Coffee isn't elitist. Coffee is often viewed as a pretentious and over complicated consumable reserved only for the upper echelon of society, and that couldn't be further from reality. 

Coffee is found in almost every culture across the globe, and has been fundamental in societies for centuries. I have been told by so many people that coffee “TASTES TERRIBLE” and they ask “HOW CAN ANYONE DRINK THIS”. It isn't until I make them a coffee myself from the cafe they start to realise the lie they have been living this whole time. So the question I then get asked is: HOW CAN I START LIKING COFFEE?

It’s a simple yet complex task, to start liking coffee, and is something that will not happen overnight. The hard reality of it is that it took myself the best part of a year to be able to (genuinely) enjoy a shot of pure black espresso. My journey started as a small half strength cappuccino with 2 sugars. Something weak, something sweet, and something my sister could teach me to make in her cafe. 

So how do you do it? How do you transition from sceptic to believer? 

Let me outline a few healthy tips and tricks that sent me on my journey of great coffee. 

Take your time. Understand that the path to liking coffee is a long journey, with everyone on their own path down the crema bricked road. Before diving headlong into the unknown, test the waters by dialling down your brew. 

1. Start off with a half strength coffee. The more you dilute your cup the less intense the coffee flavours will be in it. 
2. Add in some sugars or syrups even to dull down the flavours even more. 
3. Don’t jump straight to black coffee, stick to your milk based drinks like your lattes, cappuccinos or mochas for the beginning. If you can't have dairy my choice would be OAT milk as it has very little flavour to overpower your cup. 

Sure this detracts from the beautiful flavours of the coffee inside but WE ARE NOT READY! Take your time adjusting and finding these flavours in your own time, no one is rushing you to become a Q Grader overnight. You will slowly start to transition from liking the sweet flavours to cutting back on the sugars to appreciate the coffee more and more. 

One of THE MOST IMPORTANT STEPS in the journey of liking coffee is picking the right stuff. You will never be able to enjoy your brew if the coffee itself is terrible. The main places you want to avoid are any major chains or anything you can find in your local supermarket. I know this may seem SUPER inconvenient, you just have to trust me when I say you do not want to drink their coffee. 

Major chains rarely care for anything outside of profit. The way they gain profits is by cutting corners where it matters the most, dealing with low quality beans that are mass produced and have had little care in their preparation. Beans that leave millions of farmers struggling to put food on their tables, and forever reaching to live above the bottom line. 

Shop direct. Find a local roaster. Find companies that deal DIRECTLY with farmers and are honest about their product. 

Find companies that value transparency and try to educate you on the story of coffee and the journey it has taken to get to you. These are the people who care for your journey as much as the coffee's journey, and will help you with fine tuning and tailoring the coffee to suit what YOU want. Take our Il Caramello Blend, with natural flavours of caramel, toffee and sweet apricot it is perfect for anyone just starting out their coffee journey. If you are ready to take the next step, then we can cater to your favourite flavours with dozens of single origins that explore the world and your palette. 

You never know what you are missing out on if you do not broaden your horizons. My Dad always told me to try everything because “How do I know I don't like it?” which never sat well with 11 year old Liam. In time I came to realise that without trying new things you can never fully appreciate anything. 

Be adventurous, be brave. Order a new milk, add in a different syrup, try it WITHOUT syrup!

In my personal journey, my favourite mix up was ordering whatever I was ordering at the time; ICED! I was drinking caramel lattes, and by making it iced it was the best caramel milkshake I have ever had. Give it a try next time you order a coffee, whatever you are drinking, make it Iced. 

Eventually my journey led me to ICED LONG BLACKS with a dash of milk, just to soften the intensity slightly. Before I knew it I was knocking back espressos and loving every bit of the natural and subtle flavours of the pure espresso itself. 

A few rules before embarking on your journey: 

DON’T START WITH INSTANT COFFEE 

It just isn't worth it. Not for you, not for the farmers. 

DON’T BUY CHEAP, LOW QUALITY BEANS 

Set yourself up for success. Give yourself a head start into being able to enjoy coffee guilt free and full of flavour! 

DON’T JUMP STRAIGHT IN

Take your time, add sugars, add syrups. No one is judging you on your path, take it at your own pace and mix things up when YOU are ready! 

Coffee isn’t elitist. Coffee is for everyone and should never be viewed as this over complicated drink. Find the coffee that works best for you, you don’t have to bend to what coffee expects of you, coffee is there to be tailored to how YOU LIKE IT!

Do this and you will find that the steps down the crema brick road are easier than you think. 

Find your flavours online at Coffee Beans Delivered and start your journey. Do it once and do it right and you will never look back. 

You can also watch our Youtube Video where Ryd goes through everything you need to know on how to kick start your journey of liking coffee. You can check out the video HERE!