poison wrote:Where's the 'f**k no' option? I think it makes good espresso taste bad, and bad espresso taste worse.

no, there is no "f**k no" option.
why? because we don't f**king need one, db.

Alright I know I'm gonna hear about this one but here goes... No I do not use sugar but yes I sweeten it. I use "D" grade maple syrup. I have to get family to send it to me or bring it when they visit me from BC. D grade is the darkest, most mineralized and nothing here comes close to it here. Many maple syrup companies here have told me that the B grade here is equal to our darkest but it's not true. (I always say we Canucks are sneaky bastards, we keep the good stuff back home). It's a kiss of black maple nectar in my double shot.
I'm pure evil, what can I say?

In Italy, you get decent mass market espresso blends; and adding sugar, brandy, maple syrup, etc. to them is fine; like using Red Label in a whiskey sour or a $4 Tinto in Sangria. Doing it to a really good coffee is a shame, like using a fine scotch or wine in a cocktail.

In the US, in a random cafe, you are likely to get high quality coffees, but roasted poorly and prepped terribly. In this case, the blame for adding sugar to good coffee goes to the cafe.

In some countries, they add sugar to compensate for the bitter (bad coffee) flavor.

An excellent book is 'El Libro del Cafe' from Carlos Delgado. It explains the interactions of flavors and has many lessons from La Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia. But is only available in Spanish. ISBN 8420608270

The "anti-sugar" numbers surprise me. I go both ways, with and without, a little sugar changes the flavor profile - and I like the differences. That so many here at HB think adding a little sugar actually ruins their espresso is just weird to me. Are taste buds so different?

Howard

Well.. It could be that taste buds are so different from person to person.. I sure think so.. at least to some extent.

While some enjoy it.. personally, I dont. Ever since I found fresh coffee.. I found no need. I always taste brewed coffee black.. and most of the time.. thats how i drink it. There are some coffees that, when brewed, I want a DASH of half and half.. which is to say, barely any. Fruity, Floral bright coffees lose all their beauty when covered in sugar and dairy. Sometimes, a Sumatra, a Brazil or a Yemen might benefit from, again, a DASH of H&H.. Too much can completely ruin them as well, turning all those filberts, cinnamon sticks, spices and stone fruits into "nuts and chocolate".

I want to taste all those nuances in the coffee. Milk, H&H, sugar,, they all hide anything but the most obvious flavor. A very subtle hint of fresh honeydew in my current home roast IMV is barely there.. but there. anything added to it would completely hide it, and I would be left with nothing but "fruit".

To each their own.. I see nothing wrong with someone adding whatever they want to their coffee.. i just dont want anything in mine.

JmanEspresso wrote:Well.. It could be that taste buds are so different from person to person.. I sure think so.. at least to some extent.

Couldn't agree more. Person taste buds are so different from person to person. Other is so sensitive, while other don't. Me myself can only taste the present of chocolate and some sweetness in a cup. I can say two coffees are different in taste, but not the detailed taste like other could do.

I do taste the bitterness of coffee, but still I didn't put any sugar. It keeps me off the true characteristic of coffee I take. For me, to avoid tasting the bitterness I tilt my tongue to a position so the coffee can spread out to all the buds but never touch the bitter buds. I have told this to my girl which is coffee hater, and now she couldn't resist to take espresso out of my cup.

I do,but reading today a Johns Hopkins page,I will try to reduce it.
There is a link,it seems,between sugar and cancer,so ,I take it seriously and cut sugar to half.

Theodore wrote:I do,but reading today a Johns Hopkins page,I will try to reduce it.
There is a link,it seems,between sugar and cancer,so ,I take it seriously and cut sugar to half.

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/200 ... ancer.html Read down to the part about the Johns Hopkins study.

Every once in a while I try it, but the sweetness is always too one-dimensional for me when I do. Milk drinks are another matter. My wife likes a little sugar in her cappuccino, and another close friend likes a little bit of honey in hers. In both cases, I add it to the milk before steaming so it's distributed thoroughly, and with some coffees I have found that a small amount of honey (maybe a half teaspoon) in a capp adds a nice complexity.

Best,
David