r/SpecialtyCoffee

Ok so I'm starting keto and I need to change what I put in my coffee. FYI I used to drink Hazelnut flavored coffee with Hazelnut creamer. Obviously I really enjoy the hazelnut flavor and would like to keep it and I don't mind adding in additional flavors like caramel and/or cocoa but I cannot have sugar. I tried my current cheap coffee brand with cocoa powder, some stevia powder and either almond or oat milk but it's just not working.

I don't mind upping my coffee to a higher quality but I cannot stand the bitterness and would like to keep the nutty flavor and relative sweetness.

Any suggestions?!

I've been into specialty coffee for a few years now — started with a basic pour-over setup and slowly fell down the rabbit hole. Most current go-to is v60 or espresso shot from Sage Barista Machine.

The excitment I still regularly find is testing the new bean I got from local roaster, and testing out different temperatures or grinding size. Every somall shifts something in cup, so I' ve been keeping a small notebook to record those "there it is" moment.

I started writing everything down because I kept forgetting what worked. After a few bags I had enough notes to notice real patterns. The notebook got messy so I ended up building a little app for it ( called Tamped, in beta now, in case anyone is interested)

Curious what others track and whether it changed the way dialing in feels.

Hii all!

I'm brand new to the coffee world and trying to take a measurable step-by-step approach to learning how to discern different brewing methods and flavours.

So far:

• I used to drink black tea. My first attempt at instant coffee (water + sugar) was a fail.
• I tried Nescafe Gold with a handheld milk frother and plenty of milk to try and make some silly version of an instant coffee latte and actually loved the texture and caffeine kick.
• Currently, I've moved on to a French Press with pre-ground light roast coffee. Honestly, I don't enjoy it as much as the frothed instant coffee. It feels a bit thin to me, but I'm finishing the bag before I move on.
• My next step is using a KINGrinder P2 to grind my own coffee.

My questions (feel free to answer any, don't need to answer all!):

1. Is this slow progress actually helpful? Or should I skip the trial and error and jump to a more advanced brewing method?
2. Since I preferred the instant coffee over the light roast, should I be looking at a medium or dark roast for my first bag of whole beans?
3. I was looking to buy a Moka Pot too. But I'm wondering if I should first use the French Press + P2 grinder combo? Or should I jump to Moka Pot + P2 grinder
4. I'm curious, if you were starting over, would you follow a path like this, or is there a certain starting point you would insist is the baseline to begin at?

Thanks for any advice!! 💖