The Magic of Salt in Coffee
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- čas přidán 5. 05. 2020
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When I was a kid, my uncle once demanded I made him coffee. I was not too pleased (as I had planned to go out to play), so I decided to "show him" by adding a little salt to it. He later complimented me for the great coffee and - when I confessed to adding salt to the ground coffee - he told me that adding salt is a well-known gourmet technique. I was disappointed 😂
You failed at failing a coffee..
Task failed successfully
done this exact same thing to a baby sitter got the same result
mission failed successfully
@@flawns assignment failed successfully
I'm imagining James found out about salt in coffee by accidentally crying into a Nescafe cup once
this should be the top comment.
I want to upvote this more than once
That’s the best one ☝️😂
I laughed out loud at this and had to explain it to 5 coworkers. Guess who's team is ALL trying this out tomorrow with a drippper
I laughed so hard I had to pause the video and write this comment before going back
When we were kids, my grandmother used to put a tiny pinch of salt in our coffee “to take the bitterness away”. Yes, we were children having coffee. Italian grandmother’s, what can you do? 🤣
do? apparently they're okay with running after the super hyped up kids. ...lol 🤣
I love coffee I love tea how many girls are in love with me. That was my grandfathers favorite saying that I remember. Started drinking coffee when I was 3 years old maybe before then honestly my grampa died on my 4th birthday and I started drinking it with him soo 3 maybe 2. Scandinavians do it better.
I always heard that old Sami grandmas used to put a fish scale in the coffee pot when brewing. Also salt in coffee was the norm.
I remember when I was like 4, I got up earlier than usual before my dad went to work. I remember asking him to try coffee. He told me sure and to hold on. I loved it so much! Turns out he just made me a hot chocolate!
Let me jump in the conversation here. Here in Brazil it is totally normal for a kid to have coffee.
I gave up sugar 8 months ago, and the hardest part was not using sweetener in my coffee. I discovered a pinch of salt makes my black coffee palatable and I've been able to happily live without sugar.
Coffee is meant to be drunk black and bitter.
try this
brew your pot pour into
a container then
the fridge
once chilled pour into your blender
whip it it will become creamy
like you addled cream
and slightly sweet me I use truvia
but not as much as with regular coffee ☕
@@bogeythedog163 coffee is meant to be drunk however you enjoy it
@@bogeythedog163 only if you’re a man’s man
Sugar is gross in coffee. I use abit of maple syrup
The anxiety I would experience making this man a cup of coffee...
He's English. At worst, he'll insult you so subtlely, you won't even realize it.
@@benzzoy I'd love to see a coffee shop sketch with him that's in spirit of Monty Python's cheese shop sketch
Idk if it's just me but I am pissing my pants reading this.
Ps: Sorry for bad english. It is not my first language.
I made James a coffee about 10 years ago and he didn't seem to worried about it.. It was squaremile too so he had every reason to be extra precious about it.
@@orewalevi6662 Your English was not at all bad.
Imagine going to the store and seeing James Hoffmann buying Nescafé instant coffee 😂
Fun fact, he paid the neighbor's kid 20 quid to get it for him
Say sike right NOW!
TBH with some of the whacked out stuff that James has drunk on this channel, I’m honestly worried he’s moved on to Nescafé just to feel the rush of disgust
imagine seeing James Hoffman.
Maybe he paid someone on Fiverr to buy it for him. 😂
My family is Cuban. We put a pinch of salt in all our sweet smoothies. We also dip buttered bread in our coffee with milk (cafe con leche). This puts a bit of salt and fat in our coffee. It is really good.
Me encanta el cafe con leche! Saludos desde Argentina
Im American unfortunately. I put a pat of butter in mine started as you now i just skip the bread.
My grandma also dips her buttered bread in coffee. It's just not for me. I'm brazilian.
If you think being an American is unfortunate then leave.
Clássico, pão com manteiga e café, café-da-manhã e lanche de muitos.
This video is so interesting to me because I just naturally started putting a tiny bit of salt in my black coffee without knowing it was a thing. My body just started feeling like "man i need to put a little bit of salt in here." So this is cool watching this video and learning why I felt this way.
When the body knows what it needs
@@HappyBeezerStudios ?
@@meandmeatmeoverthere ?
When I was a teenager and worked in a restaurant, I was taught to add a half a teaspoon of salt to every pot brewed. I’ve been putting a few grains, in my cup of coffee for 52 more years. 😀
how many cups is a pot brewed?
Typically ten or twelve
Lol so guess they were buying cheap coffee 😂
My Mom did that too I thought it was because it kept the coffee pot clean LoL.
@@OutlawJJ80 does both, gj
I usually just dip a slice pizza in my Nescafe for less bitterness a delicious pizza flavor
Hex I aspire one day to be as cultured as you
Wow that's probably the best most unexpected food pairing I've heard since french fries + vanilla ice cream.
A beer for this good man. NOW!
I want to chastise you for this abhorrent behavior, but I have, at various times, eaten pizza with coffee (no dunking)...I don't know why.
Thats it .... enough youtube for today hahaha
Every time someone says their coffee is too bitter at work I tell them to add a bit of salt, and they called me a madman...
They should. Putting salt in coffe is only good for one reason. To distinguish people who need to be separated from society and out in a madhouse.
P.S. No I didin;t watched the video and I'm not going to. Clicked on this vid only to see if this was real. He is actually gonna explain this? Nah, there's no explanations needed. You put salt in your coffe if you are mad. Simple
@@TheEstafista such proud ignorance lol
@@TheEstafista It is standard in some African countries that have a long coffee tradition.
@@TheEstafistathere's two parts of me: one that agrees, and the other one that doesn't. But if both can agree on a thing: it's that your tone is gratingly abrasive. Your blatant inability to treat others with respect is offputting, and makes you sound like a child. What a patronizingly condescending view. I believe you gave me my quota of scornful antagonism for the day.
@@TheEstafista Nice bait 🎣
I notice that anything James say sounds expensive. He could even say Nescafé and make it sound like a luxury no matter how much he dislike instant coffee.
Have you seen the price tag on some Nespresso machines?
that's kocher Nescafé.
Posh ass accents will do that
@@benanjerris6744 Right? xD How f you rich does a guy have to be to not call Nescafé a luxury :') Whether it's good is a whole other thing entirely but I don't have moneyvines growing out of my back :')
@@reznovvazileski3193 exactly, that guy must have 2.7k€ income monthly, with 1.6k being disposable🤣
I still wish James would taste test the instant coffee brands anyone can find on the shelves of a mainstream super market and tell us which is least bad
Or common store bought coffee beans like Taylor’s, own brand offerings from M&S, Asda etc. Wouldn’t expect amazing things but it’d be great to find out which is the best of a possibly mediocre bunch!
Gabriel Toledano I’ll tell you after the dozen or so that I’ve tried the best by far was the sudden coffee instant available at intelli and other places. Starbucks via is second. Distant second, but still better than everything else.
The tricky bit for this is that different products are available in different parts of the world. I guess I could do a UK edition and a US edition and maybe a few others. I would imagine in Japan, China, India, Vietnam and so many other places there are interesting and weird brands.
@@jameshoffmann Im happy to mail you a few sachets of different brands of instant local coffee from Singapore to make a video. Although I suspect you may not like them.... they are usually quite sweet...
@@jameshoffmann A UK edition would be interesting to me, personally, as somebody who is up and out the door by 5am for work I just don't have the time to make great coffee of a morning unless it's a day off.
adding salt .. effect:
"it doesn't hurt quite as much to drink"
- best nescafé AD i've ever seen ^^
I felt physical pain just watching him take a sip.
Doesn't Nescafe have rust already?
LOL
Don’t think of instant as coffee.
I have my coffee black, as it comes but on the rare occasion I find myself drinking instant it must have milk and sugar.
@@jeremyashford2145 well without sugar and milk powder .. it is coffee.. not good but it is. Coffee with all water removed sold as grains
My grandfather taught me how to make perked coffee, (which is an art in itself)m when I was quite young. He ALWAYS put a "pinch" (I know, but it was about how much would stick to your finger and thumb), of salt in the pot while brewing. I have continued this tradition, and everyone tells me I make the best coffee ever.
That makes sense with percolated coffee because it's a bit hotter so you'd have a little more bitterness that the salt counteracts. I love the strong, rich flavor of percolated coffee, so I'll use a pinch of salt in my percolator as well.
This is the best comments section on youtube! Brief storytelling, and each one a gem! Did you know that Ethiopians have been adding salt to their coffee ceremony for multi- generations (the birthplace of coffee)? A fascinating look into the past, and how we see the tradtion of gathering together to enjoy and celebrate coffee.
Some cultures even add butter and salt.
And other cultures drink roasted coffee leaf Chai with salt
My husband, may he rest in peace, was an early riser and used to make coffee just for me every morning and it was just the best coffee ever.
I did ask my husband why his coffee was so good and he said he put extra love in it for me.
His mother's coffee was very good too and maybe she made it with salt and he learned it from her. Don't know, but tomorrow morning I'm putting a dash of salt in my coffee and see what happens. ☕
Dear Ana, you warmed my heart this morning! God bless you!
PS. I’ve been using salt in my coffee all my life- highly recommend it.
Wordless ❤
@@redjstc9123 thank you 😊and God bless you!
I have started putting a dash of salt in the coffee grounds and does make a difference in the flavor. It's not the same as the coffee my husband made for me, but it's a lot better than before! 👍Thank you for the tip! 😉
@@annarodriguez9868 I wonder what your husband added.
Years ago I was working at a commercial real estate office that had its own personal cleaning lady. She was employed by the owner of the building we worked out of. She was a really special older woman (in her 60’s). I used to love to get there early and talk to her in the mornings before opening up the office because she had so many cool stories and loved to talk. She loved everyone in our office, so she would make us coffee in the morning. And that first cup was THE BEST cup of coffee!! We could never figure out what she was doing? Every pot after tastes like your typical crappy office coffee. Those are the ones she didn’t make. She was usually home by then. One day, I finally finished what I needed to do in time to watch her make the coffee. Let me tell you all...the complete SHOCK that came over me when she took that exact same crappy office coffee and just sprinkled a pinch of salt into the coffee grounds before brewing it! I could have sworn she had some secret Italian or Sumerian roast hidden somewhere that she used in the morning.
When I asked her why she put salt, she said that the salt enhances the flavor of the coffee by opening up your taste buds. I’m not sure if that is the actual reason, but being a pretty good home cook/baker, I do know that salt is needed to enhance or even bring out the flavor of almost all foods. 15 years later I still put a pinch of salt in with my coffee grounds. It makes a huge difference.
Wow!!!! I am going to try that at my office tomorrow! I just got some Costa Rica coffee...different than the coffee my friend brought back from Costa Rica which was awesome. Anyway....it's more bitter so I can't wait to try this trick tomorow!!
omg person-talking-to-old-lady-to-hear-stories stories are so wholesome
Thanks. Appreciate you sharing this. I hope that lady is living well or had a good life.
There is a bakery in California called 85%, I think it s korean(?)
They carry salt coffee as well. I ordered once out of curiosity. It was quite good even thought I didn't taste detect any salt :)
@@sdla690 Yeah, you shouldnt taste salt, it should be just enough salt to knock down the bitterness
What's even better than straight up putting salt in your coffee is to put a tiny slice of salted butter. It is so good, no joke. You can barely taste the salt and there is an overall smooth feel to it, obviously. Many cultures around the world already put butter into their coffee, but salted butter is also great.
Butter makes absolutely everything better.
Yes, in Tibet they use rancid Yak butter in their coffee.
Coconut oil as well
This is what I will be doing. No need to overthink the amount of salt I am putting in and the fat in the butter will satiate my appetite. Thank you!
@@ifyouloveChristyouwillobeyhim It does. I pity people who still eat margarine (bleh!)
There's a Turkish custom where bride make a super salty Turkish coffe to the groom and the groom should try to hide the fact that there's a salt in his coffe as much as he can. This is symbolise the act of "I would tolerate the troubles you give as much as i can". Kinda like "stepping to grooms foot".
It don't have that much revelance to the video but because its interesting, i wanted to share it.
In the 1960's when I was a young girl learning how to make the perfect cup of coffee my dad told me it had to be drip and it had to have a slight pinch of salt added to the entire 10 cup pot, made sense since we add a dash of salt to improve the flavor of many foods. A slight pinch is just a few grains placed on top of fresh grounds then add boiling water. Simple enough.
Miss you Dad.
Nothing is as special as those types of memories. I love cooking and so did my dad... I’d give anything to have him teach me what he knew, unfortunately he passed before I became interested in cooking. Very rare for a CZcams comment to have such a emotional impact, thank you.
PR RUNE My dad too always asked me to add pinch of salt when i would make him his cup of coffee. I miss him too 💔
This was really sweet of you to share. Thank you 🥺
I'm imagining a churning, burbling percolator to make that 10 cups.... that's what we had in the 60's.... No my dad wouldn't ever trust me to make "the coffee"... that was a job for my big sister.
Reading comments like these remind me to never forget to appreciate family moments...thank you.
* drinks nescafe *
* visibly winces *
"It's not for me"
Ah British politeness
Notice the cut between the sip and the wince, possibly removing several minutes worth of furious expletives.
@@Anthropomorphic imagining James reacting like Ashens when he eats something nasty now
@@MCDreng nescafé and microwave burgers ARE similar too, in the sense of trading up quality for the sake of convenience.
Try it a couple if times, doesn't take but a small pinch...who knows you might like you coffee less bitter, unless you like it bitter?
Are British people that polite?
I have never heard that salt reduces bitterness, but recalling that lemon and salt are being used in some drinks, now it start to make sense.
Thank you for the information!
I remember back when I was barista, I told my colleagues to try putting a pinch of salt on their coffee, and they just laughed at me like I'm a lunatic or something. Though I only tried it on our latte, and not on black. I might try this one later on an instant coffee!
When working on a hot chocolate recipe, found the 'secret' to truly elevate the flavour was to add a pinch of salt.
Try a little cayenne.
Try a little cocaine
I have contended for many years that modern, mass produced baked goods, as well as local bakeries have somehow lost the knowledge that sweetness gains complexity to the flavor when a little salt is added to the recipe.
@@bozo5632 Interesting options, thanks.
@@Silverhaired59 Sweet, salt and sour. The 3 musketeers of flavour profiles. While can have them independently, they work best in combination, complementing eachother.
Cuban heritage here. My family adds salt to coffee. I remember my grandmother worked for United Airlines kitchen preparing meals & beverages for flight passengers (1966). Grandma was the only one allowed to make the coffee for flights, staff and especially for management. She was truly paid well just to make coffee. Grandma never told anyone the secret. Guess what it was? 😁
LSD?
GBL ? 😉
MSG
If she never told anyone the secret, what’s the point in guessing?
pee
In some countrysides of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, a long time ago, people would add a tiny little piece of cheese to their freshly brewed coffee. It made it creamy and it took away any bitter taste. Delicious.
What type of chesse?
I’ve actually dipped a croissant with cheese into coffee. It’s pretty good lol
@@sebastiandevida4685 I use a slice of american, melts perfectly
Tocaqui, mineiraaa
I once discovered adding orange juice into coffee specifically to simulate the taste of spoiled food. I doesn't taste accurate but kind of... ehm... filthy but actually tasty. Like a prank candy that is supposed to taste gross but is actually pretty good
Thanks as a coffee drinker, mostly instant, I sometimes struggle with the bitterness. Your intro was very informative and your accuracy very much needed to validate some sort consistency. Great vid well presented, so off to the kitchen!
This is surprising to me. I am from Ethiopia, and in the country side where people don't have a good access to sugar, salt is an alternative. I have always assumed it to be a "so so" fix to bitterness. However, trying it after watching your video shocked me to say the least.
Ethiopia? Og coffee mate, you guys are the first to do it 👍
Gurage people had bulletproof coffee with salt before it was cool.
excellent place to be a coffee drinker, love and respect to the Ethiopian people
I'm definitely tempted to try my coffee tomorrow with a little bit of salt, and I'm surprised that I hadn't thought of it as an additive before. I used to babysit for a family that immigrated from Ethiopia and they are some of the sweetest people I've ever met! I was helping them organize their pantry one day and they offered some liquor from Ethiopia to try. I learned quickly that Ethiopia doesn't mess around with their liquor either, it was very strong! I can't remember what it was called though!
@@janelle_beans It's honey liquor if it wll made it's really good but if it's not it tastes like diesel 😂
This trick absolutely works for my taste. I tend to brew my coffee on the strong side because I love the flavor. However, I dislike the bitterness that some coffees produce, including many of the "medium" roasts. A surprisingly small amount of salt smooths out the bitterness curve while the fruit & nut flavor tones still come through.
Interesting, I'm going to try it in my next brew
Wish I saw this this morning before I had a really strong cup which was rather bitter 😅
Yeah medium roasts are ok, but light roasts are even worse.
I love how scientifically you've approached a topic that can be very subjective, then qualified it that way quite clearly. I did not realize how differently people might perceive the muting of bitterness, even though I am aware that people perceive saltiness and bitterness differently. It just hadn't occurred to me.
I usually drink with sugar and half n half but I decided to give this salt thing a try. I am very surprised and it does work by taking the bitterness away and I kinda like the slight subtle salty flavor. Reminds me of sea salt and caramel dark chocolate.
This was a trick my grandfather taught me to decrease the bitterness of coffee without adding sugar. Sugar was not that easy to come by during the depression and WW2.
My grandmother did this, lived to be 99. My dad still does it. He'll be 86 in November!
Doing milk and salt is almost gives it a salted caramel taste
@@CantEscapeFlorida yes!!! Froth the milk over heat not steam with 3 crystal of salt per espresso shot vest cappuccino ❤
Whut? Are you still alive, granpa?
I discovered that eating a few salted cashews with my coffee makes the coffee taste amazing. Give it a try!
We salt and roast almonds to have with our after dinner coffee, that works too.
Aw shit! Now you've got me curious! Lol
Will try :)
@@didough46 I might try that too! Lol
People in Brazil traditionally drink (strongly sugared) coffee along with salty things like cashew or salty biscuits.
I watched this video last year. I put it at the back of my mind until December when I got into intermittent fasting and needed to drink plain coffee. It was so hard but necessary - the afternoon caffeine headaches not worth it on top of everything else going on - but I remembered this video and tried it. Now, it's my go to mix. A few grains to my Java classic brew and it's perfect. Perfect, I tell you. Thank you.
new to the channel but subscribing off the bat for a great video with calming presentation and citing a scientific paper with the graphs and showing cross-sections of the tongue to show how complex the sensation of "taste" really is. clearly you got to 1.6M for a reason, cheers!
When I was in the Marine Corps, I learned from a Navy Cook about putting just a pinch of kosher or sea salt into your beans before you grind them. You don't want to be able to detect the salt in your coffee or even to hide coffee's pleasant bitterness, but the salt will simply act to highlight everything that makes your coffee great.
I'm trying this tomorrow morning!
CS gotta get creative i guess
@@d3vitron779 9
I'm an ex-NAVY Submariner , Seawolf SSN575 . The COB.....chief of the boat , always added salt to his coffee . I used to do the same . Thanks for your service , as my dad and uncle were in the MARINE Corp . He was a dual 50 caliber gunner on a half track , in Korean War . Peace , from Cass County MICHIGAN ! Wolverine State ! Seawolf SSN575 ! Torpedo Man / moss system . Maranatha !
I watched "Why are a restaurant's vegetables so much better than homemade ones?" from Ethan Cheblowski and it taught me the significance of the timing when using salt in cooking! I'm sure you would find that video interesting as well.
I learned this from my father years ago when I was a kid. I am 74 now and still add a bit of salt to my coffee, no bitterness.
For me it started with trying to make a salted caramel latte at home. Then it eventually became a fix in most cups I make now. It really helps tone things down on the bitter end and I think it brings out flavor.
OOOOOoooo... Wish I had known this with all the bad coffee I drank in my life at work... Thanks!
I’m 57 and my dad would add a pinch of salt to his coffee since the 1950’s. He taught me to drink it this way, however he used to put the pinch in the percolator (back in the day) and later the drip machine. He also added 1/2 a pinch of cinnamon to the coffee grounds. Never had a cinnamon taste at all, just a little smoother taste. 😃
Cinnamon has a beautiful sweet taste and adds sort of warmth & smoothness.
I use it in my masala chai (spiced milk tea) daily. And you are right, you have to add it while brewing itself.
Cardamom is great too
“half pinch” is the craziest unit of measure
@@kage-fm Someone should try to translate those terms into measuring spoons. I can see it now....1/16 teaspoon of Cayenne instead of a few grains!😁
My husband did put a pinch of salt when he use to make coffee. Now I have to do the coffee, which I was never good at it . I never liked instant coffee before, but after things changed and I did have to make the coffee, I learned to use instant coffee and make it to his liking. I how ever add pepper to my cup each morning. This works for me. I enjoy a good hot cup of coffee ☕️
I once put 2 teaspoons of salt in my coffee.
I’m sure on my deathbed I will remember that experience
I actually accidentally did that so many years ago when I mistook the salt for sugar, and it was nightime when lights were dimmed. The first sip immediately came running out of my mouth 'cause it was darn salty. I carried that pin of shame all these years, and I'm such a coffee lover 🙂
Me too! Omg, first thought was that someone is poisoning me, the taste was so intense and terrible :D
I did that to my boss, accidentally. He dead now. Still thanking me for all the good tea..!
😂😂😂👍
Yep, adding salt is great but like you say, you can easily over do it. So when your taking a "pinch" make it a small one lol.
HAHA! So true.
I always use a few grains of salt in my coffee. I have also used baking soda, which has a great softening, smoothing effect. I didn't know others did it.
This is so true; my best cup of black coffee (no sugar) is always at breakfast, after a bacon and egg sandwich. The salt in the pork must be mitigating the bitterness of the drink. Great video 👏
“It just doesn’t hurt as much to drink.” 😂😂🤣
Nescafé: furiously scribbles note
I’ve added a pinch of salt for years, but never knew the science of why I liked it. Thanks for the explanation.
I've had coffee the sami way with flakes of salty dried reindeer meat in it. It's good, the light saltiness makes the coffee smoother and the hot coffee makes the meat softer.
I get all the salt I need with my coffee from watching your product reviews 😂
Great humor
I've had to resort to this trick with the shocking instant coffee thats provided at hospital. Always strong, always horrible, but bearable with a little salt.
Just tried this for the first time and I'm pleasantly surprised how effective this was at removing bitterness. Cheers!
I think I tried this before, but I'll be sure to try again. I brewed my coffee mild today, so the level of bitterness was already low, but some days I feel more bold and end up brewing a much more bitter tasting pot of coffee. That would be a good time for this experiment.
One of my favorite things to say is: "I like my coffee like I like my people, and I like all kinds of people!" (I say the same thing vice-versa, as well.) I can tell by the comments that there's all kinds of people to like here!
I like your philosophy of Life, J. David. Wish more people were as easy-going as you! Good health to you!
there is nothing better than late-night-about-to-go-to-bed youtube recommendations.
didn't even know salted coffee was a thing...
Has Haa! Yup
I never knew about salt in the coffee...in 69 years. 65 of those years i have been drinking coffee. Watched this video about a month ago. Decided to give it a try. I am sold and do not make coffee without a pinch or 2 of salt. I am drinking McCafe ground coffee at the moment. I use the orange cup or the darker blue cup on label. Completely different response in the energy from the salt in the 2. I love it and so does my roommare. Thanks for teaching an old lady her new favorite trick.
You've been drinking coffee since you were 4?!
Adding a pich of salt into a black coffee has been well known and become a bit tradition in some regions in my country. The purpose is to balance stomach acid efect that triggered by coffee.
I do add it sometimes, and it tastes great!
When I was a teenager in Spain, we used to give coffee with salt in the house parties to the people that was too drunk, to help them to vomit the alcohol. Happy days XD
+1
Lmao!😂
You sound like a fun group!
And some roofies for the really drunk lol
Sounds like a felony.
As a Chemist, this channel is ideal.
As a moron, this channel is ideal.
@@onixtheone lmfao
As a Scandinavian, this channel is ideal.
As a donkey this channel is yeehawww
@@onixtheone Me_jrl
I'm from Finland, and I've often heard about adding salt, especially from older folks. People don't really do that nowadays, but in the "old days" coffee was brewed in a pot by dumping the grounds in hot water. The coffee was good for a short while and then overdone. The salt may have been necessary if the coffee had to sit longer, for example to keep cups filled for a larger company over a period of hours.
I love your reaction to the instant coffee, the sacrifices you made to make this clip are worthy of a Knighthood.
I don’t even drink coffee and I can’t stop watching him talk about coffee. 😆😏
😂😂😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣
I was thinking he has kind of a mild asmr vibes working for him
Haha me too except I do drink coffee and depending on the coffee u dri.nk?? He just. Needs salt bi poler lol
I thought i was the only one
I had a long career in our Navy. When deployed it was a requirement to salt the coffee grounds prior to plugging the coffee maker in. It did make our coffee less bitter.
Read about this in a Tom Clancy book, describing it as Navy style.
Yep, I add a little bit of salt to every cup I brew. It's been a while since I last made a cup without it, but adding salt had such an immediate and consistent positive impact that I stuck with it. I love the idea of using a saline solution, way easier to dose precisely. Will definitely try that out!
Have you had it with cream and sugar or just black with salt?
@@jimmycurrire7868 I am a coffee heathen and pretty much always add cream and sugar
Never heard of this channel and it just randomly popped up, and now I'm very into it
That LSD drop is much better then salt.
@C'dam A'ruz leave him alone the 'a' and 'e' look the same for him right now
@C'dam A'ruz not if hes putting lsd drops in his instant coffee daily because its "better than salt"
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Pretty sure hot coffe is going to denaturate LSD.....
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
My grandmother taught me to add a pinch of salt to the coffee grounds before brewing a pot of coffee. She always said that it brought out the coffee flavor. I’ve been doing that ever since.
That is what my grandmother did too, and then my mother. That would be back in the 50's and 60's and in the UK.
Excellent observation! When I was young and my father would take me out to the woods to hunt, we would get up early in the mornings and he would add salt to the coffee grounds before brewing it on the fire. I often wondered why, never asked, and interestingly now I know!
LOL the instant reaction when James drinks the instant coffee! Priceless!
When I red your title it reminded me that my mum use to put salt on top of her coffee in the basket of her drip coffee machine. Such a sweet memory.
3:12 Putting the salt in with the grounds could actually have a significant effect on what exactly gets extracted from the grounds. Water with even a slightly elevated concentration of ionic solutes will preferentially dissolve some compounds more aggressively and others less, or it can even inhibit solvation of some compounds (even ones that would remain in solution if you added the salt after).
My Grandmother taught me in the early 1950's to put a small of shake of salt in on top of the unbrewed coffee we grounds, that it took the bitterness out of coffee. I do it to this day with every pot, I'm used to use irondized salt and have switched to Pink Himalayan Salt. Purchased at Costco, two bottles, unground pink, one has a grinder. I know when I forget to put salt on top of grounds, just a quick shake, not too much, or undrinkable . I have been doing this for about 55 years.🤢
PS SALT goes on top of grounds before brewing.
Almost exactly the same experience. BTW, for me slight shake was just that, not the sizeable heap shown in James' hand toward the end.
... and time is a variable in all this. This was my go to trick to make meh diner coffee better, just even 4 or 5 crystals sometimes was enough but you had to wait at least a minute. Something was hapening IN the cup. So I think there's more to it than the electro-chemical operations with the taste receptors.
These are the comments I live for kind sir 🙏
@@mcdonaldchad yes the salt is busy, in that hot cup, searching out partners in which to bond = be they water clusters or flavor etc.
Sodium ascorbic. Not quite as salty as table salt, so a little more doesn’t hurt things too bad and it gives you your vitamin c for the day.
Haha nice
Interesting.
I use MSG and Jizz
Sounds unhealthy. . . is it natural? Table salt (from the sea or a salt mine) is natural.
@@ifyouloveChristyouwillobeyhim if you take a teaspoon of salt that's probably not going to feel healthy
In the beginning, im clicking on James Hoffman's video, for the sake of getting more knowledge on coffee, now im clicking bcoz mostly due to his speech/way of speaking. Cant really describe how fantastic it is, but hey as bonus, i add my knowledge of coffee stuff. Thnk you a lot JH
I'm glad I came across your channel few days back.I subscribed and now binge watching this channel.
Same
I recommend against that lol. I did the same, and, without even drinking too much coffee, I had too much.
Same
Watch the clear coffee series. It's delightful
Ana design you are 3 weeks behind me. I’ve watched the lot! Good stuff innit.
This is not about coffee but I really like the way his English sounds. His speech sounds extremely clear and it’s even pleasant to my ear in some strange ways🙂
Yeah, it's called 'British accent'.
@@Mike20041701 Moreso it's Received Pronunciation. He also unintentionally emphasises sounds that are known to cause asmr.
British english is beautiful to listen. Cant stand american english tho.
The way his voice is recorded and processed also contributes to its qualities.
He really REALLY says his T's and I'm from the UK and I don't do that. He's very posh.
Thank you so very much for this little snippet of really useful info. I enjoy drinking coffee, but have always, always had a bitter aftertaste in my mouth, which spoils the coffee drinking experience. BRING IN THE SALT. First a very very small pinch.......too much, but no bitterness! Then, a very few "grains"....... BRILLIANT. Aftertaste vanishes. No salty taste. With more refinement using a saline solution, all will be so much better. PS I don't add sugar to my tea or coffee, but did try some in my coffee, which didn't solve the bitter after taste. Thank you James.
You really went down to the deepest levels of purgatory for us viewers when drinking that instant coffee (or as I like to call it, tar scrapings from old boats), props for that sacrifice!
In northern Sweden (and I think in Finland) we have a thing called kaffeost (coffee cheese) that is kind of similar to halloumi in it's consistency but saltier. One takes a few cubes and drop it into the coffee, drink the coffee and then eat the cheese (since it is like halloumi it doesn't melt from the heat). It sounds absolutely gross but it is quite delicious to be honest and the salt from the cheese does balance any good awful bitterness from the old and dark roasted coffee that used to be drunk up there in the midwinter darkness.
That does sound strange but I think I might try it. 😊
Nothing grades the quality of your coffee better than giving it a pain threshold.
James: don't bother with fancy salt
James next video: *Different types of salt on coffee | Blindfolded taste test*
different types of salt do have a different taste as they have different content, but unless you use black salt I don't think anyone would feel a difference in taste as it's already hard to find it eating the salt alone (black salt has a lower salt percentage and the impurities in it contribute a lot more in the flavor).
@@cdgonepotatoes4219 I use Pink chunk salt, the kind you need to grate. To me anyhow, it tastes a lot less salty than NaCl. I'm not sure if this is universal, but for me it works and it goes in my daily cup. I'm not measuring, it's just until I see a coating of white (like snow!) on my ground beans. Oh and as far as price goes, 10$ got me pretty much a lifetime supply, which is a lot better than say.. coffee.
Starting with Himalayan Black
@@JoeWalker2005 Anything that isn't just sodium chloride is less salty because there is less salt, the impurities in pink salt just don't have enough of a flavor (for me) to make it taste any different outside of "just less salty" (lead and zinc salt aren't known for their strong smell or flavor, at least not as much as really anything with sulfur in it).
I'm going to try this now. Happy New Year
i tried this and i love it. i like that it takes away the acidity of my coffee because i'm a "empty stomach coffee drinker" and it feels better to my stomach + i like the taste better, for the same reason.
This has interesting implications for the water you use. Local water varies quite a lot on impurities and softness
Was thinking the same, I make my coffee with tap sometimes, sometimes I use the filtered, and sometimes I use store bought distilled. Each makes a different brew
My water comes from a well, it tastes good, but it is very hard! I distill it, for drinking, using a tabletop distiller. Seriously, you might be shocked by the amount of solids removed. Distilled water has a flat taste, so I add 1/4 teaspoon of salt per gallon to make it more drinkable, and that's what my coffee and tea gets made with...
@@Scaliad I always add salt when making coffee from distilled water for this reason.
@@Scaliad Obviously it tastes flat, with all the minerals removed
@@HappyBeezerStudios Obviously...
My aunt always put salt in her coffee, she started when she was a child she told me, she did this until she passed at 93 years.
It’s not superstitious if it works lol
Sounds like people who put salt in their coffee lived a long life food for thought. Also has anyone here heard of baking soda a tiny pinch of baking soda in their coffee, a tiny pinch, It makes the coffee smoother less bitter
Im so glad that i just found your channel
Absolutely! Salt enhances flavor. Been doing it for the last 10 years.
I tried this with a twist. I did the salt/no salt nescafe test. And yes the bitterness was gone leaving undrinkable brown blandness. THEN I made a third cup and added a squeeze of lemon juice... and it was better! So finally I added a squeeze of lemon juice to salty cup and voila it was transformed into coffee deliciousness! I remember my dad having coffee with lemon and now I will too!
I must really try that! I'm not getting enough lemon in as it's coming to winter here! But is the coffee black - I normally have a ton of almond, oat or cashew milk in my coffee, lemon will probably make it curdle😁😁
lemon? wow- you would think it would make it very acidic or more bitter
Italians use lemon in espresso.
You know what? I remember one day someone asked me for an espresso and wanted me to put a slice of lemon in it. I asked again, thinking i misheard or he was joking. He said that he actually wanted a slice of lemon in his espresso. Weirdest coffee request, i think. That or the one that put 5 Equal (sweetener) sachets in his cappuccino. Jesus.
@@sylvia106 Never used it, tobe honest.
I remember when I was very young, my dad would come home from work for lunch, after eating he would have coffee I would climb onto his lap and he would let me sip his coffee, it would always have a pinch of salt and now I rarely drink it any other way.
Surprisingly I am the only one in my family who still drinks coffee with salt despite us all being raised the same way.
Favorite episode for all the non-coffee-specific reasons. Brilliant.
Thank you for the tip, it was interesting.
I have just tried this with a very bitter coffee I bought recently, and the result wowed me. The salt really took down the bitter taste. I also made my mom and brother try it, I poured the coffee in two mugs, one with salt and other without it, and they noticed the difference. Very interesting
It didn’t do much for the taste of my coffee, but it was like a solvent for my bad mood. Suddenly I felt clear headed.
What a delightful video ❤️
Salt in coffee really is MAGIC. It masks so much of the bitterness, and so much more thoroughly than sugar or cream.
Does that mean it changes the chemistry of the beverage and reduces tannic acid or other phytochemicals?
I have been putting salt in my coffee, it helps with the bitterness and makes a good cup
I tried this once with some bad coffee, thinking "salt makes everything better, maybe it can save this?"
But I had no idea how much to add and I turned a bad cup of coffee into a horrifically bad cup of coffee.
Many years ago I worked at Kleinzee in Namaqualand in South Africa and the water was so brak (salty) that the locals, when they went down to Cape Town on leave, added salt to their coffee to bring the taste up to their expectations.
Ian Pearson that’s fascinating, thnx 4 sharing that
I was about to bring up salt here in the north and then you actually mentioned it :D
That said, the tradition I'm familiar with involves adding cheeses and meats TO the coffee, which I've come to understand is ...unusual in the grander scheme.
So the traditional recipe I follow entails adding carved slices of smoked heart, boiled tongue (elk or reindeer) and coffee-cheese (leipäjuusto being the only one I know the actual name for) to the cup before pouring the coffee over.
However, I know those ingredients can be pricey and hard to come by, so I've also been experimenting with substitutes. So far I've had luck replacing the leipäjuusto with halloumi, especially if I have leftover halloumi from a BBQ, though it does bring many new flavours to the table with it. The meat has been harder; I've found some hams that work if you're desperate, but I recently acquired some chicken hearts I'm excited to fry up and drop in the brew, so we'll see how that goes.
As for vegan options... would be cool, but I have no idea where I'd start. Something tells me tofu doesn't belong in coffee.
Eitherway, the theory I've heard is that it started as a way for lumberjacks and reindeer herders to ever so slightly reheat and spruce up whatever snacks they had packed for work. And especially for the cheese I really think it does something, without affecting the coffee too much.
I used it when I started drinking my coffee black, friends saw me add “a pinch” and helpfully tried to imitate it when making coffee for me. I drank a lot of ocean-water brews for a while.
Ah, that kind of "helpful", lol.
I really appreciate how you are price sensitive in all of your recommendations. Love your videos.
As a scandinavian, i've never heard about salt in coffee in Scandinavia - only place i've heard about it is the r/Coffee subreddit
I have heard of it from friends that live in northern parts of Sweden.
Same here. As a Scandinavian, this is the first time I hear about it.
Same
Yeah, not sure what "Scandinavias" you've been talking to...I have NEVER heard of this, certainly not common in Sweden. Maybe you were thinking about licorice, we are known for our salty licorice.
Not in Norway either 🙈
I just love your channel.
Gonna try this today! Never heard about it before.