Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I don't know how I missed this when it was first posted, but dang I'm glad to see it now. That peanut one might have to be added to the list of treats on order for my squeeze's birthday!

@scalfin: Absolutely! I'm not talking about any preparation method in which the sugar is actually traditionally part of the experience -- for instance, it would be impossible to have a "Vietnamese coffee" without sweetened-condensed milk, and in Cuba shots of espresso are typically automatically mixed with sugar to create a distinct beverage.

The difference in my mind it that often but not always those coffees come prepared a particular way, rather than being doctored up by the consumer.

In any event, again, at the end of the day all that matters it that you ultimately enjoy what you're drinking, sugar or no, with milk or without.

@Pavlov: I'm so glad you commented! You raise really interesting points. And while you might not be a "snob" you do clearly know a thing or two about this stuff, so I will always value when you chime in.

First, I get and appreciate the pizza analogy, but it's an imperfect comparison: Pizza has vastly more ingredients than just crust. Even the sauce on top of that crust has multiple ingredients (tomatoes, salt, olive oil, oregano, pepper...). So to taste the essence of a pizza wouldn't be by eliminating toppings, but to broaden your experience of pizza as a whole -- different types, different toppings, different styles.

Coffee, on the other hand, only has two ingredients: Coffee and water. In order to taste the coffee, you have to... well, just taste the coffee. Black. Straight, no chaser.

But that of course implies a.) that the coffee's worth tasting on its own (not always the case!) and b.) that you're even interested in tasting it on its own. A lot of people aren't, and that's just fine!

I never meant to imply that adding milk and sugar in some way deadens a person's enjoyment of coffee: On the contrary, if adding milk and sugar makes coffee taste delicious to you and causes you to drink more of it, go to town with the additives! You're keeping me in a job either way. ;-)

Undoubtedly a terrible idea for a pizza (as terrible as the hot dog stuffed with French fries I just saw in Naples, though??), but I have to pipe up and say that New York Pizza is probably one of the best slice joints in Boston proper.

@Nomacoffee: Thanks so much for your comment, and I think we're in agreement here -- I'm sorry if I seemed to come off as condescending, because at the end of the day all I'm interested in is people drinking delicious coffee the way they enjoy it, whether it's black or with cream or, heck, with CoffeeMate, for that matter!

The point of the piece (or at least my intention) was more that we tend to form these habits, mostly based out of disappointing past experiences, but that by tasting a coffee before doctoring it up we might every once in a while stumble on a new wonderful flavor experience.

(As for the cappuccino question, to my mind that's a totally different drink and a totally different experience than black coffee, though I can see why you would equate the two and deduce "hypocrisy" from it. I would still recommend someone taste their cappuccino before putting sugar in it, though!)

@Chris_Hennes: They do indeed still wholesale. I know you can get their stuff at Beatnix, The Wedge, Crimson and Whipped Cream... there's a list on their website, I believe.

@Chris Gonzales: Good idea -- next time I'm in OKC (Thunder up!) I'll have to do just that. Look for me in April, when I'll be back around for a wedding...

@Keios: Good point! As soon as everybody's seasonal congestion subsides, though, I expect y'all to be sniffing all over the place. (Feel better!)

These are all great choices, Liz! You definitely drank some of the best this year.

I'd have to say that one of the most memorable coffees I had was a mind-blowingly awesome shot of Stumptown's Hairbender at Sweetleaf in Long Island City a few months back. Just one of the smoothest, sweetest, most mouthwatering espressos I've been served in a long time.

Also, I was super impressed with a lot of different Kenyans in 2011 -- the quality of coffees from that origin (and the quality of the roasting of coffees from there as well) has really skyrocketed, and so many Kenyan cups I lingered over just sparkled.

Here's to even better brews in the coming 12!

Sushi Yasuda (NYC, NY). The most incredible sushi. Seriously. Every time. And attentive, subdued, respectful, kind service.

Runners up: Woodbury Kitchen (Baltimore, MD), The Wolseley (London, UK), and Maialino (NYC, NY).

@jasonaldwin: Please keep us (and me in particular!) updated as you move along. Good on you!

@jo_wang: Good idea, and boy howdy I could stand to be a bit better with money, too. Do you live in a dorm where you could have a small coffee maker? If you brewed your coffee and put it in a travel mug every morning, you might still be able to afford that muffin…

@j-green: Go Team Aeropress!

@Michael P.: Then your coffee life is enviable! Rejoice! (And maybe turn your attention to other resolutions: Better cocktails in 2012, perhaps?)

@Keios: That's a great resolution! I hope you find your morning espresso is worth the sweetener-cut-back.

What a great list -- two of these are on my own, which is set to post tomorrow on The Nervous Cook: I loved both Blood, Bones & Butter and My Korean Deli. Reading is the only thing I think I like as much as eating!

I've been meaning to check out Tomatoland, too. Time to dust off the ol' library card...