A lot of people have never had a cup of coffee they could drink black. They add cream to cover the bitterness, sugar to cover the sour, and after a while the coffee is just the thing that carries the creamer. Then they try a cup that does not need any of it, and they are honestly surprised.

That surprise is the most common thing we hear at our farmers market tables. People who have used creamer for thirty years take a black sample, stop, and ask what is different. This post is about exactly that: why most coffee needs to be covered up, what makes coffee you can drink black, and what our own customers say after trying ours without anything in it. Every quote below is a real review, and you can read all of them on our reviews page.

What real customers say about drinking it black

We never asked anyone to write about black coffee. They just kept doing it.

“Their coffee is THE only coffee I can drink black. Love it.”
Tania P, Facebook

“Best coffee and I never drink black… But I can drink your’s black! Great job!”
Jeffrey H, Facebook

“Drank it black, which for anyone who knows me is saying something!”
Lori S, Facebook

“We were there Sunday. Brothers are great guys with delicious coffee. Never drank a full cup of black coffee till now.”
Robert G, Facebook

Some people came in as lifelong cream and sugar drinkers and left surprised:

“I’ve always had coffee with cream. Just tried a sample of their coffee, black, at a craft fair. Wow, it was quite good and I’ve never liked black coffee!”
Judy G, Google

“The coffee was so good, I almost wanted to drink it black, when I normally love creamer and sugar in mine.”
Jayne K, Google

“Went from having to mix 3 different coffee to only using Der Hoffskeller. My husband loves it as he now knows the joy of just drink black coffee.”
Kaela

“Don’t have to cover up bitterness with milk or creamer. This is really well balanced coffee. Just incredible. As advertised. Priced right. Full flavor.”
Bark A, X

Why most coffee needs cream in the first place

Cream and sugar are a fix for two problems: bitterness and sourness. When a coffee is bitter, fat from the cream softens it. When a coffee is sharp or sour, sugar hides it. If a coffee has neither problem, there is nothing to fix, and it tastes good on its own.

Most grocery store coffee has at least one of those problems. Some is roasted fast and hot, so the outside of the bean scorches before the inside is done, and that scorched taste comes through as bitterness. Other coffees are roasted light and taste bright or tangy, which a lot of people read as sour. And plenty of coffee has been sitting on a shelf for months, which flattens the good flavors and leaves the harsh ones behind.

What makes coffee you can drink black

There is no single trick. It is a few things done the slow way.

1. A slow roast in cast iron

We roast every batch in cast iron at our family farm in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Cast iron holds heat steady and even, so the beans roast all the way through instead of burning on the outside. That steady heat is a big part of why the finished cup is smooth instead of harsh. If you want the longer story, we wrote about what cast iron roasted coffee is.

2. A blend of dark and light

Our coffee is a German Norwegian style blend of dark and light roasted Colombian Supremo Arabica beans. The dark roast brings the body and the deep, nutty flavor. The lighter roast keeps it from tasting burnt. Together they land in the middle, which is where black coffee tastes best: bold, but not bitter. More on that in our post about the German Norwegian blend.

“I have been on the hunt for delicious dark roast coffee. The large retailers burn the coffee and call it dark and it’s not great. I ordered some beans from Der Hoffskeller and I’ve brewed them in several ways and all were great! Dark but not bitter.”
Bill F, Facebook

3. Roasted fresh, in small batches

We roast in small batches and ship it fresh. Fresh coffee tastes sweeter and rounder, and it is much easier to drink black. Stale coffee is where a lot of that flat, bitter taste comes from.

“Excellent coffee! No bitterness at all, just a super smooth, freshly roasted, cup of coffee.”
Brett B, Google

“Der Hoffskeller coffee is smooth and fresh. There is none of that acidic, bitter aftertaste.”
Mark G, Google

Customers also tell us it is easy on the stomach. If that matters to you, read what customers say about our smooth, low acid coffee.

How to brew a great cup of black coffee at home

Good beans do most of the work, but a few simple habits make black coffee taste even better:

• Use enough coffee. Weak coffee tastes thin and sour. Start with about 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every 6 ounces of water, then adjust to taste.
• Use water just off the boil. Water that is too hot pulls out bitterness, and water that is too cool tastes weak. Let a boiling kettle rest for about 30 seconds.
• Grind right before you brew if you buy whole bean. Ground coffee loses flavor fast.
• Do not let it sit on a hot plate. Coffee kept hot for an hour turns bitter. Brew what you will drink, or keep it in a thermos.
• Store it airtight. We pack our coffee in Mason jars for a reason. Here is how to store coffee so it stays fresh.

It works in a drip machine, a pour over, a French press or a moka pot. Customers use all of them:

“It’s delicious in a French press, steeped for 4 minutes.”
Dixie D, Facebook

“Just got my first bag last week. We usually drink Jamaican Blue Mountain and just bought it to try. We love it. It is a really smooth coffee to give us some variety.”
TexasLolli64, X

Try it black once

If you have always taken your coffee with cream, try one cup of ours black before you add anything. That is how most of the people above found out. If you still want cream after that, that is fine too. It just will not be covering anything up.

Not sure where to start? The Hoff (1 lb) is an easy first bag, and the Big Hoff Bag (2 lbs) is what most of our regulars order. Every size comes whole bean or ground. You can order online here, or find us in person at one of our Wisconsin farmers markets and taste it black before you buy.