You've Been Drinking Coffee Wrong All Along

No matter how you like your coffee or if you drink it every day, you may be drinking it incorrectly. You may even believe false myths about coffee and not even realize it! 

But when we pull back the curtain, there are certain things we can consider more about our daily java habits. For example, on a practical level, you might reconsider drinking coffee at the same time as a night of drinking alcohol. The coffee can make you worse at gauging how drunk you are because it counteracts the coffee, and if you can't gauge how drunk you are, it can lead to trouble (via Coffee Science).

Other helpful practice-based tips include not drinking coffee in the evening and not microwaving coffee to reheat it. Having a shot of espresso before bed, while a delicious idea, can keep you awake into the night. As for microwaving coffee, this can weaken the flavor, turning your once-robust brew into a less tasty drink. 

In addition to your drinking practices, you should examine your storage and purchase practices. Coffee expert Will Corby explained to Business Insider that coffee is not a life-long product and is best when it's fresh, rather than keeping it around forever. He says, "You could be drinking it up to a month after it's been ground, but you'll notice a drop off in the quality. After a month, it will begin to taste stale."

Some of Corby's other tips include ensuring your brewing equipment is very clean, asking yourself why you're using milk and sugar (he says there's nothing wrong with using them, but it's often to cover up bitterness, so he recommends buying a better coffee that won't be bitter), and making sure the grind size of your coffee is uniform. This will make sure you always have the same quality coffee. In fact, to get properly sized grinds, you can freeze your coffee beans instead of keeping it at room temperature, as grinding frozen beans tends to produce more consistently sized grinds (via The New York Times).

Our last piece of advice is to have fun with coffee. Metro News recommends trying it in different foods and forms. Try it in ice cream or even a cocktail, just remember not to add too much coffee to your boozy drink so you can still assess your state of mind.