I'm sure in a sub entirely devoted to coffee, most of us here have taken the time to either learn to make or at least seek out a really good cup of coffee. Something made with emphasis on sourcing, precision, freshness, brew method, etc seeking to make the best cup of coffee. But has that turned you off of the regular coffee that's out there? Your average bottomless diner cup of coffee? A quick coffee from Starbucks?
As for me, I'll pretty much drink anything. But the more I expose myself to good coffee, the more I find myself wishing my subpar cup was the good stuff. In a way it sucks because I used to just enjoy any coffee not really knowing how good it gets.
Sort: Top
[–] bb69fd 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
I've always enjoyed the flavors/smell/experience of a quality cup-o-joe. But first thing in the morning, especially when I was in the Army, even shit coffee will fulfill the basic requirements. Now that I'm out of the Army and enjoy a few more options shit coffee requires a little splash of creamer to mask the bitter cheap flavor.
[–] Jack_on_Fire [S] ago
I get the feeling that a lot of the reasons a shit cup of coffee gets such a pass is because the flavor is usually masked by people's habits of using creamer or sugar. Certain preparations of coffee, roasts, or whatever drunk black can be pretty intense in a bad way. Starbucks is consistently one of the worst offenders for me. I'll drink it but it really doesn't taste like it was meant to be drunk black. I don't have a problem with Denny's or regular coffee shop coffee that just tastes like plain old coffee. But starbucks is like a burnt kind of bitter.
[–] DudeDude 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I got my coffee machine today. My carefully cultivated lowered expectations are now dead and gone. I can no longer enjoy subpar coffee.
[–] Tinker_Bell ago
I absolutely can't drink diner coffee, gas station coffee, or even coffee from most legit coffee shops. It's all cheap and/or too burnt. The coffee shops I frequent tend to do better with espresso based drinks, so I typically order a mocha. My favorite local places make it just right, meaning I can still taste the espresso and not just chocolate. I've found that if I tell Starbucks to halve the amount of chocolate they put, it's much more palatable.
[–] SteelKidney ago
Depends on how sub-par. Which, I suppose, could mean "depends on where par is".
I can still stand Starbucks, but I won't go there outside a real caffeine emergency. I can't drink Folgers/Maxwell House style, but then, I never could. In fact, crappy office coffee is why I started learning how to brew better coffee. I have a style that I like. Double espresso with about 2oz of foamed milk. Or, if I have more time, a french press. I tend to like coffee that passes the "horseshoe test". Drop a horseshoe in. If it floats, the coffee's ready. That's why I rarely go for coffee from coffee houses- it's just not strong enough.
[–] JWFokker ago
Maxwell House doesn't even advertise that it's 100% arabica anymore. Has a distinctly piney aroma. It's not what anyone should call good coffee.
[–] SteelKidney ago
Good grief. I'm no snob that insists that if it isn't kopi luwak it isn't "real" coffee, but if they're just using robusta then that explains a lot.