Don’t Mess with Our Coffee!

As part of our new lifestyle, one of the first changes we made was to eliminate sugar and half-and-half from our coffee. For years, we added 2 tablespoons of sugar and 4 tablespoons of half-and-half, to make our delicious morning treat. To be aligned with our low-carb ketogenic diet, we eliminated sugar. We were also fasting, so to prevent breaking the fast we had to cut out our creamy half-and-half. Drinking our coffee black was just not enjoyable, so I researched a great deal to find out how to make the best tasting black coffee. We ended up going down the cold brew path. Processing the coffee without high heat made a huge difference in the bitterness level and serving it on ice made it tolerable. We still missed the half-and-half, sparking me to find several creamer alternatives, mostly powders made with coconut powder, none of which tasted as good as half-and-half. We eliminated the half-and-half to achieve a 100% clean fast, but you can actually have 45 calories without breaking the fast (dirty fast). 2 tablespoons are roughly 45 calories, so we added it back in with our cold brew and after months of black coffee we had something satisfactory.

A year later, and after many adjustments and learning all about espresso, we have a couple of different coffee recipes that are our favorites. Our espresso breve is so good that we prefer it without sweetener, and we have learned to enjoy the simple rich coffee flavor. Looking back, I think we were making everything taste good with sugar and missing out on all of the subtle flavors of our cup-a-joe.

​Espresso Cold Brew 6 Oz of cold brew (we buy organic bottled from Publix) 2 tablespoons organic half-and-half 2 shots of espresso (we use a Mr. Coffee machine) 1/4 cup ice

​Espresso Hot Brew 6 Oz of cold brew, heated to 150 degrees 2 tablespoons organic half-and-half 2 shots of espresso (we use a Mr. Coffee machine)

On weekends, we take a break and enjoy cappuccinos with 1 tablespoon of erythritol and sometimes keto caramel. For an added energy and brain boost, we add MCT.

I am always experimenting with new techniques and researching the finer details around making coffee. Perhaps we will have a new favorite next month.