The case for bad coffee (2015) • Hacker News Board

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#341

Post by BLKNSLVR » Mon, Jul 18, 2022, 3:11 AM UTC

guggalugalug wrote: post #261

hanklazard wrote: post #34

This was a really beautiful post. As for coffee, like many other parts of life (movies, food, and music especially), I find that I like it very good or very bad—as long as it’s not down the middle, I can find a time/place to enjoy it. I have a fairly expensive Rocket Espresso machine, I’ve learned some latte art. I have every coffee making contraption out there. And I enjoy all of it, at times. When I’m in a hurry I’…

Plus one for 'as long as it's not down the middle'. Or, nothing by half measures. Gas station coffee is a Rite. I am not a maniac, I use a burr grinder for locally & lightly roasted beans, and a v60. With an electric kettle that's about a five minute process, $1.30/300ml. On the other hand, nothing beats an early morning pop-in to the 7/11, couple 24oz "Regular Roast" cups, slide the cardboard sleeves on, fit the lid…

Do you find the unfiltered Camels have any kind of dulling effect on the coffee flavour (or any flavour for that matter)?

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#342

Post by eloisius » Mon, Jul 18, 2022, 3:11 AM UTC

staticautomatic wrote: post #125

ryanSrich wrote: post #105

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…

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.

Italians drink espresso, and I don't know about Austria, but Turkey, Cuba and Vietnam drink heavily sweetened coffee. The coffee from those places are delicious in their own right, but don't exactly compare to light roast drip coffee, if a cup of black coffee is what you like.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#343

Post by nickstinemates » Mon, Jul 18, 2022, 3:11 AM UTC

mikehollinger wrote: post #247

I feel the same way about restaurants. I realized a few years ago that I don’t crave Enoteca’s rigatoni; I crave the feeling of unwinding with some friends after a failed attempt at going to an ice cream festival. We were hot. Annoyed. Tired. And had a great time laughing about it at this tiny bistro as the sun set. The food and the restaurant was a setting, and essential, but it was second place behind the social co…

to add to this, if you think about the best hot chocolate you have ever had, it is usually associated with a memory or events surrounding it and not necessarily the quality of the ingredients.

heston blumenthol talks about this in his book on The Fat Duck, a 3 star restaurant in the UK.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#344

Post by matt-attack » Mon, Jul 18, 2022, 3:11 AM UTC

technothrasher wrote: post #265

zwieback wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree, I don't even order coffee in Portland anymore because everything is "delicate, fruity, floral" light roast aka. tastes like goddam vinegar.

Last time I was in Oregon I tried to go into a coffee place and get a cup of coffee. Now, I'm admittedly not a big fancy coffee guy, usually drinking whatever Dunkin Donuts or McDonald's swill I can get, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the hell I was supposed to order. It was all fancy names on the menu and nothing that was just "coffee". I finally just said, "I want, like, normal, I don't know, Eas…

I never look at coffee menus. They’re all obnoxious. Just walk in an say “I want a medium coffee”.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#345

Post by robbrown451 » Mon, Jul 18, 2022, 3:12 AM UTC

abstract_put wrote: post #301

robbrown451 wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe, but I just don't like black coffee, and I'm pretty sure I've had "good" black coffee. Too acidic and bitter. I guess you could say I "just don't like coffee," but I do like it with cream and sugar, so.... I mean, whatever. That's what I like.

> I've had "good" black coffee. Too acidic and bitter. Without trying to talk you out of your preference, I think there's a distinction that might be useful here. A "good" buttery chardonnay isn't going to be enjoyable if you just don't like white wine. There are a ton of great coffees that do not have acidic and bitter as significant tasting notes, so it might be a case of finding a better match to your preferences?…

Well what I drink today isn't nasty, since I add milk and sugar. :)

I guess all that may be true, it just isn't interesting to me. I'm happy with what I drink. I don't care about loving black coffee.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#346

Post by tomjakubowski » Mon, Jul 18, 2022, 3:13 AM UTC

technothrasher wrote: post #265

zwieback wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree, I don't even order coffee in Portland anymore because everything is "delicate, fruity, floral" light roast aka. tastes like goddam vinegar.

Last time I was in Oregon I tried to go into a coffee place and get a cup of coffee. Now, I'm admittedly not a big fancy coffee guy, usually drinking whatever Dunkin Donuts or McDonald's swill I can get, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the hell I was supposed to order. It was all fancy names on the menu and nothing that was just "coffee". I finally just said, "I want, like, normal, I don't know, Eas…

He rolled his eyes because of your insinuation that their coffee was abnormal.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#347

Post by mcronce » Mon, Jul 18, 2022, 3:13 AM UTC

Honestly, as somebody who does pourovers that take like fifteen minutes between grinding the beans, heating the kettle, pouring, and finally drinking...sometimes I do yearn for just a Keurig-like fast-shitty-cup-of-coffee experience without all the plastic waste.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#348

Post by smegger001 » Mon, Jul 18, 2022, 3:15 AM UTC

bee_rider wrote: post #286

codefreeordie wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

sadly yes. some featuring gun themed branding for incomprehensible reasons.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#349

Post by jhugo » Mon, Jul 18, 2022, 3:15 AM UTC

I just use Nespresso. It's not as cheap as instant coffee, but nowhere near as expensive as a serious coffee obsession can be. The basic ristretto capsules are tasty enough, always consistent, and it's arguably even more instant than instant coffee. Works for me.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#350

Post by bqmjjx0kac » Mon, Jul 18, 2022, 3:15 AM UTC

mcronce wrote: post #347

Honestly, as somebody who does pourovers that take like fifteen minutes between grinding the beans, heating the kettle, pouring, and finally drinking...sometimes I do yearn for just a Keurig-like fast-shitty-cup-of-coffee experience without all the plastic waste.

I'll meet you in the middle: French press! Actually, I like it just as much as pourover.