into all things manly. Bragging rights included. “No sugar for me, please. I drink my coffee black.” #swagger
Nowadays, in my late twenties, I still drink my coffee black, but no longer with that false-bearded, swill-chugging pretense, but as a sane and rational human who appreciates good flavors. It turns out that black coffee doesn’t have to taste awful.
My first cup of “mild” and flavorful black coffee came from Jackson’s own Sneaky Beans coffee shop. At the first sip, my tongue and mind were thrown for a loop. “This isn’t REAL coffee! There’s no BITE!” But like any falsehood, it fell to the truth: This coffee was good. Really good.
I’ve since journeyed much further into what black coffee can offer, trading the flavors of charcoal and sadness for those of oranges, lemon-lime citrus, caramel, chocolate, florals of all kinds, etc.
So, if you find yourself wearing the false-beard of a man-up-and-drink-it swill-chugger, maybe venture out a little and try something new. Have a medium roast. Maybe even get a pour-over of some coffee from Africa or South America. And if the coffee has “Natural” in the title, drink it. You too, at the first sip, may find yourself questioning your beliefs about life and the decisions you’ve made that have led up to this moment, but trust me – drinking great tasting black coffee is totally worth it.
~ Written by: William "Tony" Peacock