People Are Adding Salt to Their Morning Coffee For a Rather Bizarre Reason

[Warpy]

Most people, if they're going to add anything to their coffee, choose the side of sweetness and cream. A touch of sugar or hazelnut syrup, perhaps a dash of cow's milk, all to help smooth out the rough, bitter edges of coffee.

But it might be worth your while to reach for something savory instead. A "hack" circulating on social media suggests adding a small pinch of salt, rather than a spoonful of sugar, to your morning (or afternoon or night, no judgment) cup of brew. This trick seems to remove some of the bitterness and brings out the other flavors that might otherwise be lost.

If the idea sounds odd to you, rest assured that it's not as strange as you might think. There is even a scientific basis for this quirk of coffee, well known for decades: Sodium chloride is extremely effective at suppressing bitterness in coffee and all kinds of food.

https://www.sciencealert.com/people-are-adding-salt-to-their-morning-coffee-for-a-rather-bizarre-reason

Makes sense, especially if you've ever left the salt out of a batch of fudge or other chocolate dessert. Maybe Starbuck's needs to put salt shakers on their counters, I understand their brew is burnt and bitter.