Ok I have a strange preference: I like to put a tiny bit of salt in my coffee. I don’t put sugar in, just some cream. The salt cuts any bitterness and the cream is naturally a bit sweet.
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If you do want to try Kawa (and I cannot recommend them highly enough), then as it’s a common name for coffee shops, this is the one I’m referring to. https://kawa.coffee/
Not that it’s strange, but it’s somewhat unusual in most of the US — I’ve come to love Vietnamese-style coffee: a metal filter (“phin”) with a broad rim like a hatbrim is put on top of a cup, in the bottom of which is sweetened condensed milk.
(You can make essentially the same thing in an iced version in hot weather, as well as a similar hot or iced drink most places call Thai or Vietnamese tea, made with cream and strongly-brewed tea.)
I sometimes add a dash of vinegar to black coffee. My kids call it “laughing coffee" because it often triggers a weird, involuntary squeaking sound from me.
I mix Coke with milk. (assuming we're talking whole milk) I pour in about 4 parts Coke, wait for the fizz to settle, then pour in 1 part milk. If I want it a bit creamier I'll increase the milk proportion, but there's a limit to how much fizzier you can increase the soda before it starts to curdle.
I liken it most to the fluid portion of a root beer float, it's really tasty. It's wild too since you'll randomly meet people who do it as well and it's like an instant bond 😄
I read about the balance of salt cutting bitterness and making things a little sweet in small quantities in the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and thought I would try it with coffee
Probably not? But I guess I don't know what that is. I eat really really spicy foods and my friends call me "dead tongue" so that probably disqualifies me :)
I do this too! Two reasons: 1) I have a particular diet and 2) atleast in the book "The Hunt for the Red October" -minus the cream- this was called navy coffee and I just like that.
Definitely beats taking shots of salt (which tend to burn but I still do regularly). The low blood pressure struggle is real, but at least you don't have to watch your salt intake.
Ah, you do get mixed reactions if you do this anywhere that takes its coffee seriously though...
That works!! Bodies are weird like that. I didn’t know they made pills though! That’s cool
I can only take the electrolyte packets after I start exercising. They lose the salty flavor and go either neutral to sweet as my body seems to basically dump all electrolytes constantly like a dummy 🙄
Salt belongs in so many weird places! Like before I got into baking I had no idea that most sweets taste really weird without it. Chocolate and salt is awesome too!
I was going to make a comment but you answered it already in your posts, that sounds like you have low sodium, desiring to put it in random places and it doesn’t make things taste “salty”.
I like to put pieces of white chocolate and/or toffee into my coffee, for the taste and also to see how much is left of it on the bottom of the cup when I've finished the coffee.
I learned this while working in hotel kitchens a long time ago when they prepared the breakfast buffet. It kept the coffee „better“ for a longer time (avoids this oily film on top - that’s what they said).
My parents did that for years. It does cut the bitterness. However with the different blends available today and much better coffee makers, I don't find the need to do that any more.
I wonder if it also depends on the roast/quality of the beans. Like this might be a nice touch to already great tasting beans, but maybe not so much a Starbucks americano?
Navies worldwide have been adding salt to coffee for hundreds of years. Salt covers a world of bad burnt coffee but the cream is an unusual delight. Well done.
Once I learned about the idea, I do it every morning now too. It's so good! What's not good is all the people in these comments attempting to pathologize it.
I wouldn't call that strange! Makes a ton of chemical sense, as you noted. I also keep that trick in mind when my coffee options are limited on the fly.
I like my coffee with only honey, specifically from our local market. Nice sweetness and helping with allergies haha so I tell myself.
💯Adding salt can be a great way to tweak the taste of your coffee, and James Hoffmann did a cool vid on it a few years ago for anyone interested in some coffee nerdiness
I'm currently in Vietnam and salt coffee is very popular here. They do some sort of mix of cream, condensed milk and salt on top of ice coffee. Gives it a little bit of a salted caramel taste... It's absolutely yummy!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PUWQQ-joKE
Recent co-fermented coffees have become incredibly sweet so if I feel like something on the sweet side I’ll just seek out one of those.
I just prefer lighter coffees with stone fruit, acidic notes.
I’ve been hooked on Kawa’s coffees (French), which never miss the mark for em.
I’m so used to it I can’t drink it with sugar anymore.
milk turns it into a dessert 😀
Also, found this on the internet… probably not as strange as you think.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68085304
a) mistook salt for sugar and was like "oooo"
b) "its so crazy, it just might work" science
Mr. Hoffmann goes in depth here https://youtu.be/9PUWQQ-joKE?si=gXhDhHo1IJJTMHRM
Does it come from an espresso machine?
Also a great hack for folks with dysautonomia who struggle to get their salt in 🧂
Ah, you do get mixed reactions if you do this anywhere that takes its coffee seriously though...
Glad they work for you though!
I can only take the electrolyte packets after I start exercising. They lose the salty flavor and go either neutral to sweet as my body seems to basically dump all electrolytes constantly like a dummy 🙄
While I don't drink coffee, I find that salt works in cocktails, even bitter ones, which makes me think it would help coffee, too.
And yeah, I have low blood pressure
Instead of in your cup, put the salt in with the grinds before you make it.
I can't go back to not doing that lol
One day I put a little too much in.
Caused the office to have a technician come in and check the water supply, because, you know, Intern not gonna snitch on themself.
https://youtu.be/9PUWQQ-joKE
I like my coffee with only honey, specifically from our local market. Nice sweetness and helping with allergies haha so I tell myself.
I used to think this was weird of me but have since learned it's pretty popular in some parts of the world.
Would adding salt be a bit like using butter instead of cream?
I don't think so, because I use very very small amount of salt, I think salted butter would be much more salty
https://youtu.be/9PUWQQ-joKE?si=jjG9I19DB-_2BmS9