[quote:0d3809f088=\"kaapiman\"]I am from India where coffee is drunk with milk. Now as far as I understand, coffee is best appreciated black, especially when you want to enjoy the variations in tastes of beans from different places.
What I want to know is... will the variety of taste of various beans be lost when drunk with milk? I don''''t mean lots of milk and froth, but even a little bit of milk?
I know an expert may be able to differentiate but what about normal people who just enjoy their coffee? Can they enjoy the variety in taste?[/quote:0d3809f088]
Folks have differing opinions on this. The purist will always choose to cup his coffees black in order to taste the cascade of flavors that emerge. But many people like to drink their coffee with milk or cream, and or sugar.
Personally, I don''t like the taste of beer. I''ve been of drinking age for many years and have had plenty of opportunity to develop my pallet for the flavor. But I just don''t like it. Many people are this way with coffee.
Coffee becomes part of their morning ritual; their wake up routine. Coffee triggers brain activity. It clears the mind and sinuses for the start of another day. They like coffee the way they''re used to it.
For these people to judge coffee as to flavor and \"quality\" they must drink it the way they like it. Otherwise they struggle to give a reliable opinion. They have trouble distinguishing different aspects of the coffee, good and bad. Mostly they judge bad, because the milk or cream and sugar smooths out the character of the coffee.
To sum it up, drink black to taste the broadest spectrum of flavors. Add milk if you must. Let the coffee cool a bit to allow flavors to emerge.
Mako