Coffee that doesn't taste like coffee....
By dragon54u
@dragon54u (31634)
United States
July 8, 2011 10:24am CST
I'm having a rather rough month financially and am trying to cut down on expenses. So when I ran out of coffee I looked at the large baggie of coffee that my stepmom gave me about a month ago--it's coffee that she and dad have collected from motels when they travel or little packets people have given them that they haven't used. So I did not buy coffee but decided to use what was in the bag.
This morning I brewed some hazelnut coffee from one of the little packets. I was really disappointed. It didn't really taste like coffee at all, just some hot water that was flavored with some kind of sweet thing that didn't even taste like a hazelnut (called a filbert in some parts of the country).
I have other flavored coffees in that baggie from vanilla to raspberry to chocolate and I think I'll just give them away to a neighbor. How can people drink that stuff? I guess they don't like the taste of coffee but want the caffeine?
I'm going to buy some coffee later today. I'll cut down somewhere else although I don't know where..
Do you like flavored coffee? If so, do you drink it because you don't like the taste of coffee and want something hot with caffeine? Or do you really like the flavor? Or have I just tasted inferior flavored coffee that retains no coffee flavor? The coffee I had was Millstone.
2 people like this
20 responses
@belonephobicgirl (513)
• United States
8 Jul 11
I like flavored coffee a lot, it's so tasty! :) But, I can not drink it every day because it's too sweet for a every day fix. I do use creamer in my coffee sometimes with two packets of sugar, but once in a while I like it black.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
8 Jul 11
I prefer black coffee because I love good coffee flavor. But I'm picky--coffee like Maxwell House and Folger's are worse than swill to me because they are so bland that even when I make it strong it tastes mediocre. I'm afraid I prefer the more costly types. Luckily, it's one of the few areas in my life where I'm picky! 
I like cream and sugar in iced coffee but not hot coffee. I love that tiny little jolt in the morning from the flavor and the caffeine!
I like cream and sugar in iced coffee but not hot coffee. I love that tiny little jolt in the morning from the flavor and the caffeine!
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
8 Jul 11
Oh yeah...great for these hot summer days. I use leftover coffee or some that I don't really care for then brew it and let it cool. Then put it in a blender with cream/milk and sugar, maybe some frozen strawberries, chocolate or caramel ice cream syrup and some ice--or just plain creamer and sugar. It's absolutely delicious, a really cheap way to have a drink that would cost you $5-7 at a coffee bar! 
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
8 Jul 11
Hi dragon
Though I am a caffeine coffee drinker, when I want to drink coffee, I cannot do the flavored types. Something about any flavoring sort of takes away the taste of the coffee for me. I will use cream and only a pinch of sugar as I really want to taste the coffee itself.
When I stay at hotels and know there is a coffee pot available in the room, usually I take my own coffee to brew. Something about them really do taste like watered down coffee for me. Nice of you to share it with your neighbors as I am sure there are some people who do like the hotel coffee, especially if free, lol
I hear you on the cutting back as we too here are having a difficult time as well. I do hope things do get better for both of us.
Though I am a caffeine coffee drinker, when I want to drink coffee, I cannot do the flavored types. Something about any flavoring sort of takes away the taste of the coffee for me. I will use cream and only a pinch of sugar as I really want to taste the coffee itself.
When I stay at hotels and know there is a coffee pot available in the room, usually I take my own coffee to brew. Something about them really do taste like watered down coffee for me. Nice of you to share it with your neighbors as I am sure there are some people who do like the hotel coffee, especially if free, lol
I hear you on the cutting back as we too here are having a difficult time as well. I do hope things do get better for both of us. @dragon54u (31634)
• United States
8 Jul 11
Hey, someone else who has the same tastes as me!! 
I'm not in a desperate situation right now but I can see it coming. I'm doing everything I can to delay it, but this coffee is undrinkable. Coffee is the one luxury in life that I have right now--well, I have my TCM channel but it's being cancelled soon even though I love old movies, especially the silent ones. Maybe I can get it back if things improve. I'm just glad I'm in the process of cutting to the bone instead of already being there and having nowhere left to cut.
You'll be in my prayers.
I'm not in a desperate situation right now but I can see it coming. I'm doing everything I can to delay it, but this coffee is undrinkable. Coffee is the one luxury in life that I have right now--well, I have my TCM channel but it's being cancelled soon even though I love old movies, especially the silent ones. Maybe I can get it back if things improve. I'm just glad I'm in the process of cutting to the bone instead of already being there and having nowhere left to cut.
You'll be in my prayers.@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
8 Jul 11
Haven't seen any at the 99ยข store but found some great stuff at an independent outlet store awhile back. Unfortunately, they haven't had any for quite some time but I'm always on the lookout. One of my best buys there was Pilon for $1.29 a brick and La Llave for $1.59--great stuff!! 
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
8 Jul 11
btw, my son loves brewed coffee and he found some he said was very good at the dollar or 99 cent store. cant remember which. cant remember the name either. 
you might try that for cheaper coffee.
you might try that for cheaper coffee.1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Jul 11
The flavored coffees smell good but taste awful to me!
1 person likes this
@sid556 (30959)
• United States
10 Jul 11
No I actually don't like the flavored coffee at all. I love coffee and drink it with just cream...no sugar. One way that I've cut back on my coffee is that I make iced coffee. I don't seem to waste as much and it tastes great. I just make a pot the night before and put it in the refrig and it's all set for the morning. Hot coffee i tended to waste because once it cooled down, I'd end up pouring it out and making a new one. Also if it was on too long, it would start to taste burnt or stale. I love my coffee and it isn't one part of my budget I'm willing to cut too much back on.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
10 Jul 11
While I was researching my coffee articles I found that you can put ground coffee in a container--even tie it up in a coffee filter in a container--and put it in the fridge for a few hours and it will "brew" the coffee. I haven't tried it and would think you wouldn't get as much flavor because the oils aren't released by the hot water but I guess it's a popular way to make it especially in the summer.
I have an iced tea dispenser )with a glass thermos inside) I got at a thrift store that I use for my coffee. I brew it then pour it in there, about 5 cups according to the coffeepot. It takes it off the burner (which scorches the coffee and that's why it tastes nasty) and all I have to do is depress the button at the top and hold my cup under it when I want some coffee. It always tastes fresh and delicious!
You should try putting your iced coffee in a blender and add cream, a little sugar and some strawberries and blend it very well. It's really delicious and you don't lose the coffee flavor. It's a good way to get fruit for someone like me that doesn't really like fruit much. I also like to put caramel or chocolate syrup in the blender with it.
1 person likes this
@thatgirl13 (7294)
• South Korea
9 Jul 11
I actually prefer coffee without favor but we have this huge box of vanilla coffee and now I am forcefully making myself drink it just to finish it up quick. It doesn't taste so good but was more costly than the regular coffee. My dad says it tastes fine but to me it doesn't taste like coffee 
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Jul 11
For those of us who truly enjoy coffee, the flavored stuff just doesn't satisfy!
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Jul 11
I don't go that far but my day is better if I start it with a few cups of GOOD coffee! Sometimes I'll have some after dinner, especially in the winter, but it tastes good any time of day if it's good coffee. I'm going to have to break down and go get some today--that motel coffee I have and the sample packets are some of the worst swill I have ever tasted.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
19 Jul 11
I've not heard of little packets like that. I love coffee, I love to taste coffee and I'm loathe to have those flavours as a substitute...I mean, what's the point of flavoured coffee??? Coffee IS a flavour.
We have thick syrups here to add to coffee...hazelnut, Irish cream, butterscotch etc. they are excessively sweet...I used to sell them when I had my cafe.
I just don't get it.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
19 Jul 11
I don't get it either! I used to work in a little coffee/snack bar and rarely sold plain coffee--it was always with flavoring syrups, sugar, cream and the like. People just don't like coffee, I guess, although most people drink it in some form or another.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Jul 11
Oh, your poor hubby! But decaffeinated can taste just as great. I don't like Maxwell House or Folgers but they'll do in a pinch and are much better than flavored coffee. I'm venturing out today so that my morning tomorrow will start out well--maybe some Sumatran or maybe I'll try some Costa Rica coffee, they have some very good soil down there or so I've read.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
8 Jul 11
Well, I might try that! I little flavored coffee with the regular--that would stretch the coffee and maybe still give me the coffee flavor I love with a subtle undertone. Good suggestion, thanks!!
@tigeraunt (6326)
• Philippines
9 Jul 11
hi dragon,
i am not a coffee drinker, nor tea. but my boss is. and he always goes for brewed coffee and black.
i wonder, why some people like coffee more bitter and does not show how bitter it tastes when they sip at it. i look at them in the face and i see no expression. hahaha!
ann
hahaha!
ann1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Jul 11
Good coffee is not bitter, Tigeraunt. It depends on where it is grown, how it is cleaned and processed and how it is roasted. The darker roasts are more bitter if not done properly. I love properly done dark roasts but they are hard to find.
@picjim (3002)
• India
9 Jul 11
Coffee is coffee only when it is in its original form.Can't think of any form of flavored coffee.Recently some friends and people close to me have bought us coffee from other parts of the world.Though it isn't flavored once you are used to coffee from a certain place coffee from elsewhere doesn't taste as good or have the same flavor.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Jul 11
I love to try new coffees! I like to go to a place where you can grind your own and I can choose from beans from all over the world. Places like that are getting harder to find.
That's how I found Sumatran coffee, which is like heaven in a cup! But you're right, what you're used to always seems to taste best--until you taste something better!
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
8 Jul 11
Yes, we do tend to get set in our ways especially in matters of flavor! I never liked instant coffee and since I did a series of articles on coffee I know why. But it's a matter of what you are used to and how your tastebuds have adjusted. I'm sure most people would hate my coffee as I make it!
I love tea, too. My mom drank tea since I can remember. Her brother, my uncle, was a tea lover and insisted on beautiful china cups and saucers to drink it in. Grandma liked cream and sugar in her tea but she was the only one, although I do like it now when it is winter, cold and snowy outside.
Lipton has some delicious ginger peach tea that I enjoy but I usually just like plain black tea.
Thanks for your input--you brought back some wonderful memories for me!
@CTHanum (8234)
• Malaysia
8 Jul 11
I've never taste flavored coffee before. Yet I've tasted some flavored tea like vanilla and strawberry tea. I might be similar the different is just between the coffee and the tea tastes~(^^)Anyway since I am not a coffee nor tea fan but if I want to drink I would choose the original coffee drink. The taste is much better.Me myself mostly loves original tastes than the one with additional flavors~(^^)
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Jul 11
Me, too. I like the flavor of things unadulterated and if I don't, I won't eat or drink them. I love the taste of good coffee and can't understand why people what to flavor it other than they just don't like the flavor--so why drink it?
@bouncybug (614)
• South Africa
9 Jul 11
I can't stand flavoured coffee!! Like you said - why bother to drink coffee if you are going to hide the taste of the coffee with some other artificial flavour!! The raspberry flavour especially sounds horrible :( I would recommend that you go get some good old fashioned coffee flavoured coffee!
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Jul 11
I'm going to get some today, I just can't take this bad coffee! I believe that people who don't like coffee prefer the flavored varieties, they want something warm but don't like coffee flavor. It's not for everyone, but it's getting so that there are more flavored coffees than non-flavored.
I wanted some freshly ground beans a few months ago and 90% of the beans were flavored. I ended up getting pre-ground coffee after all.
@GardenGerty (160952)
• United States
9 Jul 11
Motel coffee never tastes like coffee. Flavored coffee that I buy is not sweetened at all. I would complain that it is more acid though. I will take a packet and mix it with my regular coffee, or with decaf coffee.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Jul 11
I never liked motel coffee! Any time I have traveled in the past fifteen years I've taken along my own coffee. You know that coffee has to be the cheapest possible and I doubt there's a lot of true coffee in it.
@leeloo (1492)
• Portugal
9 Jul 11
I drink predominantly instant coffee, as brewed coffee makes me all edgy, the only type of flavoured coffee I like are the Nescafe capuccinos, I don't have them very often because I find them too sweet, though they do have a sugarless variety. The thing is the chocolate one should come like a Moka coffee, which not everyone likes, raspberry I can't imagine, but the vanilla is a common mix in desserts. I do like cinnamon in my coffee but I add it myself.
I found this forum where people discuss the better cheaper coffees
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/392443
there is always the possibility of a sale or coupon available.
PS I wonder how old some of the coffee is, when it gets old or stale it looses most of the flavour and gets that dry weird taste, at least that is what my family tells me.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Jul 11
I've been to Chowhound before when I was researching coffee for some articles, it's a good place to learn about coffee!
Coffee does get stale but the beans will last for years if they are stored properly and unroasted. The reason ground coffee gets stale is because the oils in the beans gets old and rancid and it's the oils that give it its flavor. That's also why coffee left on the warmer tastes like crap after about 20 minutes, the oils have been scorched.
@carolscash (9492)
• United States
8 Jul 11
I am not a big fan of coffee, but I do like to drink flavored coffee or coffee with flavored creamer. I personally do not like chocolate coffee, but I do like some of the others. The vanilla and the raspberry would certainly be tasty!
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
8 Jul 11
So you don't like coffee but want a hot flavored drink with some caffeine? I know a lot of people like that and they love the flavored coffees. I just prefer good, strong coffee that tastes of earth, fresh tropical breezes, shady jungles and bright sunshine. It's just indescribably delicious!
I'm going to take a suggestion and blend the flavored with the regular and see how it tastes. Who knows, I may love it!
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
9 Jul 11
I like hazelnut coffee and disagree with your statement that it doesn't taste like coffee. To me, it tastes like coffee with just a hint of nut. I don't buy hazelnut coffee for home use but usually get a cup when I sho p at our local military commissary. A boss I once had, that no one else could get along with, liked flavored coffees (hazelnut was her favorite). She invited me to come into her office and get a cup of her coffee anytime I wanted. I didn't go into her office unless she called me in, though. I was afraid the other emoployees would think I was brown nosing.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Jul 11
I guess I am used to unflavored and the flavor overwhelmed my taste buds.
It sounds as if your former boss was misunderstood. Usually we like people if we take the time to get past their defenses and get to know them.
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
8 Jul 11
i absolutely love coffee but it usually has to be my instant mountain blend, nescafe. Ive had people who drink brewed tell me its the only instant they can stand. i used to drink brewed when we would travel and i hadnt brought any of mine with me. i will drink it other then nothing. i love the taste of coffee.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
8 Jul 11
You like Nescafe because the manufacturers were the first to explore instant coffee. They wanted something that tasted as much as possible like freshly brewed coffee and they tend to buy higher quality beans than most other companies to produce instant coffee. The other buy the Robusta beans, the ones that farmers reject and were wasted until companies decided that they'd be good for instant coffee!
I don't like instant, though. My SIL gave me some Starbucks instant packets that are quite expensive (someone had given it to her, we can't afford that stuff! ) but they taste horrible! I put them down in my emergency disaster supplies, figuring they'll be better than nothing if there's no coffee available after a natural disaster. 
) but they taste horrible! I put them down in my emergency disaster supplies, figuring they'll be better than nothing if there's no coffee available after a natural disaster. 
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Jul 11
Only one cup a day? Then it had better be good!! They say that 2-3 cups a day is healthy for you but I admire your moderation.
They say that 2-3 cups a day is healthy for you but I admire your moderation.