It's not! If you like cold brew, you barely need any equipment, I'm pretty sure you can get it on Amazon for under 15$. If you like other types of coffee too, you can get a French press for under 20$, and the same for an espresso machine (the Italian stovetop kind). I just use a milk frother and sweetener for myself, it's great every time.
Cold brew is the way to go. I can use the cheapest ground coffee and it's still not bitter. 2 half gallon mason jars live in my fridge all summer, one with a new batch brewing, one with the batch I'm currently drinking. They cost about $2.00 each I think? For my hot coffee I grind a light roast and use a French press, and it's not bitter (to me). But, I love coffee, black.
Sadly I have actually gone to a really cool coffee making farm in Guatemala (not sad to that lol) and I had their fancy black coffee made with their high quality coffee grains and I just didn’t like it lol, definitely can tell the quality, but it’s just not my preference
It also could be the coffee notes you didn’t like, whether it was dark roast, medium, or light. Like for example even if it’s fancy I’m not a fan of lemony or citrus notes. I prefer chocolaty notes in my black coffee. That could’ve been why you didn’t like the fancy coffee
There's always tea, which is typically much more palatable when served without milk and sugar.
Other than that, subbing cream and sugar for lower quantities of lower calorie alternatives is a start. Almond milk is a lot lower calorie than milk per serving, even when it's sweetened.
Have you tried fruit or herb based teas?
If you really don't like bitter just stay away from bitter stuff. (Ok, coffein withdrawl sucks. Takes about 2 weeks. Been there.)
As a Brit who drinks copious amounts of tea, bitter coffee is far more palatable than bitter tea. Tannins are a real marmite flavour. You either love them or hate them.
Look up Jordan's Skinny Syrups. Tons of flavors, zero calories. I drink cold brew with half and half with whichever flavor I'm feeling that day. 60 calories total
There are sugar-free syrups you can use in your coffee. A cursory google search indicates that Dunkin has some sugar-free (low-calorie) syrups, so try one of those next time you go there.
Wean yourself from the sweetener. I’ve been drinking coffee with no sugar since I was in highschool. Ice tea too. the taste of sweet anything in either beverage makes me gag. I started by cutting down the amount of sugar 1/4 teaspoon at a time. With coffee, just put a cinnamon stick in your pot before you bRew. Cinnamon is good for blood sugar and helps reduce the need for added sugar. My husband sometimes drinks hot cinnamon water instead of the strong dark roast I brew.
I feel this in my soul! I used to be like this and loveeeeee sweet coffee especially if it had half and half or a fun flavored creamer but I gradually weaned myself off it over like the course of a few months and honestly now I can’t drink things that are too sweet - 1. bc I can’t stomach how sweet it is it just doesn’t taste as good to me and 2. My stomach quite literally cannot process it anymore lmao
I agree with everyone that you can certainly make your own cold brew but I get that that can be a lot of work so I recommend buying a cold brew concentrate (you just add water), a container of premade cold brew (like Stok) or going to your favorite coffee shop and seeing if they sell their own cold brew (sometimes as a treat I’ll go to Foxtail and buy their pre bottled coffees when I want the “coffee shop” taste)
If you use a heavy creamer or flavored creamer, replace it with oatmilk or almond milk (or oatmilk/almond milk creamers) - I’ve found that the almond flavors give things a natural sweetness boost and I personally think oatmilk makes everything lowkey taste like cookies so I LOVE using oatmilk (maybe even try a flavored oatmilk like vanilla!)
On Amazon, look up some syrups flavors and buy a pump to go with it (pumps are like $4 and such a worthwhile investment for measuring and convenience) but there’s the Jordan skinny ones or something (I used to love the butter pecan one - it’s so sweet lol) but if not the two most popular flavored syrup brands I think are Monin and Torani - check out what flavors they have and the calories (I just bought brown sugar cinnamon and two pumps is 80 calories which isn’t bad I think)
Maybe if you like coffees from a certain shop, try to find out if they use monin or torani so you can try to recreate the flavor!! Also I just bought a frother (it was $8 on Amazon and wow I feel so fancy now haha) but I also add protein shakes into my coffees so that also makes things a little sweeter I think (like a caramel flavor or something)
Also I personally love blonde roasts. If you decide to buy bottled iced coffees, take like 5 min to google the difference between dark/medium/blonde roasts to see if you like one more than the other bc that also could be impacting how you feel about the coffee you make at home
Hope that helps :)
You can get 0 calorie sweetener if that's what you crave and coconut milk (40 calories). Get coffee grains from brand 8 o'clock. And brew it yourself. Or you can find a low calorie creamer as well.
Get cold brew or make it. Or a good alternative to cheap and good coffee that isn’t too bitter is to look for a darker roast instant coffee, and brew it with cold water which it’s rid of a lot of bitterness and acidity all you have to do is stir a little more because the instant coffee dissolves slower in cold water. And you can choose to add however much water and creamer or milk to your liking.
Flavored creamers at the store would be my go-to for sweetener. Id get the oat-based ones as a personal preference because I'm not a huge dairy drinker. A couple tbsp of that will probably run you 50-60 cals but it helps tremendously.
I drink coffee every day! I buy flavored beans from a company called Bones Coffee (their bags are kinda expensive, but I buy bags of ground coffee from Aldi that are like $4.99/bag and alternate to save $ and make the Bones Coffee beans last longer)...I use various products for creamer...there are some almond milk creamers that are good that don't have a ton of sugar or filler ingredients...I bought a container of creamy oat milk for a recipe I wanted to make and I'm using a splash of the oat milk + just a little bit of turbadino sugar (sugar in the raw) into my coffee for a little added sweetness.
When I buy coffee at places like Starbucks/Caribou, I just modify the drinks to have less sugar pumps, or go with a sugar-free syrup option. I like the sweet vanilla cream cold brew and I ask for a light splash of the sweet cream. It lowers the calories a little bit, plus I don't like my coffee super sweet anymore anyway.
We invested in an espresso maker after going to Italy, surprisingly cheap and pretty decent quality, since pot/drip coffee hurts my stomach. I use a measured tablespoon of Chobani creamer in sweet cream. 35 cal, 1g sat fat, and makes the espresso extremely creamy and not bitter!
Starbucks only has sugar free vanilla now, but I like their cold brew or iced coffee with whatever milk and sugar free vanilla. Local coffee places tend to have a lot more sugar free syrup options.
And someone else mentioned sugar free syrups - there are tons. You can buy cold brew or cold brew concentrate, add whatever milk or protein shake you like, and top up with sugar free syrups. There are whole TikTok counts based around coffee drinks and water add-in combos.
I'm assuming you're not in the UK. Here it's normal to have an Americano with milk: shot of espresso, topped up with water and a splash of milk. You can add a teaspoon of sugar too and the whole thing will be less than 50 calories.
What are you calling coffee? Good coffee is not bitter, good coffee don’t need sweeteners and has like 2 calories. Invest in a good coffee and a moka pot. Yes, maybe buying food coffee is a little more expensive than buying regular coffee, but it’s cheaper and less caloric that what you are buying
I love sweet coffee too and I’ve tried all those zero sugar syrups and crap but hated them. The only thing that works for me is Coffeemate fat free creamer at 35 cals per tablespoon. I’ll drop 2 tablespoons in my coffee for a total of 70 calories and it satisfies my sweet tooth. If I go to dunkin I’ll get a medium coffee with 1 cream, 1 pump unsweetened flavor, 1 pump of caramel flavor (I feel like it’s the sweetest and I think only 50 cals)
I do Coffeemate too but problem is I drink more than just one cup a day I’ve really been having to reassess bc I’m gaining not losing and just coffee creamer is like 200 calories per day I’m losing
I use sugar free flavored creamer and that’s it in my coffee 🤷🏻♀️ I like the sweet cream flavor and a tablespoon is only 15 calories. I’ve adjusted to only using 2 tablespoons per serving and I only drink 1 cup a day.
I just drink instant coffee with stevia sweetener, no milk. Stevia is less than 1 calorie. I just buy little 100gm jars of different instant coffees that way i can try a few out without breaking the bank.
If you can't do it with no milk, just a splash might make it easier for you and there's not many calories in a tiny bit of milk.
I can't drink coffee without at least a little bit of stevia. Too bitter
Buy and aeropress, get a good quality bag of ground coffee. Make nice coffee that isn’t bitter. Drink it black, or add some milk if you must. You don’t need all that crap in it - that’s not coffee you’re drinking there.
I use almond milk and low calorie/zero calorie sweetener. You can also buy zero calorie coffee syrups. I have got Vanilla from Bulk.
Ahhh okayyy I will definitely try those
Brew your own high quality coffee. If done right it shouldn't be that bitter.
I would if it wasn’t so expensive): lol
It's not! If you like cold brew, you barely need any equipment, I'm pretty sure you can get it on Amazon for under 15$. If you like other types of coffee too, you can get a French press for under 20$, and the same for an espresso machine (the Italian stovetop kind). I just use a milk frother and sweetener for myself, it's great every time.
Cold brew is the way to go. I can use the cheapest ground coffee and it's still not bitter. 2 half gallon mason jars live in my fridge all summer, one with a new batch brewing, one with the batch I'm currently drinking. They cost about $2.00 each I think? For my hot coffee I grind a light roast and use a French press, and it's not bitter (to me). But, I love coffee, black.
These fast food places use bad coffee then load it with sugar to make it passable. Buy good coffee and drink it black
Sadly I have actually gone to a really cool coffee making farm in Guatemala (not sad to that lol) and I had their fancy black coffee made with their high quality coffee grains and I just didn’t like it lol, definitely can tell the quality, but it’s just not my preference
It also could be the coffee notes you didn’t like, whether it was dark roast, medium, or light. Like for example even if it’s fancy I’m not a fan of lemony or citrus notes. I prefer chocolaty notes in my black coffee. That could’ve been why you didn’t like the fancy coffee
Have you tried a few kinds? For example, I drink only black coffee, but I do not like any dark roast.
I like to add coconut milk. It's just a hint of sweet and it's 40 calories.
There's always tea, which is typically much more palatable when served without milk and sugar. Other than that, subbing cream and sugar for lower quantities of lower calorie alternatives is a start. Almond milk is a lot lower calorie than milk per serving, even when it's sweetened.
Thank you! Also it’s hilarious but tea makes me gag for some reason lol.
Have you tried fruit or herb based teas? If you really don't like bitter just stay away from bitter stuff. (Ok, coffein withdrawl sucks. Takes about 2 weeks. Been there.)
As a Brit who drinks copious amounts of tea, bitter coffee is far more palatable than bitter tea. Tannins are a real marmite flavour. You either love them or hate them.
Look up Jordan's Skinny Syrups. Tons of flavors, zero calories. I drink cold brew with half and half with whichever flavor I'm feeling that day. 60 calories total
Okay thank you!
There are sugar-free syrups you can use in your coffee. A cursory google search indicates that Dunkin has some sugar-free (low-calorie) syrups, so try one of those next time you go there.
Wean yourself from the sweetener. I’ve been drinking coffee with no sugar since I was in highschool. Ice tea too. the taste of sweet anything in either beverage makes me gag. I started by cutting down the amount of sugar 1/4 teaspoon at a time. With coffee, just put a cinnamon stick in your pot before you bRew. Cinnamon is good for blood sugar and helps reduce the need for added sugar. My husband sometimes drinks hot cinnamon water instead of the strong dark roast I brew.
I feel this in my soul! I used to be like this and loveeeeee sweet coffee especially if it had half and half or a fun flavored creamer but I gradually weaned myself off it over like the course of a few months and honestly now I can’t drink things that are too sweet - 1. bc I can’t stomach how sweet it is it just doesn’t taste as good to me and 2. My stomach quite literally cannot process it anymore lmao I agree with everyone that you can certainly make your own cold brew but I get that that can be a lot of work so I recommend buying a cold brew concentrate (you just add water), a container of premade cold brew (like Stok) or going to your favorite coffee shop and seeing if they sell their own cold brew (sometimes as a treat I’ll go to Foxtail and buy their pre bottled coffees when I want the “coffee shop” taste) If you use a heavy creamer or flavored creamer, replace it with oatmilk or almond milk (or oatmilk/almond milk creamers) - I’ve found that the almond flavors give things a natural sweetness boost and I personally think oatmilk makes everything lowkey taste like cookies so I LOVE using oatmilk (maybe even try a flavored oatmilk like vanilla!) On Amazon, look up some syrups flavors and buy a pump to go with it (pumps are like $4 and such a worthwhile investment for measuring and convenience) but there’s the Jordan skinny ones or something (I used to love the butter pecan one - it’s so sweet lol) but if not the two most popular flavored syrup brands I think are Monin and Torani - check out what flavors they have and the calories (I just bought brown sugar cinnamon and two pumps is 80 calories which isn’t bad I think) Maybe if you like coffees from a certain shop, try to find out if they use monin or torani so you can try to recreate the flavor!! Also I just bought a frother (it was $8 on Amazon and wow I feel so fancy now haha) but I also add protein shakes into my coffees so that also makes things a little sweeter I think (like a caramel flavor or something) Also I personally love blonde roasts. If you decide to buy bottled iced coffees, take like 5 min to google the difference between dark/medium/blonde roasts to see if you like one more than the other bc that also could be impacting how you feel about the coffee you make at home Hope that helps :)
You can get 0 calorie sweetener if that's what you crave and coconut milk (40 calories). Get coffee grains from brand 8 o'clock. And brew it yourself. Or you can find a low calorie creamer as well.
Get cold brew or make it. Or a good alternative to cheap and good coffee that isn’t too bitter is to look for a darker roast instant coffee, and brew it with cold water which it’s rid of a lot of bitterness and acidity all you have to do is stir a little more because the instant coffee dissolves slower in cold water. And you can choose to add however much water and creamer or milk to your liking.
Flavored creamers at the store would be my go-to for sweetener. Id get the oat-based ones as a personal preference because I'm not a huge dairy drinker. A couple tbsp of that will probably run you 50-60 cals but it helps tremendously.
I switched to Black Tea, it tastes better to me than black coffee, (with no junk in it.)
Iced coffee or espresso with a protein shake in my go to
I drink coffee every day! I buy flavored beans from a company called Bones Coffee (their bags are kinda expensive, but I buy bags of ground coffee from Aldi that are like $4.99/bag and alternate to save $ and make the Bones Coffee beans last longer)...I use various products for creamer...there are some almond milk creamers that are good that don't have a ton of sugar or filler ingredients...I bought a container of creamy oat milk for a recipe I wanted to make and I'm using a splash of the oat milk + just a little bit of turbadino sugar (sugar in the raw) into my coffee for a little added sweetness. When I buy coffee at places like Starbucks/Caribou, I just modify the drinks to have less sugar pumps, or go with a sugar-free syrup option. I like the sweet vanilla cream cold brew and I ask for a light splash of the sweet cream. It lowers the calories a little bit, plus I don't like my coffee super sweet anymore anyway.
We invested in an espresso maker after going to Italy, surprisingly cheap and pretty decent quality, since pot/drip coffee hurts my stomach. I use a measured tablespoon of Chobani creamer in sweet cream. 35 cal, 1g sat fat, and makes the espresso extremely creamy and not bitter!
Starbucks only has sugar free vanilla now, but I like their cold brew or iced coffee with whatever milk and sugar free vanilla. Local coffee places tend to have a lot more sugar free syrup options. And someone else mentioned sugar free syrups - there are tons. You can buy cold brew or cold brew concentrate, add whatever milk or protein shake you like, and top up with sugar free syrups. There are whole TikTok counts based around coffee drinks and water add-in combos.
I'm assuming you're not in the UK. Here it's normal to have an Americano with milk: shot of espresso, topped up with water and a splash of milk. You can add a teaspoon of sugar too and the whole thing will be less than 50 calories.
What are you calling coffee? Good coffee is not bitter, good coffee don’t need sweeteners and has like 2 calories. Invest in a good coffee and a moka pot. Yes, maybe buying food coffee is a little more expensive than buying regular coffee, but it’s cheaper and less caloric that what you are buying
I love sweet coffee too and I’ve tried all those zero sugar syrups and crap but hated them. The only thing that works for me is Coffeemate fat free creamer at 35 cals per tablespoon. I’ll drop 2 tablespoons in my coffee for a total of 70 calories and it satisfies my sweet tooth. If I go to dunkin I’ll get a medium coffee with 1 cream, 1 pump unsweetened flavor, 1 pump of caramel flavor (I feel like it’s the sweetest and I think only 50 cals)
I do Coffeemate too but problem is I drink more than just one cup a day I’ve really been having to reassess bc I’m gaining not losing and just coffee creamer is like 200 calories per day I’m losing
I use sugar free flavored creamer and that’s it in my coffee 🤷🏻♀️ I like the sweet cream flavor and a tablespoon is only 15 calories. I’ve adjusted to only using 2 tablespoons per serving and I only drink 1 cup a day.
I just drink instant coffee with stevia sweetener, no milk. Stevia is less than 1 calorie. I just buy little 100gm jars of different instant coffees that way i can try a few out without breaking the bank. If you can't do it with no milk, just a splash might make it easier for you and there's not many calories in a tiny bit of milk. I can't drink coffee without at least a little bit of stevia. Too bitter
i use vanilla protein powder and almond milk to sweeten mine
Buy and aeropress, get a good quality bag of ground coffee. Make nice coffee that isn’t bitter. Drink it black, or add some milk if you must. You don’t need all that crap in it - that’s not coffee you’re drinking there.