Javajabbers Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2003 Posts: 93 Location: Oregon Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Old dog-using Aeropress for... Grinder: Solis Maestro Plus Vac Pot: on the Wish list Drip: Commercial pour-over Mr.... Roaster: CO/UFO and/or SC
Posted Fri Oct 28, 2005, 7:19am Subject: What's the worst coffee you ever drank?
Okay - time to draw on our memories of bad coffee past and share! I was just thinking about what the worst coffee was I have ever had, and wondered if you all remember when/where that was? Can you describe it?
I think generally most of us can pinpoint the diner coffee made with primarily robusta beans. Back then I had no clue what made it taste like I was licking a tin can, but now I do. I recall several diners in my coffee "youth" where we would go to sit and have coffee talk, but with a couple of them the metallic taste was so intense that I couldn't get through it and had to switch to soda. Eventually I started bringing in coffee flavorings to disguise the taste of what I was drinking. To this day anything chocolate raspberry makes me incredibly ill!
I think if I had to choose the crappiest coffee, these would be my contenders for my local town:
1) The Apple Peddler - Good ol' Farmer's Bros 2) Elmer's Pancake House - I think it's an industrial style MJB 3) IHOP: Who the hell knows? All I know is I used to order it as half decaf because their decaf had to be fresh brewed and tasted better than the regular, so I would have them mix them.
Anyone else have any to share? Any particular meals that these things ruined for you? Anyone have to go to the hospital? LOL!
Dina
Help save the Oregon State Police! www.saveosp.org
ChuckViau Senior Member Joined: 2 May 2005 Posts: 124 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Not There Yet Grinder: Solis Maestro Plus Vac Pot: Cona "D" Drip: Chemex Roaster: I-Roast2, FreshRoast Plus 8
Posted Fri Oct 28, 2005, 7:47am Subject: Re: What's the worst coffee you ever drank?
I'd have to say the worst tasting coffee I've ever tasted was at The Parker House in Sudbury Ontario. I have to admit that being from Sudbury, it is the most charming cafe around. The atmosphere is amazing, that's where I had one of my first dates with my wife. But the coffee tastes like some kind of lab alcohol, not the good type! The espresso is just that horrible taste x10! It's horrible! The second worst is at my parents but I don't think that counts! Ha! Ha!
I really hope someone from The Parker House reads this! It's like telling a stranger that they have bad breath. I'm sure they would want to know but you don't have the courage to approach a stranger to tell them that! Then again, who am I to tell them their coffee sucks?
Javajabbers Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2003 Posts: 93 Location: Oregon Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Old dog-using Aeropress for... Grinder: Solis Maestro Plus Vac Pot: on the Wish list Drip: Commercial pour-over Mr.... Roaster: CO/UFO and/or SC
Posted Fri Oct 28, 2005, 8:03am Subject: Re: What's the worst coffee you ever drank?
ChuckViau Said:
But the coffee tastes like some kind of lab alcohol, not the good type! The espresso is just that horrible taste x10!
OH OH OH - That just flashed a horrid coffee memory for me! Okay, I don't know how many times I've gotten Gevalia for the freebies they always gave away, but every single time I thought it had to be a fluke that it was so nasty so I would try it again. And every single time to me it tastes heavily of camphor. Anyone else have the occasion to try that stuff? Oh my....that was simply nasty!
ChuckViau Said:
I really hope someone from The Parker House reads this! It's like telling a stranger that they have bad breath. I'm sure they would want to know but you don't have the courage to approach a stranger to tell them that! Then again, who am I to tell them their coffee sucks?
Ummmm, well you're a customer and if you don't like it, I suspect others feel the same. I don't hesitate to make my opinion known about bad coffee at restaurants anymore. Most of the time it's because they are trying to get by on the cheap. If enough people complained, they would change it. :^)
Dina
Help save the Oregon State Police! www.saveosp.org
Blueyed_Barista Senior Member Joined: 8 Dec 2003 Posts: 40 Location: Florida for now Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Fri Oct 28, 2005, 9:09am Subject: Re: What's the worst coffee you ever drank?
By far the worst coffee I have ever had was at Chef Mickeys in the not so wonderful land of Disney World. After enduring far too much time in the land of Mickey and friends, my trip ended with the most foul cup of coffee I have ever had. I know there is nescafe stuff all around Disney and I'm not sure if that is what I subjected myself to BUT I can tell you this... coffee along with many other things... are not a good idea at Disney.
dorcusarabicus Senior Member Joined: 5 Feb 2005 Posts: 23 Location: North Mifflin, Pa.
Posted Fri Oct 28, 2005, 3:04pm Subject: Re: What's the worst coffee you ever drank?
I was at a bible study at the home of a caterer who also attends my church. She makes wonderful food - not the typical rigs, pigs and fried chicken wedding cuisine you get in the Pittsburgh area. It was a cold day and we all were looking forward to coffee and desert. She had a new coffee maker that looked really expensive. It was huge and intimidating - glossy black with stainless steel decoration and dual burners. Another person (who works at Starbucks) brought a package of coffee. I don't know what kind of bean it was but I remember it said French Roast on the bag (the packaging was beautiful). Being a Starbucks employee we all looked to her as an authority on coffee. She showed the hostess how to use the new machine and we all couldn't wait for it to finish brewing so we could taste it.
Well, when the brewing finished they poured me a cup. It smelled ok but I almost gagged when I tasted it. I can only describe the taste as a cross between burnt molten plastic and burnt cat urine. At first I thought they made a mistake but since the person who made the coffee worked at Starbucks you'd think she would know what she's doing. Maybe the machine wasn't cleaned properly before using it. Perhaps they left the instruction booklet in the filter basket. Who knows? It was a truly "memorable" coffee experience though.
Posted Fri Oct 28, 2005, 5:08pm Subject: Re: What's the worst coffee you ever drank?
Coffee that had been brewed after the coffee machine was cleaned with bleach. I thought I was being poisoned it was so bad. The manager said he wasnt sure if they had rinsed out the bleach or not. Duh.
Javajabbers Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2003 Posts: 93 Location: Oregon Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Old dog-using Aeropress for... Grinder: Solis Maestro Plus Vac Pot: on the Wish list Drip: Commercial pour-over Mr.... Roaster: CO/UFO and/or SC
Posted Fri Oct 28, 2005, 5:31pm Subject: Re: What's the worst coffee you ever drank?
You guys are killing me here! ROFL!
First - I would think Disneyland/world would have espresso stands all over the place. I would never have guessed that they would be forcing Nescafe' on everyone. Boy - that is good to know. I've never been to either but when it's time to take the kiddo, I'll have to make strategic plans! lol!
As for the caterer, I'm really wondering if the machine needed to be cleaned beforehand. I have had plastic appliances leech off a heavy plastic flavor in the past, so it could stand to reason if it was a brand new appliance it was leeching out. As for the cat urine, it sounds almost like the roast. I remember in my early home espresso days I would try different espresso beans and my mom would always comment about how it always smelled like cat pee to her. ROFL - guess we can surmise they went a bit too far in the roast there? lol!
The bleached coffee machine? Well, that reminds me of when I was cleaning the coffee carafes out with Efferdent. I put the pots on the burner with a couple denture tabs in water and let it sit. It gets all the gunk off really easy. But I guess as time goes on it loses it's blue hue and goes clear. Well, someone had turned the burner off (I think my mother in law maybe), so my husband made an assumption that I had the water sitting there for a pour through (once in awhile I will fill the pot with filtered water when I know we'll be drinking coffee soon). Sooooo, IN goes the Efferdent water into the coffee maker. Now here is the REALLY scarey part: No one noticed it. I didn't happen to drink any coffee at home for a couple days (I sometimes have to rush off to work and make it there), so I absolve myself from being oblivious. But my husband and mother in law just kept drinking and drinking and drinking from it. I was mortified when I found out, but by the time I found out about it, the reservoir had been run through so many times it was pretty much a moot point.
Hey - at least they have a clean intestinal tract!!!
Dina
Help save the Oregon State Police! www.saveosp.org
Morecoffeeplease Senior Member Joined: 23 Aug 2005 Posts: 6 Location: Connecticut Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Gaggia Carezza Grinder: Solis Maestro Drip: You mean coffee press,...
Posted Fri Oct 28, 2005, 5:58pm Subject: Re: What's the worst coffee you ever drank?
I had driven to North Carolina to visit my Nana a few years ago, and couldn't find a decent cup of coffee down there to save my life -- supposedly Cracker Barrel had a decent cup (most likely Maxwell House or something) but I didn't get a chance to check it out.
However, on the way back my girlfriend and I stopped at a Dunkin Donuts (this was my pre-coffegeek days and after years of Dunkins French Vanilla in New England I thought it would at least be serviceable) in VA and that was the worst cup of coffee I have ever had by far. I can't remember if I had gotten the french vanilla or not, but I think the water down there was so disgusting that it totally ruined the cup. The coffee had an orange tinge to it and no matter what I did (add cream, sugar, etc) the color didn't change at all, nevermind the taste!
I guess we are spoiled in the North, I have yet to find a decent cup of coffee south of NJ.
Javajabbers Senior Member Joined: 16 Dec 2003 Posts: 93 Location: Oregon Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Old dog-using Aeropress for... Grinder: Solis Maestro Plus Vac Pot: on the Wish list Drip: Commercial pour-over Mr.... Roaster: CO/UFO and/or SC
Posted Fri Oct 28, 2005, 6:21pm Subject: Re: What's the worst coffee you ever drank?
Morecoffeeplease Said:
I guess we are spoiled in the North, I have yet to find a decent cup of coffee south of NJ.
Do you suppose it might have had chickory added? I have heard a lot about how they add chickory to coffee in the south, and I guess it's a specialty in some southern states where it's a special drink at espresso shops even. I cannot imagine what it tastes like but it certainly doesn't sound good to me.
Dina
Help save the Oregon State Police! www.saveosp.org
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