Black Coffee - © Wikipedia

A New Coffee Controversey Rears Its Head

How refreshing! A controversy about Coffee that doesn’t revolve on either the wisdom or safety of caffeine consumption, or the possible toxic effects of the beverage’s many exotic components. In fact, the questionable ingredient this time around is not one that comes in Coffee, but one many of us add ourselves…

The culprit this time is… Sugar. Yup. And the contentious issue is whether a café manager should have the unmitigated gall to suggest you at least try your premium brew without Sugar first, before adulterating it with sweetener or Milk products.

It all started when a Tumbler user posted this photo:

Don't use Sugar in your Coffee! - © 2015 Tumbler

The café is not named nor is it’s location. The provenance of the image is, therefore, uncertain. But it seems legit to me.

Questions we should be asking:

  • Is, as one Tumbler commentor suggested, truly good Coffee well-balanced and ‘sweet’ enough to stand on its own, in classic black mode?
  • Does the vendor, as another commentor asked, have the right to suggest how you take your Coffee?
  • Do you, as many commentors insisted, buy and drink Coffee simply for the Caffeine and not really care about the flavour? (Thus, dumping in a boatload of Milk and Sugar?)
  • Does the courtesy paid all great, and even just really good, chefs – at least tasting their food the way they took pains to make it, before adding stuff to it – apply to accomplished barristas in premium Coffee establishments?

I have my own opinions, but I won’t disclose them just yet, so as not to influence you.

Anyway… Let the discussion flourish. And enjoy your coffee the way you like it!

~ Maggie J.