I use sugar. I find that for me it completely enhances the taste. I know it may not be the purist route but without it, I find even the best espresso (Ritual, Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle, Leftist, Verve, Fresco etc) is too bitter. This is true for me even when the shots are pulled at their shops... and not just with my home set-up.

So, I'm curious - how many here use sugar???

Thanks!

Matt

Yes, there are folks that like the flavor of coffee and those that don't. I find that those that don't will always say it is too bitter. I recall there was a study that looked at the number of taste buds people have on there tongues. It varies a lot, and the folks with a lot of taste buds don't like coffee much in general, presumably because the bitter flavor is intensified for them.

Then again, there will always be folks that enjoy bittersweet chocolate, aromatic bitters, and bitter flavors overall. To them (and me), it's more like: coffee, yes, it's bitter, well, but WHAT about the flavor?

For me it depends. I drink a lot of iced espresso with some milk. Normally I do not add any sweetener. For a straight shot of espresso, sometimes I add a little sweetener, but depends on the shot.
This summer in Italy, I drank a lot of espresso, at many different cafes, and noticed most customers adding sugar to their shots. The counters also had huge bowls of single serving sugar packets everywhere. I talked with a local guide about espresso, and he said most Italians rountinely add sugar to their shots. He suggested the reason so many Americans didn't like Italian coffee (espresso) while in Italy was that they thought it was not supposed to have sugar added, so they often drank it without, and consequently didn't like it.

Although I would never add sugar to an espresso, latte or capp I do for some reason enjoy my iced coffees a little sweet. I will usually add a squirt or two of hazelnut or similar torani syrup and for me that is just about perfect as far as sweetness goes.

I used to use sugar in coffee all the time. But I was never a fan of the hot milkshakes that *$s and other places serve. Even tho i was drinking stale coffee back then, i still thought adding all that crap was bad, both for the taste, and for the coffee itself.

But oh how things have changed. Espresso and cappuccino dont get anything else added, except of course, the milk for cappas. Brewed coffee, in general, i drink black. But I have been known to add a dash of H&H now and then, depending on the particular blend/bean im brewing. Again, in general, those are coffees like Brazils, Sumatras, Maybe some Yemens.. IE, Beans I dont brew often. Something that has a lot of fruit and acidity..Stuff I DO brew often, I dont add milk to.. One Time I added only H&H to a really bright Kenyan.. I lost almost ALL the fruit, and the acidity did NOT mix well with the milk. But Its been a long time since Ive added sugar.

A friend of mine, who I roast coffee for now and then, likes coffee. He started out ordering Green Mountain online. Of all the coffee out there, Id have to say GM is probably the best of the worst. SOMETIMES when the order arrives, its fresh. Most of the time, its not. Hes been ordering from Gimme! for a while now, with my roasts filling in the gaps between his orders. He uses a press, has a faux, department store burr grinder, but the coffee is fresh. Funnily enough, he cannot live without his Venti Quad-Pump, Extra Shot, Vanilla Latte w/ Caramel Syrup. Hes a very close friend, but I have a good chuckle everytime i see him with one of those. Reason why I chuckle, is because his home-brewed Gimme! coffee, he ALWAYS drinks black...Says that sugar ruins the cup.

I do not add sugar to my espresso, but enjoy your espresso any way you like!

I usually have 2 espressos in the morning. I tend to drink the first without sugar. Sometimes I add 1/2 teaspoon to the second cup - I like it both ways. Cappuccino's I usually add about a teaspoon.

Howard

I don't enjoy any sugar, or sweeteners in espresso or coffee, nor does my wife.

I more often than not enjoy cappuccino over straight espresso - but more and more keep moving toward only espresso.

However, I figure that drink it how you like it - i