Mister Gee takes a cinnamon tablet also. He is a diabetic and tries anything and everything he reads. I also like my coffee strong, but he like his medium. I worked for the Navy for many years where the coffee was like mud and it was a crime to wash the pot.
I know exactly what you’re taste is like then. I grew up in Alaska. My Dad made boiled coffee and I doubt he ever washed the pot either. Mom was a tea drinker. When I joined the AF, our cook liked colored water.