I’ve always preferred cream. One day a guy told me that coffee was good for you - unless you added cream, which made the combination bad. So I tried black coffee for a while. Not only did I not like it, but my white cup started staining really bad and I had to wash it a lot.
Then I wondered what it was doing to my teeth.
I went back to cream. I much prefer it. The two flavors compliment each other. The cream neutralizes the bitterness, allowing the good qualities of the flavor come out. At least for me...
Re: cream in coffee.
My dad drinks it that way. I used to, but not for years.
My Dad always drank his coffee black so when I first started drinking it, I tried it that way but found it hard to drink. So, I would order it “black and sweet.”
Then, on my first real summer job I worked with a lot of blue collar guys and it was often my job to make the morning coffee run to a nearby bakery. Everybody ordered their coffee “regular,” which meant with cream and sugar. So, I went along with the flow. That and a buttered roll got us through the morning.
Years later, I switched to just adding half-and-half. No sugar and definitely no artificial sweetener.
Then, about 20 years ago, I switched to drinking black coffee, mainly because I drink 6-8 cups a day and wanted to cut out the calories from the half-and-and half. It was an acquired taste but I love it now and of course the quality of coffee has gone up over the years.
A co-worker drank his coffee black and was quite vocal about. I asked him if he ever eats steak. He responded that he did. I then asked him if he puts anything on it: salt, pepper, steak sauce... He glared at me and walked away.
Fats carry the flavor notes.