One of the most challenging things for most first-time Whole30 participants isn’t ditching the Diet Cokes or the mid-morning bagels… it’s the thought of drinking your coffee black. No sweetener, no creamer… just the hard-core flavor of straight black coffee. Admittedly, that was the hardest part for me (Melissa) during this last Whole30 go-around. I had become quite used to drinking my coffee with a generous splash of heavy cream… and for a while, the So Delicious vanilla-flavored soy creamer. Terrible stuff, that fake vanilla creamer, but it makes your coffee taste so GOOD. I found myself drinking more and more coffee, not because I needed the caffeine, but because in a mostly Whole30 diet, that was my only burst of sugary sweetness throughout the day.
When you first start the Whole30, the transition to black coffee is often a rough one. For many, the coffee tastes so awful that they find themselves drinking far less than normal. (Which in our eyes is a good thing, but doesn’t always make our readers very happy.) But this time around, my transition to black coffee was remarkably easy. Mostly because we had access to some really good coffee.
See, the key to happy black coffee consumption is simple. Buy really good coffee. Luckily, we had a secret coffee weapon in our Whole30 road trip arsenal, brought to us by our good friend, brew mistress and Trident CrossFit owner Andrea Seward. We’re talking about Misha’s Route 66 Blend, one of many Misha’s daily offerings and our favorite whole-bean coffee. Andrea was kind enough to sent us a few pounds of Misha’s before we hit the road, and via our patented coffee grinding mechanism*, were able to enjoy french-pressed Misha’s all the way from the beaches of Virginia to the Lake Louise campground in Banff.
*Place whole bean coffee in a Ziploc bag. Place inside another Ziploc bag, for safety. Place on hard surface and pound with rubber mallet until grounds are coarse. Drop into a giant french press, brew and enjoy.
Dallas grinds Misha's Route 66 by headlamp in Virginia Beach, VA
Visit Misha’s web site and check our all of their blends – you can even order on-line. With their super-fast shipping, in just a day or two you can start enjoying your coffee again while remaining Whole30 compliant. And as a special offer to Whole9 readers, if you add “Whole9” somewhere in the comments section of your order, Andrea and crew will add an extra 1/4 pound of coffee to your order!
Got any favorite coffee brands, or tips and tricks for making your black cup of Joe even more delicious? Drop them to comments.
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This is a very good point, Melissa. It really is much easier to drink coffee black when you drink the good stuff. Also, I found that as my tastes changed through the course of the Whole30, drinking black coffee became more palatable.
Our FAVORITE is Blair Estate’s Organic from Kauai, but you’re looking at $30 per lb plus shipping from Hawaii. Our locally available favorite brand would be Peet’s. Major Dickason’s blend is great.
A little unsweetend coconut milk in coffe okay?
@Dave: We’ve got some local brands that we like as well, but we keep coming back to our special order Misha’s. Thanks for sharing!
@J Spice: Totally – a little full-fat coconut milk (the stuff in the can) or coconut butter is fine, as is a dash or two of cinnamon.
Tom and I have a keurig since we like different kinds of coffee – we brew one fresh cup at a time
@Anita: That would probably do good things for our coffee consumption – we brew a whole pot at a time, and generally drink the whole darn thing.
Check out Dazbog coffee in Colorado. You can order it on line…it’s very good plain jane black.
FYI, roasted beans typically last 2ish weeks before deteriorating (varies, but rule of thumb), so make sure you buy your beans from a vendor that will tell you the date they were roasted (the stuff in supermarkets could be months old, that’s why they don’t have the date). There’s a big difference in flavour with freshly roasted beans.
Coach Burgener also recommended Misha’s coffee to me on FB when I was looking for good black coffee back when I started the Whole30 last summer. He always refers to his coffee as cowboy coffee and that scared me a bit (picturing insanely thick black sludge). I am going to try it though. Thanks for the recommendation.
I tried coffee today with no creamer or sugar..and honestly, IT WASN’T THAT BAD!!! Even better??? NO stomach cramps!
when in boston, make the trip to Taste Cafe in newtonville. the custom roasted bean called “Cerise” is currently being pulled from their incredible espresso machine and is devine. I get mine as a 5oz. Americano which is 2 shots and 3oz of hot water. Super special coffee. really, that good.
My pre-Whole 30 cup of coffee could best be described as a little coffee with my cream and sugar. I eliminated coffee altogether when I started the Whole 30 because I could not fathom a cup of coffee without the add ins. Post-Whole 30 I am enjoying coffee again, but completely black and sugar free! amazing.
Also, I can’t state this enough INVEST IN A FRENCH PRESS. They’re only $15-$22 and do a phenomenal job of extracting every last bit of flavor from your coffee I’m also fortunate to have places that sell both Intelligista and Stumptown brands on my block (williamsburg ho!). Both of these companies are more than happy to ship directly to you though, so no loss there.
If you’re going to go the french press route I’d recommend pairing it with an electric water kettle as well, makes life a lot easier.
And when you go a bit overboard you can invest in your own burr grinder, which I may or may not have already done . . .
I like to add a little cinnamon to the coffee grounds before brewing it, instead of adding it afterward. It makes the whole pot taste sweeter and uses a lot less cinnamon than adding it to each cup would.
I defintiely go WAY out of my way for good espresso……Much oilier and more fun to start with!
I have yet to try one of these, but it looks like fun; http://www.amazon.com/Mypressi-Twist-Portable-Espresso-Maker/dp/B002L16IRU
Here in CO we have http://ozocoffee.com/ , whihc brews up such a sweet and tasty shot, that brewed coffee just falls by the wayside for me.
but I’ve heard the chemex coffeemakers are hard to beat in the brewed world-
http://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/
mike
I have been very surprised at how much I’m enjoying coffee black. I tried coconut milk, but I can’t say it improved the taste for me. If I want to treat myself, I get an Americano. Thanks for this post!
My husband swore he’d never be able to give up cream in his coffee (and so did i), but we both did and now we don’t even miss it. The solution is to find a quality ORGANIC brand of whole beans and grind them…or use a rubber mallet and ziploc:) The organic brands tend to taste better because they’re free of any pesticide use. We have a brand called Kicking Horse in Canada which is awesome. The “Kick Ass” dark roast tastes like an Americano.
Or even better, switch to americano’s…. These are so good black and have a creamy taste.
Cinnamon also works well if you used to take it with sugar.
mmmmm….coffee
@Angie: I can confidently say Tucker loves Misha’s too… he’s the one who brought it to me first! Glad to hear you’re giving it a shot, let us know how you like it!
@Leo: Thanks for the recommendation, but we’re actually in the middle of a 30 day caffeine-free gig. It was time to push the “reset” button, so we’re drinking a LOT of herbal tea these days. Next Boston trip, we’ll have to check it out!
@Jennifer: Love the tip! We’ve done cinnamon in the coffee a bunch of times, but you’re left with this big snotty glop of cinnamon at the bottom of every cup. Not a pleasant surprise. We’ll have to try this tip when we get back to coffee later this month.
@Mike: Thanks for the resources! We use a good old fashioned french press, but good espresso is hard to beat too.
@Summer: We haven’t tried the coffee you gave us yet, because we’re doing a no caffeine thing right now. But it’s at the TOP of our list as soon as we’re done…. in just 23 days. But we’re not counting. Right.
Burr grinders don’t have to be ridiculously expensive! You can get a great grind out of a hand-cranked burr grinder without dropping the $100+ on an electric one. Since you’re currently bashing your beans with a hammer, it doesn’t sound like you’re afraid of a little manual labor. :)
This one comes recommended by some of my coffee-nerd friends:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/grinders/manual-grinders/hario-slim-mill.html
Jason,
How did you get such an awesome last name? Ha. Long lost relative, I guess.
Dallas (Hartwig)
I am on day 7 of my first try at the Whole30. I gave up dairy at the beginning of the year, and I was not happy for a couple of weeks. It was all related to my coffee! I love reading these comments. After a trip to New Orleans last month, I bought a French press. Between that a my burr grinder, I don’t need any cream. Now I just have to learn what an Americano is…
Sandy,
An Americano is simply an espresso topped off with hot water. I use a gorgeous little Bialetti espresso maker at home (here: http://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Express-2-Cup-Stovetop-Percolator/dp/B000NJHN30). Freshly ground espresso beans + homemade espresso = Heaven. But not toooo often ;) Good luck on your Whole30!
Dallas
What about flavored coffee? For instance, vanilla coffee? Thanks.
I mean flavored beans.