Should you Add Milk to Pour-Over Coffee?


You just made a fresh, hot cup of pour-over coffee and the taste is almost perfect, but you want to add milk for various reasons. So, can you add milk to pour-over coffee?

Milk can be added to pour-over coffee to make it less strong, make the coffee more creamy, or add protein to the coffee. Milk can change the taste of some coffee, and many people choose to add milk to their pour-over coffee to make it less bitter. Creamer can also be added to change the flavor.

Below, we have the specific reasons as to why someone might add milk to their coffee. Keep reading to help you know if you should!

What is Pour-Over Coffee?

Pour-over coffee is a certain method of making coffee that helps you get a certain temperature and taste to your coffee. To make pour-over coffee you have to:

  1. Boil water and put it into a mug
  2. Put a filter inside a dripper and put it on the mug
  3. Measure out your coffee grounds and put them in the filter
  4. Pour hot water over the coffee grounds
  5. Wait 30-40 seconds, and pour more water on the grounds.
  6. Take the filter off, and enjoy!

Commercial coffee is quite bitter, while specialty coffee is typically not as bitter. This is why milk may need to be added to coffee such as pour-over coffee. The taste might just be too bitter for you to thoroughly enjoy without the milk!

Reasons to Add Milk to Coffee

The Taste

The main reason people add milk to coffee is because of the fact that they simply like the taste of it. Of course, there are other reasons, but some people just enjoy the taste of coffee with milk. It is a quite popular practice nowadays to add milk to your coffee or to get a barista at your favorite local coffee shop to make it with milk. Yeah, it typically helps decrease the bitterness of the coffee and adds some protein, but it also simply makes the coffee taste better!

Decrease Bitterness

One of the biggest reasons people add milk to their coffee is to decrease the bitter taste of the coffee. Not everyone likes bitter coffee; it can be too strong and leave a bad taste in your mouth. If you fall into this category, you may want to consider adding milk to your coffee.

Adding Protein to Coffee

Drinking coffee all the time can sometimes put a damper on your health, especially if you only drink coffee and don’t drink water. If you want to add a level of health and protein to your coffee, try adding milk to it. This could help incorporate some healthy proteins into your diet! This may not be the first thing you think about when you consider adding milk to your coffee, but it is a great benefit.

Make Coffee Creamier

Another big reason people add milk to their coffee is to make it more creamy, although if you want your coffee to be really creamy you should add creamer instead of milk. Coffee can taste very harsh and not creamy at all, but milk can change that! Just add a tablespoon or so, and it will help add a level of creaminess to your coffee.

Reasons to Not Add Milk to Coffee

Makes Strong Coffee Less Strong

If you like your coffee strong, you may not want to add milk to your coffee. This is because it would most likely make it less strong and bitter. Coffee like black coffee is usually only drunk by those who like their coffee bitter, meaning that they probably don’t want to add milk to coffee like black coffee.

If You Have Dairy Restrictions

Milk is, of course, dairy, meaning that if you have dairy restrictions, you don’t want to put milk in your coffee. I have friends who are lactose intolerant and drink coffee with milk, and they regret it later. It may mess with your stomach if you drink coffee with milk and you have dairy restrictions.

If You Are Trying to Lose Weight

If you are trying to lose weight, you shouldn’t add milk to your coffee. This is because milk has fat in it, and that can add more calories to your diet. If you want to lose weight, drink black coffee. Black coffee has fewer calories and no milk.

What Type of Milk is Best to Add?

If you have decided you want to add milk to your coffee, you may be wondering what kind of milk would taste the best. Well, lucky for you, it’s completely up to your taste. Whether you like coconut milk, Vitamin D milk, whole milk, or any other type of milk, the coffee will turn out great! Just choose the milk you like best, and add it to your coffee.

Opinions

We want to highlight that many people just like the taste of milk in their coffee, and that is why they add it. In a bodybuilding forum about adding milk to coffee, one user said the following.

“I used to drink my coffee black, until it dawned on me that I didn’t actually like the taste of it and that I was merely drinking like that to save calories. I’ve since realized that I can probably accommodate 15 calories worth of milk a few times a day”

This woman is a bodybuilder and puts milk in her coffee even though it adds a small number of calories. This is all because she just likes the taste of coffee with milk and doesn’t like the taste of black coffee without milk. Commercial coffee can be so harsh and bitter, and adding milk to it can make it taste more like specialty coffee that isn’t as bitter. I have tons of friends who add milk to their coffee even if they have dairy restrictions, are on diets, or if they are trying to lose weight. This is simply due to the fact they don’t like bitter-tasting coffee.

If you fall under any of these categories, consider adding a small amount of milk to your coffee. You may love it more than you think you will! Enjoy your coffee!

Charlie McFarlane

Specialty Coffee Enthusiast. Hungry for knowledge in the art and science behind specialty coffee and decided to document my journey, while sharing it with the public. More than 10 baristas were interviewed; over 21 farms were visited across 5 countries. Almost 100 Coffee Shops. Bean of choice: Pacamara. Preferred coffee country: Panama. Preferred Brewing Method: Aeropress. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

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