try this little trick, mix the freeze dried coffee in a spoonfull of cold water and let it desolve first before adding the hot water to your cup. Takes the bitterness out, it's still not real coffee but Much better. I read once of a chemical reason for this about the outside of the crystals getting a coating of some kind from the heated water , but when desolved in a little cool water the chemical reaction is different. All I know is that it does seem to make the end result taste better.
I tried the cold water trick this morning with a packet of the vile Tasters Choice. It actually works to some degree; the smell of the instant crystals once dissolved in hot water was not reminiscent of something from the janitorial closet and the taste, while still chemically, was only half as bad.
That’s a life hack trick I will remember.
Most of the life hack tricks I have read about and tried are utter nonsense. Two that actually work:
To chill a warm beer wrap it in a damp paper towel and put it in the freezer for a few minutes. Works like a charm. Probably works with other beverages too.
The most useful life hack has been the simple “How to peel a banana”. Instead of slicing (or gnawing) an opening on the stem end, simply pinch the bottom half inch of the banana between your thumb and forefinger. The result is a perfect peel every time, with no strings attached.
I feel like I peeled bananas the wrong way for 50 years.
BTW, those of you with young kids should try “pre-sliced” banana trick. Take a greenish banana, push a needle through the skin and carefully move it side-to-side inside the banana peel. Move the needle down and over an inch and repeat until the entire banana is “sliced” inside the peel. Allow to ripen; the pin holes will look just like other dark dots on the peel.
Present to kids as special pre-sliced bananas and allow them to peel/reveal the results.
