Why cream in coffee?

[Katana_Geldar]

Why not just milk? I can't understand this for some reason.

Why cream?

[Don Julio Anejo]

Because milk is pretty watery and ruins the taste of coffee.

[Katana_Geldar]

*ahem*

http://www.huntingdon.ac.uk/images/catering/Cappuccino_01.jpg

Anything wrong here?

[Kneenibble]

That's clearly not a regular cup of coffee.
edit No, that's a cappuccino, as I thought, as the name of the image proveth.

Milk works in cappuccini and lattes because the lower fat content makes it froth more. Skim milk makes a lovely stiff froth with lots of volume, whereas unskimmed milk falls flat and stays heavy.

Cream works poured into drip or French press coffee because it has a thicker mouth-feel and a stronger, sweeter flavour. Skim milk in coffee is essentially watering down an already water-based drink.

If you like that, well *cough Philistine cough* that's your business. It probably means you're not drinking very good coffee: thin milk will mollify the burnt bitterness of stale old beans, whereas cream will bring the rancid awfulness to the forefront; fresh grinds, however, will sing with rich background flavours against the cream, but will sigh when milk dilutes their deliciousness.

[Dr.Epic]

Why not just milk? I can't understand this for some reason.

Why cream?

You honestly expect people to drink coffee hot? What's wrong with you?

[Flickerdart]

I drink coffee black. Your bias for milk against cream confuses me, as they are both things with which you dilute coffee, and therefore equally inferior.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Gives the coffee a much smoother texture, moreso than milk by a wide margin.

It's still for wimps, though.

[golentan]

Well, personally it's because of the bitter oils in bad coffee (which I include most all dark roasts in). Milk or cream helps mask this, largely through the fat (so does sugar), but can overpower the aromas. So I and a fair number of fellow coffee snobs will have cream in our daily coffee, milk on higher quality stuff, and plain when I can get, say, a pure Kona or Blue Mountain beans.

I have yet to enjoy Kopi Luwak, but hope to someday. I will, of course, have it straight. And yes, I know how it's prepared, so you can spare the standard attempt to gross me out. It won't work.

[Lioness]

I tried cream in coffee once...tasted horrible and hid the flavour.

I much prefer milk.

[Zom B]

Alton Brown had an episode on coffee and according to him, a pinch of salt takes the bitter edge out of coffee. I've not gotten up the nerve to try it. But I usually use both hazelnut creamer (liquid if I can get it) and milk. Mostly the milk is to cool it, but sometimes I'll just use a couple of ice cubes (about one per teaspoon of sugar I had to add).

I want to try grinding my own coffee, but with a three-month-old in the house, that's not exactly an option at 6 in the morning. Alton recommends a burr grinder for consistent-sized grindings and a French Press (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_press).

[Don Julio Anejo]

The drink is NOT a cappucino - there's not enough foam even for a latte (unless it's a Starbucks latte). If I had to guess, it's a mocha with whipped cream on top. Milk foam doesn't stay nice and volumptious like that, even if you scoop it up with a spoon and put on top.

Skim milk does NOT froth more. In fact, the more fat in the milk, the easier it is to foam it (and make latte art x_x). Cream is the best (breves), skim milk is the worst.

PS: I'm a weird coffee geek. I didn't like Blue Mountain.

[Kneenibble]

The title of the image is Cappuccino, dude. Check the image properties.

As for the other, please excuse me for expressing myself badly. Please notice I was speaking only in terms of unskimmed vs. skimmed milk. Actually you are only partially correct. Skim milk produces the most voluminous and stable foam, yes, even more than cream, although cream produces better foam than unskimmed whole milk. There is a strange curve in froth quality vs. fat content, which is highest at 0%, dips down to a valley at whole unskimmed milk, and rises again up to half-and-half. This is fact.

[Don Julio Anejo]

Calling something a spade doesn't make it a spade.. or.. err.. the other way around, but, uhm.. yeah. The drink is not a cappuccino because for one, it doesn't have enough foam and the foam itself looks more like whipping cream. A cappuccino looks more like this:
http://sparklette.net/archives/467/cappuccino.jpg

As for froth quality, skim milk one is more voluminous and stable, I'll give you that, but it's made of really big and empty bubbles, which kinda ruins both the taste and the texture. The ones from higher fat content milk (like 2% or better yet, homo) are much finer and are also easier to foam technique wise.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Cream and milk also have different flavors, of which I find cream covers the nasty, awful taste of coffee best.
Especially when it has tasty flavors.

[xPANCAKEx]

Gives the coffee a much smoother texture, moreso than milk by a wide margin.

It's still for wimps, though.

people who complain about coffee being too rough are probably the same type who complain that mayo is spicey

[SMEE]

:smalleek:
Why... anything else other than coffee in coffee? :smalleek::smalleek::smalleek:

*shudders with bad memories of bad, weak coffee*

Coffee has to be black, hot, bitter and strong enough to raise a dead man back to life!

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Why... coffee?

Gah, never been able to get the appeal. Eve the smell puts me off my feed.

[Rutskarn]

No coffee. No tea. No energy drinks. No amphetamines. No iced tea.

Your morningly afternoonly caffeine drinks are for the weak. I drink sodas, like a real man. They've got all the punch of your caffeine products, none of the wimpishness, and the only negative side effect is increased activity of the sarcasm gland.

[Bouregard]

No coffee. No tea. No energy drinks. No amphetamines. No iced tea.

Your morningly afternoonly caffeine drinks are for the weak. I drink sodas, like a real man. They've got all the punch of your caffeine products, none of the wimpishness, and the only negative side effect is increased activity of the sarcasm gland.

but they are friggin cold! I need something warm in the morning. Oh and something that don't contain more suggar per 1,5l bottle then my entire kitchen.

[Shikton]

Coffee flavoured coffee!! Go listen to Denis Leary's rant on coffee to get my taste in the stuff.

So no, no cream, milk, sugar or anything else in my coffee other than a refill of more black coffee.

I do understand the people who don't like the sharp taste of the more darkly roasted beans, but why not just try other brands? There are a gazillion different ones out there, some smoother than silk. They're too boring and weak for my taste though.

Oh, Irish Coffee is an exception to not putting anything in it! Or any other good alcoholic drinks for that matter. They are allowed. :) For the brave ones of you all, here's a little drink recipe including coffee:

1: Put a silver coin in the bottom of the cup.
2: Pour coffee until you can't see the coin.
3: Fill up with vodka until you can see the coin again.
4: Drink.

[Rutskarn]

but they are friggin cold! I need something warm in the morning. Oh and something that don't contain more suggar per 1,5l bottle then my entire kitchen.

In all honesty, I don't actually drink them in the morning. No caffeine until after noon is how I usually operate; I'm a lightweight.

[The Rose Dragon]

Coffee has to be black, hot, bitter and strong enough to raise a dead man back to life!

That's not coffee. That's tar.

[Castaras]

Why... coffee?

Gah, never been able to get the appeal. Eve the smell puts me off my feed.

This. Give me hot chocolate over coffee or tea any day.

[SMEE]

That's not coffee. That's tar.

That's coffee! Not tar! :P
What you drink isn't coffee! It's a small bit of coffee goodness spoiled with... stuff.... :smallfurious:

[Shikton]

That's coffee! Not tar! :P
What you drink isn't coffee! It's a small bit of coffee goodness spoiled with... stuff.... :smallfurious:

Seconded. It's supposed to taste coffee and really wake you up!

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

Tea holds ultimate drink superiority. Coffee, when drunk, should be done so without milk or cream, lest its weakness against the glory of tea be worsened.

Incidentally, using cream sounds most eldritch to my ears, and the picture above is very obviously a cappuchino.

[Incompleat]

Coffee has to be black, hot, bitter and strong enough to raise a dead man back to life!

Quoted for absolute, awesome friggin' Truth.

If it is not strong enough to peel the paint off from the ceiling then it's not coffee, it's brownish water!

Also, "coffee" means either Espresso or Turkish Coffee. Anything else is blasphemy.*

Sigh... I have yet to find a place where I can get good Espresso or good Turkish Coffee in this Mithras-forsaken northern city...

*Cappuccino has its place, to tell the whole truth. But it has nothing to do with _real_ Coffee.

[smellie_hippie]

I use fresh ground locally roasted beans for my pot of coffee every morning.

I drink coffee from 7:00 in the morning until as late as 5 min before bed.

For Christmas I got 9 1/2 pounds of coffee from various family members.
(and it's already gone...)

I have an avatar here that is my face on a cup of coffee.

I also use soy-milk and a pinch of sugar in my cup of coffee.
........................

Now is someone about to tell me that I'm not a coffee drinker? That what I'm drinking is not coffee? We may have to have some words...

[paddyfool]

Meh. A drop of milk is OK, but some lattes etc. are basically coffee-flavoured milk. :smallwink:

[The Vorpal Tribble]

This. Give me hot chocolate over coffee or tea any day.
Amen, brutha!

[Trog]

Freshly ground French-pressed coffee served black is my usual fare. To each their own - we are all Slaves to the Grind (obscure metal reference :smallamused: ).

Now if I could only find some decent beans in this city I'd be set, but even the one place that claims to sell Jamaican Blue Mountain was obviously lying (or duped) because the stuff tasted awful and was no where near the awesome of the real deal. Or hell, even a blend of it. Perhaps this week I'll do some exploring for better beans as I am running low anyway. *dons pith helmet and grabs his bean-erfly net and sample jar and heads off into wilderness P=*

[snoopy13a]

No coffee. No tea. No energy drinks. No amphetamines. No iced tea.

Your morningly afternoonly caffeine drinks are for the weak. I drink sodas, like a real man. They've got all the punch of your caffeine products, none of the wimpishness, and the only negative side effect is increased activity of the sarcasm gland.

Coffee and tea aren't sweet. Believe or not, some of us actually don't like drinking sweet stuff all the time. Plus, there's something appealing about a hot beverage.

[AtomicKitKat]

people who complain about coffee being too rough are probably the same type who complain that mayo is spicey

I don't take mayo(or any other white sauce, like Hollandaise, Tartar, etc. if I can help it), and I seldom take milk-based anything. Both do terrible, horrible things to my alimentary canal.

That being said, I like my coffee straight, or sweetened with hazelnuts, almonds(tried with both together too, and it was delish!), cinnamon, etc. I also drink Red Bull most every day(if the shop selling it is open), and I pretty much only accept glass-bottled Red Bull. The canned stuff is crap, due to some oxidation or similar.