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The case for bad coffee (2015)

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Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#281
post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn’t directed at you/OP, but the anti dark roast thing seems to me to be a distinctively American coffee snob hipster thing. Many places in the world have wonderful dark roast coffee. Honestly, are these people just wandering around Austria, Italy, Vietnam, Cuba, or Turkey complaining about bad the coffee is? Give me a break.

> a distinctively American coffee snob hipster thing Didn't it start in Northern Europe and flourish in Australia?

Australians I’ve met all seem to think they invented something they call “coffee culture” (or at least that Melbourne did).

I don’t know why they think this because it seems to be exactly the same as Seattle in the 2000s.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Starbucks coffee tastes like battery acid.

Here in the UK, I'd say Starbucks tastes of nothing. Hot brown drink. Their ground bags you can buy and take home are equally a non-event. Not sure why people rave about it. Coffee is some of the worst I've had, not withstanding UK McDonald's.

Which blend? They have multiple, including a pretty light one that you may have mistakenly gotten. “Starbucks” isn’t a blend or a flavor profile.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#283
post #228

Like most things, coffee is subject to diminishing returns. I have also owned nearly every device invented to make coffee - as I'm sure many others here have - and I've settled on a simple over-the-mug pour-over cone, but mainly because there's no moving parts or tubes to worry about cleaning. I don't even know what "correct" pour-over technique is, so I'm basically making bog-standard single-serving drip coffee with…

> Ultimately I think fancy coffee is the same as fancy beer - it's not about the quality of taste of the thing, but rather it's about tribal membership and signaling. Given most people drink coffee on their own at home with remote WFH standardized, who exactly are we signaling to?

People on the internet posting how they don’t like Starbucks?

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#284
Meh- I don’t think this is a case for bad coffee. It’s just like my old beer-brewing college professor saying one of the best beers of his life was a budweiser… as the cruise ship he was on was departing.

This is about experience, which is the stuff of life.

When I was vacationing in a tropical paradise, and the best coffee on the island was still in the 2nd wave, I didn’t pretend it was amazing, but I also didn’t have a problem with it.

I mean, I think I mostly agree with this person. Check your perspective when your not in the comfort of your perfect coffee bubble.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#285

I'm a little ashamed to admit this, but I've never had a cup of coffee I didn't like. There have been some pretty terrible tasting ones. I drank them anyway. All in all, pretty good beverage.

Vending machine coffee has always been terrible in my experience. Although there is (or at least was for a time) some Starbucks developed machine that made a perfectly fine cup of coffee but IIRC it was obscenely expensive and meant more for workplaces or small stores.

We had that (iCup) at our office and it tasted absolutely disgusting, but I think there was something wrong with the water supply.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn’t directed at you/OP, but the anti dark roast thing seems to me to be a distinctively American coffee snob hipster thing. Many places in the world have wonderful dark roast coffee. Honestly, are these people just wandering around Austria, Italy, Vietnam, Cuba, or Turkey complaining about bad the coffee is? Give me a break.

It's actually kind of funny, because I've noticed that there is one little coffee subculture in America that is big on dark roasts -- you'll find a pretty decent variety of dark roasts at the right-wing-political coffee roasteries. I'm not sure how we turned coffee roast level into a partisan political issue, but somehow we did.

There are right wing political coffee roasteries?

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d be too distracted by the horrible instant coffee to enjoy any conversation or environment.

Yeah. The conversation would go something like this: (spewing noise) “What did I just put in my mouth!? Hey. Lets feed this swill to the plants and go grab coffee at Methodical.”

You might return to find the plants having the shakes.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like dark roast coffee, ice cubes in my scotch, and my steak well done and I'm tried of people telling me I'm wrong. Let me like the things I like.

When I still drank alcohol and ate meat, this was me in a sentence. I wonder if liking these specific flavour profiles is common? In the same way that some people like chocolate, others prefer gummies, some don't enjoy candy, period.

Is it a familiarity thing? Did your families/parents like dark roast, ice in scotch and well done?

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#290

I’ve gone through several coffee phases, some bordering on extreme — extremely sensitive weighing, timing, $2,000 grinders, $10k espresso machine, etc. My happy medium is just doing basic pour overs, but with really good locally roasted coffee. To me, this is the cheapest and best approach. In fact, even if pour overs require too much work (weighing, timing), then just do drip. But do it with quality coffee. Quality…

I can taste the different kinds but I honestly don't mind the Folgers bagged coffee. It's nice because I can just use my normal electric kettle and there's hardly any mess.
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