[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by GTO

I am a black coffee drinker. For taste, my favourite is McDonald's black coffee.

Get a French press from Starbucks, and their house blend grounded for French press. It’s my daily routine now after having tried almost everything.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by GTO

Have loved the black coffee at independent cafes. Should ask them what they're using.

Any Nespresso users here? My sis recommends it, but they don't have official presence in India? Overhyped or worth it?

@GTO there is entire world of espresso that you are still missing! Nespresso I think is a pod based system where the coffee is pre-made.

Instead if you get freshly roasted and ground powder which you can consume in regular time while making your own espresso shot, nothing can taste better. I would also suggest to get a nice espresso machine and buy good grounded and powdered coffee for espresso and make your own. You get an entire range of powder (mild/medium/dark roasts) and different blends. I am aware of many sources in Bangalore but can't comment on the Mumbai scene. Once you have this setup I am sure you won't step out!

And yes: The choice of French Press vs. Moka Pot vs Espresso is some thing you need to try and chose. You can choose all of the above too!

[raksrules]

Can anyone suggest me how to start having black coffee (without sugar). The reason I ask is that I used to do Intermittent Fasting before WFH and it showed me great results. But now with working from home, my will power is not keeping up and although I don't have any breakfast or solid food before my 16 hour "Fast", I still have coffee (sorry but it is instant coffee with milk and sugar (5gms measured)) at about 14 hours.

I have read that black coffee without sugar doesn't really "break fast" so I want to see if that is my cup of tea.....err coffee I mean.

Suggestions appreciated.

[Silverfire]

Originally Posted by raksrules

Can anyone suggest me how to start having black coffee (without sugar). The reason I ask is that I used to do Intermittent Fasting before WFH and it showed me great results. But now with working from home, my will power is not keeping up and although I don't have any breakfast or solid food before my 16 hour "Fast", I still have coffee (sorry but it is instant coffee with milk and sugar (5gms measured)) at about 14 hours.

I have read that black coffee without sugar doesn't really "break fast" so I want to see if that is my cup of tea.....err coffee I mean.

Suggestions appreciated.

Black coffee is amazing and once you adopt it, you may like it better than the one with milk. The reason some people don’t like it is they try having the wrong coffee e.g using Nescafé classic plus adding sugar (an unpalatable mixture I agree)
To start with please get a good quality coffee powder - I highly recommend Nescafé gold. Put half a spoon in a mug of hot water (so easy to prepare !). No sugar. Just taste the nice roasted flavour of coffee and enjoy the hot cuppa.
Once you get used to this taste you can increase the quantity of coffee powder and also move on to other methods of brewing like a French Press or an Aeropress.

[akshaymahajan]

Originally Posted by GTO

Another instant coffee lover jumping to "proper" coffee .

Which one should I buy? I am a black coffee drinker. For taste, my favourite is McDonald's black coffee. This is after trying coffee at Starbucks etc. Just love the taste of McDonald's black. At 2nd place would be the filter coffee you get at South Indian restaurants, but nothing like McDonald's taste for me.


Thanks!

Originally Posted by raksrules

Can anyone suggest me how to start having black coffee (without sugar).
Suggestions appreciated.

Just got myself some Sleepy Owl hot brew bags for when I am lazy/busy to make my Aeropress/Moka Pot. The original ones surpassed my expectations and I recommend giving those a shot. Super easy, no equipment needed

[RJK]

Originally Posted by GTO

Another instant coffee lover jumping to "proper" coffee .

Which one should I buy? I am a black coffee drinker. For taste, my favourite is McDonald's black coffee. This is after trying coffee at Starbucks etc. Just love the taste of McDonald's black. At 2nd place would be the filter coffee you get at South Indian restaurants, but nothing like McDonald's taste for me.

Have loved the black coffee at independent cafes. Should ask them what they're using.

Any Nespresso users here? My sis recommends it, but they don't have official presence in India? Overhyped or worth it?

Thanks!

My favourite topic, as much as cars now hehe

I suggest you pay a visit to KC Roasters at Foodhall in Vama or in Phoenix Mill or their own standalone store in Chium village, Bandra and try out their coffees. I went to Bandra one last month (all the way from Powai) and am hooked to it. Went to Vama one yday since I was in the vicinity. Reason why I say is that they roast their own beans fresh at Bandra outlet. So you buy it really really fresh; you can order online through their website and they’ll most likely deliver on the same day and they send absolutely freshly roasted coffee, maybe a day prior, no longer than that. And believe me freshness of the roast makes considerable difference.

I tried out Blue to Kai but found it to be ok, I definitely liked KC better. Again, coffee is damn subjective.

Another good one is Subko as pointed out by Axe77. Only thing is that it was very hard to find, one of the bylanes of bylanes in Bandra village. I was almost pissed off by the time I found the place! That said, the coffee was definitely good - I had monsoon something flavour. I think they also deliver at home, not through Amazon though.

My recommendation would be to try out the coffees in person before ordering at home. Get experimenting with different roasts - light, medium, medium-dark, dark, ultra dark etc.

I have found medium dark roast to be good for black coffee and dark/ultra dark roasts good for cappuccinos, flat whites. Again, taste is very very subjective, so do experiment.

As for Nespresso, it’s very very convenient but I find it frightfully expensive - especially the pods. I have used Nespresso machines extensively at work place outside India but never liked it very much. The work around for pods, (if you decide to buy it anyway) is to buy re-usable steel pods which you can fill up with your own coffee powder instead of buying stupendously expensive pods from Nestle.

I would suggest to get a French press to start off and then work your way up to a moka pot and if interest remains, then to a proper bean-to-cup espresso machine (I use a Delonghi cappuccino machine). The taste of freshly ground coffee is certainly different than the moka pot, French press, Aeropress etc.

If you really fancy, you can follow James Hoffman on YouTube. Man he’s insane, he brings so much science to making coffee, it’s incredible!

Cheers

Disclaimer: No affiliation with KC Roasters, just a very happy customer.

[zurura023]

Originally Posted by raksrules

Can anyone suggest me how to start having black coffee (without sugar). The reason I ask is that I used to do Intermittent Fasting before WFH and it showed me great results. But now with working from home, my will power is not keeping up and although I don't have any breakfast or solid food before my 16 hour "Fast", I still have coffee (sorry but it is instant coffee with milk and sugar (5gms measured)) at about 14 hours.

Technically, you would be breaking your intermittent fast once you pump sugar in your system. Start with a good coffee [not instant] and get the sugar & milk out; it is an acquired taste, definitely. But I'm sure once one starts getting the flavour, they'll start enjoying it. Get anyone from the suggestions in the previous pages and give it a go without sugar for a week or so. The ready to brew bags from the known brands in India may be a good starting point.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by raksrules

Can anyone suggest me how to start having black coffee (without sugar).

Once you are free move to around (post the pandemic numbers return to normal) I would suggest go to few good coffee shops and try some of the strong espresso/different preps (French press etc.) You need time to get to that taste. And then invest in your own setup. South Indian filter coffee is nice but its a different aroma compared to espresso. Just having the filter coffee decoction black is not the same as the other forms of black coffee.

[raksrules]

Originally Posted by zurura023

Technically, you would be breaking your intermittent fast once you pump sugar in your system. Start with a good coffee [not instant] and get the sugar & milk out; it is an acquired taste, definitely. But I'm sure once one starts getting the flavour, they'll start enjoying it. Get anyone from the suggestions in the previous pages and give it a go without sugar for a week or so. The ready to brew bags from the known brands in India may be a good starting point.

I understand that as soon as sugar goes in system IF is broken. That is why I am asking for having black coffee without sugar as that supposedly does not break the fast. Today I know I am breaking IF as I am having regular milk and sugar coffee at 14 Hour mark. I am trying to extend this slowly more and more near the 16 Hour mark and then stop the morning coffee completely. But being at home, it is difficult. When I was going to office, it was easier due to lots of distractions and travel and such.

[RJK]

Originally Posted by raksrules

I understand that as soon as sugar goes in system IF is broken. That is why I am asking for having black coffee without sugar as that supposedly does not break the fast. Today I know I am breaking IF as I am having regular milk and sugar coffee at 14 Hour mark. I am trying to extend this slowly more and more near the 16 Hour mark and then stop the morning coffee completely. But being at home, it is difficult. When I was going to office, it was easier due to lots of distractions and travel and such.

That's absolutely right & I follow the same practice. Black coffee in the morning, if needed, gets me to 16hrs window quite easily. As for which instant coffee, I can't help but if you're open & willing to try, you may look up a few posts where I have suggested to GTO also, good coffee shops.

I find Nestle products to be horrendously priced & unless I'm a shareholder of Nestle, I would hesitate from buying such expensive coffee, simply because I don't see the point of paying premium for instant coffee.

You can try Bru or Continental coffee (they're also exporters & suppliers to some brand names overseas).

[RJK]

Originally Posted by riteshritesh

I find the Blue Tokai's and Koinonia's unfit for Milk coffee making. They are good to have without any milk in it.

Not sure which one you tried from Koinonia (KC Roaster now) but I have had Kelagur wash (ultra dark roast) & Doraikanal (dark roast) cappuccino. I understand everyone may not have a cappuccino maker at home but what I'm trying to say is the dark roasts with milk taste much better than light or medium roast.

I recently ordered a medium roast beans (ratnagiri honey) from KC to drink black coffee at home & one day added a little milk in it. It tasted quite rubbish to my palate, little sour-ish. So, maybe try the darker roasts from any roaster for having with milk. You might change your mind

Cheers

[subraiyr]

Originally Posted by raksrules

Can anyone suggest me how to start having black coffee (without sugar).

Suggestions appreciated.

Being a coffee drink from the age of 2, I will say that I have some good experience in coffee. I grew up on South Indian filter coffee and for me the freshly created filter coffee decoction + thick boiling milk + sugar with froth built on top was ambrosia. However, I started experimenting with multiple brewing methods. Each one created a different flavor and experience.

My Moka pots are reserved for post breakfast. My south Indian filters are now relegated to once a week. My main go-to brewing option is the French Press. I would suggest for early morning sessions where you don't want to break your fast, go for the french press. This has to be ideally had without milk and without sugar. The main thing to get it right is the kind of bean. I prefer the Arabica for its sweeter notes compared to Robusta. I get my coffee ground from the local coffee grinder and I grind it coarse. If it is fine, it will seep through the filter and you will have dust in your mouth. Also, water needs to be hot, but not boiling. It changes the taste. Once you taste this, you will no longer want coffee with milk !!!

[archat68]

Try Monsooned Malabar and Lodhi Estate from Devan's for Aero press or French press brewing. Pretty good coffee at VFM who drink black. Their Viennesse blend is also awesome for those who like darker roast.

These are my daily drivers for last 6-7 years. I use them in Aero press or French press in the office and in a Espresso machine in the home. I drink all black.

For best result you will need a grinder which will help you to get the best result from freshly ground beans.

[AP_1812]

I would urge you to try either of blue tokai or subko. Blue tokai has a easy pack of 10 pour over sachets. With those you dont need any fancy equipment, just place it on your cup, pour hot water and you are good to go. You can try that first, if you like that, you can then invest in a french press or a v60 pour over.

I must caution good coffee is super addictive, and you will then be one of those who constantly complain about coffee while travelling :-)

[KungFuPanda]

I work in the hotel industry, and live on coffee. We have the best coffee machines, and a wide variety of coffee beans available. All said and done, nothing beats the bang for buck that you get from a Nespresso machine. Even the most basic one. 9 out of 10 times, I will pick a Nespresso coffee over anything else you give me. Black, no sugar. The only way to have it.

And the fact that you can pick and choose the flavor of the coffee that you want, depending on the mood that you are in, is the next best thing since sliced bread.

In the mood for some Columbian coffee? What about a nice smooth Almond coffee? Or how about a Cocoa Truffle? Or our very own South Indian Coffee. You wish it, and in the next moment you have a hot cuppa in your hands.

Buy a machine, and if you don't like it, I will happily buy it from you .