<p>I've been putting a pinch of MSG in my coffee grounds for years. It cuts any bitter back notes and enhances the flavor regardless of the quality of the beans that you are grinding ( I personally only use very high quality arabica). Tasted side by side, one with and one without, The one with is definitely brighter and has better flavor tones.
I also use MSG while cooking. Personally I think MSG gets a bad rap. It is naturally occurring in many of the foods that we consume daily anyways.
As to why people are complaining about it being used in coffee I have no idea. Those persons should probably just go away and let us live our lives.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-07T00:13:22.043Z
2024-10-07T00:13:22.043Z
Darrel P.
<p>Over the years, there have been wild claims about various (or most) coffee packagers adding MSG to either their coffee or the packaging, supposedly to make their product more addicting or at least more popular.  People react negatively to such claims for many obvious reasons -- they've heard that MSG is harmful, they don't want adulterated coffee, they don't want to be duped or manipulated, etc. There has never been any actual evidence that any coffee packager actually did this, and lab tests disproved the claims when specific coffee companies were targeted.</p>
<p>Some retailers now put &quot;No MSG&quot; notices on their coffee offerings for the same BS marketing reasons they put &quot;gluten free&quot; on products that never contained gluten.  So to the extent people are aware of the disinformation campaigns or see the &quot;No MSG&quot; notices, they are likely to frown on it as someone adulterating their food.</p>
<p>I suspect the negative reaction to hearing that <strong>you</strong> do it is either the same generalized reaction (if it's bad for coffee packagers to do it, why would you do it yourself?), or the fact that it's an unusual substance to add to coffee.  For example, some people are aware that adding a small amount of salt to coffee can enhance the taste (if you like that); the people who aren't aware of it often consider it strange when they hear about it.  And adding MSG is far more unusual.  Some people are adventurous, and anxious to try new things.  Others cringe at the idea of things that sound unusual.</p>
<p>You may have jumped to a conclusion that there must, or could, be a good reason not to add MSG to coffee based on the often negative reaction people have to the idea.  The negative attitude can be explained, but I'm not aware of factual or compelling supporting reasons not to do it (other than the person believing that small amounts of MSG are harmful).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-19T20:51:55.390Z
2022-07-19T20:51:55.390Z
fixer1234
<p>Very small amounts of MSG significantly enhance the flavour of coffee.</p>
<p>One may or may not like this enhancement (just as one may or may not like the addition of sugar), but that's not what I'm asking about.</p>
<p>Unlike with the addition of vanillin or other artificial flavours, many people seem to react very badly to the <em>thought</em> of <em>anyone</em> using MSG.</p>
<p>What are the serious reasons for this negative attitude?</p>
<p>(Note that any answer that repeats the myth that MSG is bad for one's health will be downvoted.)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-18T13:55:26.233Z
Hmm are you asking specifically about coffee? Isn't this more of a cooking question as MSG is used as an addition in many dishes (so it has a broader audience there) while reasons for disapproving probably hold regardless of whether it's added to coffee or other dishes?
JJJ
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-18T14:23:11.307Z
@JJJ, I'm specifically asking about coffee.
Ray Butterworth
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-19T19:07:10.740Z
I've never heard of anyone adding MSG to their own coffee, let alone it being widespread enough that anyone thinks to discourage the idea of doing it. Years ago, there were some articles claiming some big coffee packagers were adding it to the coffee or packaging to make their coffee more addicting, but I never saw any evidence that it was actually happening. Can you link to something for context about who is doing or promoting it, or warning not to do it?
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-19T19:35:50.513Z
@fixer1234, I myself sometimes add it to the last cup when I drink several in a row (decaf) for variety. It must be a small amount, otherwise it tastes like MSG.
¶ When other people hear of this, they generally cringe, as if I'd added dog droppings or coffee-mate, hence this question.
¶ [Does Starbucks Coffee contain MSG?](https://foodaq.com/html/Non-Alcoholic-Drinks/63108.html)
—[Is There … MSG in Tim Hortons Coffee?](https://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/is-there-nicotine-or-msg-in-tim-hortons-coffee)
—[No MSG Coffee for sale | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/b/No-MSG-Coffee/185036/bn_95433875)
Ray Butterworth
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-19T19:58:55.727Z
You may be misinterpreting the "dog droppings" reaction; Kopi Luwak drinkers like cat droppings, so maybe it's more a matter of curiosity.  :-)  Articles like the ones you linked to were all wild speculation that was disproved in lab tests (coffee doesn't need additives like MSG to be addicting). The "No MSG" heading on the coffee sale page is like "Gluten Free" on products that never contained gluten--just marketing BS. People cringing when they hear you do it is probably just a matter of it sounding unusual. They would probably also cringe if you told them you put peanut butter on bologna.
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-19T20:04:01.193Z
@fixer1234, as a matter of fact, I *do* put peanut butter on liver (or sliced beef or chicken).  But if I call it "satay" instead, people think it's delicious.
Ray Butterworth
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-24T13:00:57.543Z
"many people seem to react very badly to the thought of anyone using MSG", "What are the serious reasons for this negative attitude?". You establish that using MSG is frowned upon without any proof of this assertion. I don't think any scientist or health professional worth his money would advise against using small amounts of MSG.
technical_difficulty
<flavored-coffee>
Why is using MSG to enhance the flavour of coffee so frowned upon?
Ray Butterworth
# Why is using MSG to enhance the flavour of coffee so frowned upon?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-07-18)

Very small amounts of MSG significantly enhance the flavour of coffee.

One may or may not like this enhancement (just as one may or may not like the addition of sugar), but that's not what I'm asking about.

Unlike with the addition of vanillin or other artificial flavours, many people seem to react very badly to the *thought* of *anyone* using MSG.

What are the serious reasons for this negative attitude?

(Note that any answer that repeats the myth that MSG is bad for one's health will be downvoted.)

**Tags:** flavored-coffee

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hmm are you asking specifically about coffee? Isn't this more of a cooking question as MSG is used as an addition in many dishes (so it has a broader audience there) while reasons for disapproving probably hold regardless of whether it's added to coffee or other dishes?  
> **username_0**: @username_1, I'm specifically asking about coffee.  
> **username_2**: I've never heard of anyone adding MSG to their own coffee, let alone it being widespread enough that anyone thinks to discourage the idea of doing it. Years ago, there were some articles claiming some big coffee packagers were adding it to the coffee or packaging to make their coffee more addicting, but I never saw any evidence that it was actually happening. Can you link to something for context about who is doing or promoting it, or warning not to do it?  
> **username_0**: @username_2, I myself sometimes add it to the last cup when I drink several in a row (decaf) for variety. It must be a small amount, otherwise it tastes like MSG. ¶ When other people hear of this, they generally cringe, as if I'd added dog droppings or coffee-mate, hence this question. ¶ [Does Starbucks Coffee contain MSG?](https://foodaq.com/html/Non-Alcoholic-Drinks/63108.html) —[Is There … MSG in Tim Hortons Coffee?](https://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/is-there-nicotine-or-msg-in-tim-hortons-coffee) —[No MSG Coffee for sale | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/b/No-MSG-Coffee/185036/bn_95433875)  
> **username_2**: You may be misinterpreting the "dog droppings" reaction; Kopi Luwak drinkers like cat droppings, so maybe it's more a matter of curiosity.  :-)  Articles like the ones you linked to were all wild speculation that was disproved in lab tests (coffee doesn't need additives like MSG to be addicting). The "No MSG" heading on the coffee sale page is like "Gluten Free" on products that never contained gluten--just marketing BS. People cringing when they hear you do it is probably just a matter of it sounding unusual. They would probably also cringe if you told them you put peanut butter on bologna.  
> **username_0**: @username_2, as a matter of fact, I *do* put peanut butter on liver (or sliced beef or chicken).  But if I call it "satay" instead, people think it's delicious.  
> **username_3**: "many people seem to react very badly to the thought of anyone using MSG", "What are the serious reasons for this negative attitude?". You establish that using MSG is frowned upon without any proof of this assertion. I don't think any scientist or health professional worth his money would advise against using small amounts of MSG.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-07-19. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

Over the years, there have been wild claims about various (or most) coffee packagers adding MSG to either their coffee or the packaging, supposedly to make their product more addicting or at least more popular. People react negatively to such claims for many obvious reasons -- they've heard that MSG is harmful, they don't want adulterated coffee, they don't want to be duped or manipulated, etc. There has never been any actual evidence that any coffee packager actually did this, and lab tests disproved the claims when specific coffee companies were targeted.

Some retailers now put "No MSG" notices on their coffee offerings for the same BS marketing reasons they put "gluten free" on products that never contained gluten. So to the extent people are aware of the disinformation campaigns or see the "No MSG" notices, they are likely to frown on it as someone adulterating their food.

I suspect the negative reaction to hearing that **you** do it is either the same generalized reaction (if it's bad for coffee packagers to do it, why would you do it yourself?), or the fact that it's an unusual substance to add to coffee. For example, some people are aware that adding a small amount of salt to coffee can enhance the taste (if you like that); the people who aren't aware of it often consider it strange when they hear about it. And adding MSG is far more unusual. Some people are adventurous, and anxious to try new things. Others cringe at the idea of things that sound unusual.

You may have jumped to a conclusion that there must, or could, be a good reason not to add MSG to coffee based on the often negative reaction people have to the idea. The negative attitude can be explained, but I'm not aware of factual or compelling supporting reasons not to do it (other than the person believing that small amounts of MSG are harmful).


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### Answer by username_4 on 2024-10-07. Score: 1

I've been putting a pinch of MSG in my coffee grounds for years. It cuts any bitter back notes and enhances the flavor regardless of the quality of the beans that you are grinding ( I personally only use very high quality arabica). Tasted side by side, one with and one without, The one with is definitely brighter and has better flavor tones.
I also use MSG while cooking. Personally I think MSG gets a bad rap. It is naturally occurring in many of the foods that we consume daily anyways.
As to why people are complaining about it being used in coffee I have no idea. Those persons should probably just go away and let us live our lives.


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