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The case for bad coffee (2015)

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Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#401

Post by betwixthewires »

I get the authors point and agree mostly, the best cup of coffee is the one I had at wafflehouse when I was 16 with my only friend who had a car, smoking cigarettes at the table with nobody giving a shit that we weren't old enough to be smoking. It had a lot of sugar in it too.

But I enjoy hand grinding some beans I get that are reasonably priced and pretty good, and putting them in the French press with turmeric and mint from the garden. I sit out and listen to the birds chirp and sip on it for about 20 minutes in the morning. It's not fancy, it's not a $10k espresso machine, but it's a little more then Folger's in a percolator and I like it.

I don't get the snobbery but I don't see how people can drink swill day after day either.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#402

Post by jquery »

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…

Just ask for a coffee. They won't roll your eyes at that. At least, that's never happened to me and that's my typical order at a boutique coffee shop. They're not going to make fun of you for not being a coffee expert. You'll end up with a nice drip coffee of whatever the house recommends.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#403

Post by supernovae »

civilized wrote: post #340
rfrey wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not undeniable. Dark roasts are much more difficult to get right and be consistent with. Many roasters can't do it, so they're happy to promote the idea that people who like dark roasts are coffee dilettantes. To me, it's similar to how so many American microbreweries go crazy with hops.

> To me, it's similar to how so many American microbreweries go crazy with hops. Every "hopocalypse" type beer is utterly forgettable. It's like when you go to some tourist-y small town in the Midwestern US and the gift shop has five hundred different INSANELY HOT SAUCES no one's heard of. I guess "hoppy" is a powerful, accessible flavor that anyone can easily make, like squeezing a bottle of Sriracha onto some noodl…

I love IPAs and hoppy beers. Everything else is forgettable.

So glad we cleared up that everyone has opinions.

I’m just glad we have so many options to try and do many craft brewers having fun with it.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#404

Post by dsr_ »

brunoqc wrote: post #371
sakras wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes I love getting a large nitro cold brew and dumping milk in it! Helped me lose a lot of weight too!

> Helped me lose a lot of weight too! How? I hope it's not like in Requiem for a Dream with the old lady.

It's a lot of caffeine. If you aren't reminded that you're supposed to be hungry, you may not feel hungry until it's almost time for dinner.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#405

Post by supernovae »

analog31 wrote: post #338
zeta0134 wrote: post #326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a lot of this sentiment comes from one dark roast in particular: whatever Starbucks brews has the nastiest, most bitter after taste. It's probably the perfect blend to compliment their sugary concoctions, since there's no mistaking the strong flavor it adds, but it's (subjectively) quite awful on its own. I find dark roasts from nearly any other brand to be more tolerable, with all sorts of interesting flavor…

I remember when Starbucks just began to branch out of Seattle... people went gaa-gaa over it. A grad school buddy of mine was so honored when Starbucks brought a franchise to his town. Today it's reviled. I doubt the coffee is any different, but it's become too commonplace to possibly be good.

It’s consistent. I can be very happy getting an Americano in Austin and an Americano in Boston and know i’m getting a comfortable cup of coffee.

I do appreciate the specialty roasters we have here.. but i don’t need to hate on starbucks - other than the ones that treat their employees like crap

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#406

Post by jquery »

barrkel wrote: post #253
staticautomatic wrote: post #125

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.

On the pourover side of things, coffee can tend towards a tea-like substance, with some degree of translucency and delicate flavours, the kinds of flavours that you need light roasting to preserve. It's in part exploring different kinds of drinks that can be made from coffee beans. You can also get a different kind of espresso, but it's wasted if it's going to be mixed into a milk and sugar concoction.

It's not wasted. Maybe I'm more sensitive than average, but I can absolutely tell the difference between different beans and roasts even after cream/sugar has been added.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#407

Post by parasubvert »

I think this is why Nespresso has taken off - it quickly and easily gets you the uniqueness of espresso (the oils and crema) with bad coffee, and Nestle invites you to pay a bit more for it (the price is a feature).

That said, it’s possible to have memorable conversations and moments over a Nespresso, a Blue Bottle pour over, a Nitro cold brew, a Jamaican Blue mountain aeropress, a cup of fresh ground Columbian drip, a fresh pulled espresso shot of Ethiopian yirgachiffe, or Taster’s Choice with condensed milk. (I chose these because I can vividly remember fond times with all of them). It really depends what you stock at home or work, whether you have friends and family over, and/or where you hang out.

OP had a good story but seems he had a period with not a lot of friends but lots of artisanal coffee. It’s possible to have both, though this requires some perspective: good coffee doesn’t have to be fussy.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#408

Post by bpodgursky »

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…

"Large drip"

They always figure it out.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#409

Post by smarks »

Aloha wrote: post #196
smarks wrote: post #52

Of course the article is less about good coffee or bad coffee but about how coffee is intertwined with our lives and our culture (at least, American culture). For example, the author mentioned Perkins and I knew exactly what he was talking about. The stories about his stepdad Ted were touching as well. Two memorable coffee experiences come to my mind. One was a dinner I had with the late John Vlissides (probably know…

Try the Hills Brothers coffee in the percolator, I think you'll have a revelation. Though best results come from an automatic perc.

Huh, I might try this. The previous time I bought drip grind and used an automatic drip maker. They don’t seem to specify the grind anymore. I suppose I could buy whole beans and grind them myself, but that would seem to be a bit contrary to the spirit of this discussion.

Re: The case for bad coffee (2015)

#410

Post by ycombinete »

CptFribble wrote: post #4

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…

Coffee like smoking is a habit formed around a drug addiction. Watching a Davidoff video on how to cut/light a cigar, a snobby whisky tasting video, or James Hoffman devoting hours to the perfect moka pot are all similar to me

Were caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol not pleasantly mind altering and addictive, I highly doubt many people consuming them, regardless of minor adjustments in their preparation.

That said I’m firmly of the opinion that french press, and moka make the best coffee for my taste.

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