Should I learn to drink coffee?

Unless you already like it, I don’t really see the point. Plus, if you have anxiety or anything, chances are it will just exacerbate it because of the caffeine. Or if you have stomach issues, I don’t recommend it, because it makes you poop.

There are probably more productive things to learn.

Good coffee is expensive.
If you do not want to be repulsed by your first cup, you need to invest in good beans and an espresso machine with integrated grinder.
And I doubt your current financial situation allows this.

@ragingloli Should I try Starbucks?

their coffee sucks

@ragingloli Thanks for the advice. Maybe I should stick to hot chocolate and cola.

Rather avoid. It may not agree with you and end up giving you anxiety. That is the last thing you need. Reduce the cola too!

No you shouldn’t. It’s just another expenditure you don’t need.

What about Keruig pods?

It’s an expensive and fairly useless addiction. If you’ve made it this far without getting hooked, why not go the distance?

@talljasperman Keurig pods are expensive and bad for the environment.

@stanleybmanly I am wondering what is so different from myself and my peers. I am wondering if I am sticking out from the crowd. If it is a good thing or a bad thing to not drink coffee.

You’re not missing anything. Find some more useful behavior to emulate. Let Starbucks bleed someone else.

I don’t drink coffee and never have. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.

I only drink coffee occasionally. It’s not a big deal.

@talljasperman: You say you are wondering if you are sticking out from the crowd by not drinking coffee. The way you’re described your life on other threads is that you rarely go out unless to the grocery store or to the doctor. It doesn’t seem like you hang out with many people so I doubt people are noticing that you don’t drink coffee.

That said, drinking coffee can aid a poor social life. BTW, Starbucks is pretty good.

Yes. It’s delicious. And cola is filled with sugar and really bad for you.

Here’s a thought. Why not switch from soda to water?

I really wish I could drink coffee, which is served at business meetings, at people’s homes, and after dinner. It would be so gracious to say, “Yes, please,” when offered a cup of coffee. Also, people often get together over coffee for social reasons, and I’d love to be a part of that.

Unfortunately, I loathe the stuff. I find the smell nauseating. Even when I was a kid, I couldn’t eat coffee ice cream or drink a coffee cabinet (that’s a milk shake, for anyone who didn’t grow up in Rhode Island).

I can’t think of any way to acquire a taste for coffee. If doing so were possible, I’d be on board.

@Love_my_doggie: The way I got used to it was first with a lot of sugar and milk, and then after maybe a year of that, less sugar and less milk (in other words, I used to drink it “light” and now it’s “regular”). Now, also, I don’t use sugar, I use artificial sweetener.

@Love_my_doggie Autocrat Coffee Syrup and warm milk

@jca You mention “regular coffee.” Any chance that you, too, grew up in R.I.?

For me, adding large quantities of sugar and creamer would make coffee taste like coffee ice cream or coffee milk. I really can’t stand the taste of either. I think I’m doomed to be repulsed by coffee.

Fortunately, I’m passionately fond of tea (not the herbal stuff, but real tea) and drink some every day. That often gives me a polite way out. If I’m visiting someone’s office and get offered a cup of coffee, I can ask, “Do you have any tea? That would be lovely on this cold day,” or something like that.

@Love_my_doggie: Not Rhode Island. I’m a New Yawker through and through. Here, they call coffee with some milk and sugar “regular.” I describe it, when asked how much milk to put, as I want it to be the color of Barack Obama’s skin.

@Tropical_Willie Believe it or not, my childhood home was across the street from the home of coffee syrup’s inventor!

A very sweet and friendly, yet tragically alcoholic, old man lived in the house where either his father or grandfather had developed the process for distilling coffee extract and successfully marketing the product. The elderly man survived on his family’s wealth and, sadly, did nothing with his own life. I remember meeting him when I was age 4, being profoundly sad, and crying for him. My mother was very kind about bringing him cooked meals, eggs, milk, etc. He might have died years earlier if not for Mom.

You know, I haven’t thought about this in years, maybe decades. As I write these words, I’m sobbing and grieving for that lost soul.

@jca I had no idea that a New York “regular coffee” has milk (or cream) and sugar. I’ve always thought that this meaning is unique to southeastern New England. Now, can you tell me what a clam cake is? Please hurry; the clock’s ticking, and you lose points with every passing moment. :-)

I’d bet real money that nobody else on Earth calls a milkshake a “cabinet.”

I have never heard of clam cakes, @Love_my_doggie. I’ve heard of crab cakes.

@jca Clam cakes would be called “fritters” in other parts of the country – small, round batter cakes that are deep-fried. But, clam cakes have clam juice in the batter and minced clams throughout. It’s a fine summer tradition to go out for clam cakes and chowder.

If you do decide to try coffee, which I still don’t see the point of, please don’t go to Starbucks. They do not have good coffee. You’re better off finding a local place that has good online reviews, because their coffee is bound to be better. If I were you, I’d stick to decaf if you do foray into the coffee world.

I would cut out the cola too (contains caffeine) and stick with the hot chocolate.

Go to a local coffee shop that roasts their own beans and simply order a cup of plain black coffee. Then try it. It may increase anxiety, or it may actually relax you. If you hate it then…lesson learned

I usually drink about four cups daily.

Check out the pros and cons

Coffee is a bit of an acquired taste and I think part of it’s societal appeal is that it’s seen as the “adult” thing to drink instead of juices and sodas (much like how wine is seen as the “mature” drink over beer). I still don’t drink coffee as a regular thing. I’ll have a cup very occasionally, but that’s it. When I first started drinking it at all I’d load it with so much sugar and creme that I’m not sure it still legally qualified as coffee. Over time gradually cut back on the sweeteners. I still feel no need to drink it regularly though, and there’s really no need to drink it just because everyone else does.

As for you, from what I know about you, you have anxiety issues, so more caffeinated drinks is probably the last thing you need. In fact, I would advise you to try to cut back on the caffeinated sodas as well. I kinda doubt that you’re going to give up sodas, so I’m not even going to suggest that. But there are plenty of caffeine-free varieties out there. Even things like Coca-Cola and Pepsi come in caffeine-free versions that taste no different from the regular versions. So maybe give those a try and see if your anxiety gets better.

Yes.
Coffee matters.
Especially Starbucks.

You should try it! Coffee is a beverage which is not essential but nice to have it everyday. Drinking it daily is an acquired habit, which is not bad at all. It is one of the pleasures of life, which is affordable & easily available to most people. I am talking about normal coffee, not those specialty coffee, or expensive flavor types. If coffee is not to your liking, try tea. Tea will also become an acquired habit if you like it.

@DrasticDreamer I’m surprised to meet someone who doesn’t like Starbucks coffee. As a non-coffee-drinker, I’ve always assumed that Starbucks serves some excellent coffee, which is why there’s a shop on every corner. But, now that I think about it, chain restaurants have some dreadful food, and there’s no shortage of them.

Starbucks has excellent marketing, not necessarily excellent coffee.

I don’t like Starbucks. It is too strong for me. Many people whom I’ve discussed coffee with have told me they don’t like it, either. A common word I’ve heard used to describe it is “burnt.”

Try out drinking tea. There are amazing varieties and you can tailor the amount of caffeine you get with the choice of tea and or how long you steep the tea bag.

For a full throttle caffeine blast nothing will beat Morning Thunder
My favorite caffeinated tea is White Tea with Lemon Grass Ginger really yummy in the morning.

If you are anxious like others have said steer clear of the caffeine and look for some teas that are for relaxing. They work and are great after dinner when you want to wind down. IMO the soda you are drinking with all the sugar and carbonation is pure poison for the human body I would avoid soda at all cost. You will lose a good slug of weight if you do.

@Love_my_doggie Another one who hates Starbucks coffee.

Starbucks fucking sucks. The beans are simply not roasted properly. It’s almost like they burn the hell out of them leaving almost a green bean inside of a charred surface. If it’s done right they will be slow roasted with pride. Local roasters who do it right should have your business. Go into any random coffee shop in say, Boulder CO. for example and you’ll see what I mean.

@Love_my_doggie I’m a Pacific Northwest native, so there are coffee shops all over the place here and Starbucks just doesn’t do it right. When I was a lot younger and before I knew better, I liked some of their stuff, but after having coffee that’s actually good, Starbucks can not even compare. They use extremely bitter and acidic beans and it’s just not to my liking.

Here’s another vote for Starbucks sucks. They over roast their beans leaving the coffee with a burnt bitter taste that no amount of diluting with half and half can overcome.

But you’re in Tim Horton’s country. (His original claim to fame was as a Canadian Hockey player.) so if you’re going to try it you might as well go to Timmy’s.

It’s not outstandingly good coffee but it’s decent tasting “middle of the road” quality.

But if the only reason you’re doing it is just to feel like you can fit in with everybody else, that’s a pretty piss poor reason.

Be your own person.

Around here, Dunkin Donuts has very decent, “middle of the road” coffee. Also, believe it or not, McDonalds has good coffee, too. It’s Paul Newman’s and it’s often only $1 no matter what size. If I get it from McD’s, I ask for regular milk instead of half and half, which, to me, is too creamy. At home I use 2%, which is not too creamy but has some body to it.

I like Dunkin Donuts coffee too.