"Burned" restaurant coffee, do you get it very often ?

[steve2470]

I have to admit upfront I don't regularly patronize restaurants that serve french-press coffee. The last two restaurants I've been to, the coffee was burned the first time and I had to politely request a new pot.

I don't have a gourmet palate when it comes to coffee, but I can damn sure taste a burned cup of coffee instantly. I grind my own beans at home and just water drip my coffee.

For the curious: http://lisasimplyme.blogspot.com/2011/10/burnt-burned-coffee-taste-what-theyre.html

[lastlib]

1. yeah, I just take it home and use it....

...for paint-thinner..........I keep a spare jug of it in my car in case I get low on motor oil.......and it's good for arm-wrestling practice.

[Major Nikon]

2. Under or over extracted coffee tastes like shit

Some people add so much sugar, cream, and/or flavorings they can't tell.

There's all sorts of ways coffee can get over or under extracted. Whirly-bird coffee "grinders" are notorious causes, but it can also be caused by fucking up the coffee to water ratio or brew times.

[Aristus]

3. Most places here in the Pacific Northwest have pretty high standards when it comes to coffee.

They know that the instant a bad cup of coffee is served, they'll lose business to any of the thousands and thousands of places up here that do serve good coffee.

I haven't had a bad cup of restaurant, cafe, or coffee stand brew in Washington State since I got out of the Army (which is my way of saying that I recognize a bad cup when I drink one...)

[steve2470]

4. hopefully Florida will morph to that lovely status sooner rather than later

I'm thinking of never ordering restaurant coffee again in Florida, unless I know it's french press.

[csziggy]

8. Then why is Starbucks coffee so bad?

I find it completely undrinkable no matter how much sugar and cream I add to it. Last fall I spent a week at a seminar in a hotel that only offered Starbucks coffee. Whether it was made in the drip coffee maker in the room, purchased at
the coffee bar in the mezzanine, or served with dinner it was bitter acidic sludge.

From your statements I would expect coffee made by a company that started in Washington state to be perfect and every cup of Starbucks I have every had was far from it. The only thing I can think of is that they ship all their bottom of the barrel coffee to the Southeast!

[Aristus]

9. Starbuck's stopped being a Washington thing when they started being a global corporation.

And like anything else, what constitutes bad coffee is subjective. I'm not crazy about Starbuck's as a corporation, but I don't think their coffee is especially bad; there are just other places, usually smaller companies, or independent operations that make it better.

[csziggy]

10. The only coffee I've had that was worse than Starbucks in the Southeast

Was made with water that had a lot of chlorine or other chemicals in it from a IHOP in Titusville, Florida. Seriously, Starbucks is among the worst coffee I have had. Even McDonald's makes better coffee, especially when going through the drive through. When the coffee is so bad that 50/50 with flavored creamers doesn't make it drinkable, you know it is horrible.

My favorite coffee is from some of the gas stations around here. Usually at least one pot is fresh and many of the stations have the creamers I use to adulterate my coffee - I've been told I like a little coffee with my sweet cream. And it's cheap, the largest sizes under $2.

But I am cheap. I hate paying a lot for coffee. Since it is a fifteen mile drive to get anywhere I don't go out for breakfast - actually I don't go out much for lunch or dinner. That last time I had to go into town regularly was during the 2008 campaign and I'd stop by Circle K on the way into town and pick up a second cup of coffee to take into the headquarters.

[BlueJazz]

12. "When the coffee is so bad that 50/50 with flavored creamers doesn't make it drinkable"

Damn! That's some bad shit!.
You're absolutely right about some of the gas stations. I been pleasantly surprised more than once on the great quality offered by the local fuel establishments.

[elias49]

13. I expect that you're exaggerating ..

if Starbucks made worse coffee than the corner convenience store, they'd be out of biz.

[csziggy]

14. I think many appreciate the style and name more than the coffee

I know when the first Starbucks opened here, friends thought it was really cool to go to a Starbucks since it was such a big trending thing and they had heard about the chain for years. Not one of them raved about the great coffee. Now most of them go to Panera's - better coffee and good sandwiches plus it is newer to the locale.

I'd been to a Starbucks in Orlando and wasn't impressed because of three things: the cost, the pretentious list of choices that made it hard to just order plain coffee, and the shitty coffee.

The only time I have been in a local Starbucks was when my husband was given a gift certificate at work. We used it to buy a package of coffee we gave away. The Starbucks was built in the parking lot of the set of buildings where my husband worked. Before it moved in there had been a bagel place with great bagels and good coffee next to where my husband worked. Starbucks drove them out - the rumor was that Starbucks required that the lease for the bagel place not be renewed.

The other advantage Starbucks has that most other places that serve coffee don't is a drive through. The convenience stores don't. McDonald's does but a lot of the ambitious people don't want to show up at work with a McDonald's cup while a Starbucks cup is more upscale.

[elias49]

15. No Starbucks within 40 miles of me

so I don't care. It IS largely an image thing. AND the couple of times I have been faced with Starbucks, I, too, thought they were overpriced.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. Well, It Is Personal Perference

I happen to think that Dunkin' Donuts coffee is far superior to Starbucks. It's not overroasted and has a much smoother finish.

And, i'm a black coffee guy, so i don't have anything added to change the taste of the coffee. If it has higher acid or added bitterness, it's easy for me to tell, even though i wouldn't lay claim to being a coffee gourmet.

And, if it's freshly made, i think McDonald's makes better coffee than Starbucks. The danger at McD's is getting coffee in the PM when it's possible it's been sitting there for an hour. Then, not so much.

[csziggy]

17. Dunkin Donuts coffee is decent

The worst problem I have with their coffee is that I end up buying donuts, too. And I really, really do NOT need donuts no matter how much I like them!

My brother in law loves McDonald's coffee and manages to get them to make a fresh pot no matter what time of day he goes in. He's a black coffee drinker so he is very particular about his coffee. He jokes with me about how I adulterate my coffee - says I totally spoil it. I agree.

I'm not a coffee purist and usually can add enough creamer to make up for the failings of most coffee, just not Starbucks brand. I used to think it was the machines they used in the stores or that I never knew what to order to just get a cup of coffee I could add cream and sugar to. When I stayed at the seminar hotel and brewed my own in the room drip coffee maker and used creamer I bought before getting to the hotel I realized it must be the beans they use or how they roast them.

[pinboy3niner]

5. No, I have to make a special request

[steve2470]

6. different strokes for different folks, I always say!

Hope you are well, friend, and I'm sure you're repulsed by the fake Marine in that Oregon standoff.

[Codeine]

7. All the damned time. That seems to be

the preferred flavor profile now. Yech.

[raccoon]

11. Somebody ELI5, how can I tell if it's burned? nt

[steve2470]

18. it's really how it tastes, overly bitter

I think after years of having freshly ground coffee at home, my palate has gotten pretty picky about coffee. I'm not a gourmet, but now my standards are higher. When I smell and taste that over-bitterness of the coffee and I can't even make it drinkable with a bunch of cream and sugar... it's burned.