A warm cup of coffee is a crucial part of the morning routine for millions of people across the globe.

And for most, as the end of the daylight-saving time messes their sleep patterns, still reach for an extra cup of joe or two to power through their drowsiness.

However, for some sleep-deprived individuals, a cup of strong coffee is never the answer.

But why?

Here are some reasons why some people just hate coffee and some possible fixes. In addition, this article also offers some great options for coffee for people who don’t like coffee!

4 Reasons People Don’t Like Coffee

coffee for people who don’t like coffee

Reason #1: Bitter Taste Or Simple Don’t Like The Taste

Most individuals who do not like coffee say it is because of that prominent taste of coffee— too bitter. When they go to coffee shops, they usually order tea or hot chocos.

So, if you’re one who doesn’t like coffee because of its taste, then there are a few ways you can overcome this hate.

  • Go With Blonde or Light Roast

The longer coffee beans are roasted, the more bitter and smokier they get. So, if you hate coffee because of its bitter taste, then consider sticking to the blonde and light roasts and you will get something naturally brighter and sweeter.

Among the light roasted coffees, we highly recommend the African coffees. The Ethiopian single-origin coffee offers a wonderfully bright and fruity cup of joe without the bitterness at all.

  • Change Your Brewing

The cringe-worthy bitter taste comes from the specific acids that are extracted from coffee beans. These acids are 1 of the 3 major types of compounds extracted and they are the last ones to be extracted.

In order to get the coffee to taste less bitter, then you want to stop the extraction before it pulls those organic acids out of the coffee beans.

How do you do that?

  • Do not steep your coffee for long. Shorter contact time between the grounds and hot water means less extraction of compounds.
  • Use a coarser coffee ground. A coarser coffee ground has less surface area, minimizing the contact and slowing extraction.
  • Use cooler water. When you use hot water, the extraction is faster.

Experiment with those 3 variables and you will have a smoother and bitter-less cup of coffee.

  • Add Cream, Milk and/or Sugar

Numerous coffee snobs like to shame people for adding sugar, cream, or milk to their coffee.

Who cares?!

It’s their coffee, duh!

So, never mind the toxic people and go right ahead and start with the sugary lattes, frappuccinos, and milky white cups of joe. Over time, you can just reduce the amount of sugar and creamer you use and gradually come to enjoy the original taste of the coffee.

  • Sprinkle Some Salt

Seriously, though! It may sound weird but sprinkling some salt can help reduce the bitterness of the coffee by changing the way your brain and tongue perceive those bitter compounds. You can try sprinkling some salt to the dry coffee grounds before you add water.

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Reason #2: Jittery Episodes

Researchers of multiple studies have revealed that people process and break down caffeine differently at a genetic level.

Meaning, the same cup which barely wakes me up each morning could make you jittery all day long and keep you up until midnight.

Fortunately, there are effective solutions for this excuse:

  • Go With Decaf

Decaffeinated coffees are coffee beans that have been processed to remove its caffeine. However, decaf coffee is not completely caffeine-free. At least 97 percent of caffeine contents were removed in a decaffeinated coffee. Read Here: Top 10 Best Decaf Coffee

This minuscule caffeine content is not going to make you all jittery and shaky or cause your heart to feel like it could jump out of your chest.

This way you can take a few cups daily without all the jitters.

Or…

  • Try Half-Caff

There is nothing wrong with blending a caffeinated coffee with decaf in order to get a caffeine concentration that works for you.

  • Have a Taste of the Darker Roasts

If bitterness is not a problem, then you can try switching to the dark roasts. When coffee beans are roasted for longer, the caffeine is broken down. This means that the dark roasts contain less caffeine.

But there is a flip side to this argument:

Although darker roasted coffee has less caffeine per bean, the beans lose water the longer they roast. Thus, have more caffeine by weight.

So, what does it mean for you?

If you are used to measuring your morning cup of joe in a tablespoon of any other measurement tools of volume, then you will get less caffeine by switching to the darker roast.

However, if you weight out your coffee, which is, fortunately, less common, then it is better that you stick with the lighter roasts.

Coffee For People Who Don’t Like Coffee

Reason #3: Expensive?

A daily $4 cup of joe at your local coffee shop would cost you about $1,400 a year. So, yes, coffee can be expensive.

But, hey, you can always make your cup of joe at home!

For this you only need 2 basic pieces of equipment:

  • Brewing Machine

There is a wide range of coffee brewing equipment you can choose from. The single-serve coffee makers such as Keurigs can cost you $80 – $150 upfront and spending of $0.75 per K-cups thereafter. Read Here: Top 10 Best Coffee Makers Under $50

Still too high? Then get a simple pour-over coffee maker for only $10 – $30. You can skip the pods and use pre-ground coffee.

  • Grinder

The great-tasting coffee rule is simple:

Fresh grinds = Fresh coffee.

And this is why it is always recommended that you get whole beans and grind them by yourself.

For this, you will a grinder. There are 2 types available:

The high-end burr grinders that can go up to hundreds of dollars, to the less superior blade grinders that are way below the $50 price range.

If you want to enjoy high-quality coffee, go with burr grinders.

Trust me, it’s worth it!

Coffee does not have to be expensive if you are willing to make it yourself. Read Here: Top 10 Best Ground Coffees

And although you may have to pay a large amount upfront, brewing your own coffee at home will give you better savings in the long term.

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12 Alternative Coffee For People Who Don’t Like Coffee

There are a lot of people who do not like coffee. And still, many of them want to drink coffee to wake them up, trying to learn to like coffee and jump on the bandwagon of enjoying a cup of joe without cringing.

So, here is a list of alternative coffee for people who don’t like coffee to help you transition from a non-coffee drinker to a real coffee lover.

Coffee For People Who Don’t Like Coffee

Café Mocha / Mocha Latte

This beverage is usually considered as the gateway coffee drink. And if your chocolate is your kind of jam, then mocha latte can help ease your taste buds into drinking coffee.

Café mocha tastes like subtly coffee-flavored hot choco. You can even add a bit of whipped cream on top for some extra sweetness.

Dunkin Donuts Coolattas

Coolattas are basically frozen flavored drinks. Most of these beverages contain coffee, so getting a boost of caffeine without the bitter coffee taste is easy with this treat. Read Here: Top 10 Best Dunkin Donuts Coffees

Coolattas can come in vanilla bean, caramel, Oreo, mocha, and other sweet beverages your taste buds love. 

Chicory Coffee

Just like coffee beans, the chicory root can be roasted, ground, and brewed into a yummy hot beverage. Plus, it tastes very similar to coffee, without the caffeine, making it suitable for those sensitive to caffeine.

Chicory root can be found roasted and pre-ground, so it is easy to prepare. You can just brew it like regular coffee grounds.

Vanilla Latte

One of my personal favorites, vanilla latte can come iced or hot. And although they contain a good amount of coffee, vanilla latte tastes like you dipped a sugar cookie into a cup of joe.

Matcha Tea

Probably one of the most popular beverages on Instagram today, matcha tea is a kind of green tea made by drying, steaming, and grinding the Camellia sinensis plant leaves into a fine powder.

And in contrast to the brewable green tea, you consume the whole lead. Matcha has a fresh flavor that some people describe as earthy coffee. Since you consume the whole lead, matcha tea is usually higher in caffeine than the regular brewed green tea and even coffee.

Thus, it makes a perfect alternative of coffee for people who don’t like coffee by providing you the energizing caffeine you need without the bitter coffee taste.

Starbucks Frappuccino

Ah… Fraps!

The amount of flavors they have is heavenly and is basically one of the best, sweetest beverages ever!

My personal Frappuccino favorite from Starbucks? The double chocolate chips. It gives you a rich chocolatey flavor with the crunchy chocolate chips inside!

But if you’re not into chocos, they also have vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, strawberry, green tea, and even toasted graham cracker and pumpkin spice which you can get during Fall.

Chai Tea

A type of black tea blended with strong spices and herbs; chai tea contains less caffeine than coffee bus still improves your mental alertness.

As a great substitute to coffee for people who don’t like coffee, you can make a chai tea latte. It tastes like tea with milk, infused with strong spices offering a creamy delight that can keep you cool in the summer.

Coffee shops tend to use a spiced chai concentrate when making the chai lattes, adding at least ½ parts milk and a shot of espresso for a small caffeine kick.

The end result is delicious and is one of the best drinks that can help non-coffee drinkers get acquainted with the coffee taste.

Caramel Macchiato

If you never tried this one, then you really should go to your local coffee shop and ask for one. Not only are they creamy, but they are also Instagrammable.

A caramel macchiato is steamed milk topped with foam then espresso in order to create that luscious, caramel-layered coffee drink.

Kombucha

A fermented variety of tea, Kombucha contains colonies of live bacteria. Often carbonated, Kombucha is often publicized to help improve immunity and digestion.

This beverage is brewed from tea, so it has less amount of caffeine than a regular cup of coffee. In terms of taste, Kombucha can have a vinegary soda taste.

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Vietnamese Coffee

The great thing about the Vietnamese iced coffee is that it is sweet and rich. The coffee is brewed in the little metal Vietnamese filter, resting right on top of a cup or glass that contains about half or quarter of sweetened condensed milk.

The sweet tastes of the condensed milk add creamy, luscious goodness that compliments the tea. This makes it easier on the stomach for those who are not quite used to the harsh acidity and taste of the traditional cup of joe.

Butter Coffee

The best thing about this one is its health benefits. Putting butter in your coffee can provide important healthy fats that the body craves. Grass-fed butter has the right fats to regulate cholesterol and is a great source of omega fatty acids to reduce body fat.

In addition to the buttery benefits that it provides, butter coffee has a fluffy and light taste that makes it one of the best coffees for people who don’t like coffee.

Yerba Mate

Lastly, how could we forget Yerba?

It is a type of herbal tea, usually compared to coffee when it comes to its caffeine content. Filled with antioxidants and caffeine, Yerba Mate gives a more mellow buzz than traditional coffee.

Final Thoughts:

There are various reasons why some people don’t like coffee. And who are we to judge?

But hey, we also like to share the goodness of coffee, thus we recommended some of the best alternatives to coffee for people who don’t like coffee. Sooner or later, you will wake up craving a cup of coffee just like everybody else!

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