What's the worst coffee worldwide?

[Old Mariner]

For me, I think the worst I ever had was what was being served in the hospital ER waiting room. Underneath that would be McDonald's.

My body just does not take well to high octane jet fuel that is being passed off as "coffee".

If I happen to make for myself, despite being an obsessive tea drinker, it is done in my French press and I use either decaf (which my body thinks is slightly caffinated - like a cup of black tea), or light roast.

 

[Zombie_61]

Starbucks uses only arabica coffee, which most aficionados find superior in flavor to robusta. Arabica is, however, much lower in caffeine than robusta.

Robusta is what you find in most of the canned coffee at the supermarket. (Almost all the more expensive whole-bean coffee in the supermarket is arabica.)...

Thank you. Being a coffee drinker myself (sort of) I'm aware there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of different types of beans that the various coffees around the world are made from, but I've never taken the time to research which have a higher or lower caffeine content because I drink coffee for the flavor, not the caffeine high.

...This is not to say that the Starbucks product isn’t addictive. All coffee (excepting decaf) is. I might get a headache if I don’t get some coffee in me within a couple hours of awakening. But the cheap stuff out of the can gives a better fix than a higher priced arabica...

Oh yeah, I've experienced that "lack of caffeine" headache myself and through my wife who, when she was still working, still had to wake up at 5:00 a.m. on her days off so she could get her caffeine fix at approximately the same time every day. She was a bit of a lightweight though, and wouldn't drink coffee she couldn't see through before she added the milk/cream.

 

[Harp]

Bad coffee? I learned my coffee drinking in the U.S. Army. After that, it all seems good.

Ditto. Looks like muddy water, tastes like Turpentine; ...or rifle bore cleaner.
I once told a couple privates to get some coffee from the mess hall to clean paint brushes,
they told Mess Daddy what I said, and the mess sergeant chewed my ass up one side and down another.
I just smiled and said the mess joe did a fantastic job on those brushes.

Kenyan grown coffee tastes like Death, and I kid you not.
Sumatran tastes terribile.

Peruvian; Costa Rican; and Chiapas, Mexican joe tops all.

 

[belfastboy]

Ditto. Looks like muddy water, tastes like Turpentine; ...or rifle bore cleaner.
I once told a couple privates to get some coffee from the mess hall to clean paint brushes,
they told Mess Daddy what I said, and the mess sergeant chewed my ass up one side and down another.
I just smiled and said the mess joe did a fantastic job on those brushes.

Kenyan grown coffee tastes like Death, and I kid you not.
Sumatran tastes terribile.

Peruvian; Costa Rican; and Chiapas, Mexican joe tops all.

Peruvian peaberry is my favourite....when I can find it.

 

[Harp]

Peruvian peaberry is my favourite....when I can find it.

I brought some Peruvian into the office and everybody flipped over it. Costa Rican and Chiapas blends are similar
yet uniquely different.

 

[Pilgrim]

IMO - the worst coffee is weak coffee. If you're going to drink it, make it real.

In his classic Glory Road, a character written by the estimable R.A. Heinlein said words to this effect:

"Coffee comes in five descending stages: Coffee, Java, Jamoke, Joe, and Carbon Remover."

When I really want coffee, I'll drink just about anything in the top three categories that won't become part of the road surface if it's poured out on asphalt.

 

[Trenchfriend]

And one tip besides:
If you're visiting old Germany, I can recommend never to discuss "coffee culture" with Germans in the analog world. Believe me, german coffee world is similar horrible as german cuisine. Equally if 1650 or today. Bad junkfood is still bad junkfood.

Let's say, the majority in Germany is too dumb to differ between Espresso machine and simple percolator.

 

[tonyb]

... Let's say, the majority in Germany is too dumb to differ between Espresso machine and simple percolator.

Part of me is a little jealous of that. Life was simpler when coffee came in two not particularly distinct varieties — the percolator stuff at home and the drip from the Bunn-o-matic at the restaurant or the donut place.

Remember when “coffeehouse” was likelier to conjure images of a Denny’s than a quasi-boho espresso place? In some ways, that world was better.

 

[belfastboy]

Part of me is a little jealous of that. Life was simpler when coffee came in two not particularly distinct varieties — the percolator stuff at home and the drip from the Bunn-o-matic at the restaurant or the donut place.

Remember when “coffeehouse” was likelier to conjure images of a Denny’s than a quasi-boho espresso place? In some ways, that world was better.

I received supreme shit from my uncle one day.....he decidely ol' school caught me washing out the stove top percolator. Washing it was akin to a blasphemous act.....as I for certain was washing all the flavour out of the pot.

 

[belfastboy]

Part of me is a little jealous of that. Life was simpler when coffee came in two not particularly distinct varieties — the percolator stuff at home and the drip from the Bunn-o-matic at the restaurant or the donut place.

Remember when “coffeehouse” was likelier to conjure images of a Denny’s than a quasi-boho espresso place? In some ways, that world was better.

When I was a senior in high school I took my girlfriend to the brand new Italian restaurant in my small area.....an exotic addition in the 1960's. Me in an attempt at sophistication (I should have known better than to attempt it) ordered an espresso. I received this 2 ounce shot of deep dark bitter brown liquid that I had no idea in hell what to do with. It was undrinkable, to me, yet was too embarrassed to ask for milk or sugar as I had embarrassed myself enough.

 

[Harp]

And one tip besides:
If you're visiting old Germany, I can recommend never to discuss "coffee culture" with Germans in the analog world. Believe me, german coffee world is similar horrible as german cuisine. Equally if 1650 or today. Bad junkfood is still bad junkfood.

Let's say, the majority in Germany is too dumb to differ between Espresso machine and simple percolator.

Once in a Marburg restaurant after being seated, I asked to have a particular waitress serve my table,
which prompted the proprietor to inquire as to why. Because she was so lovely, I replied.
He guffawed some comment about Americans, stomped off shaking his head.

 

[tonyb]

I received supreme shit from my uncle one day.....he decidely ol' school caught me washing out the stove top percolator. Washing it was akin to a blasphemous act.....as I for certain was washing all the flavour out of the pot.

And I believe that he believed that. Seasoning, you might call it.

 

[Pilgrim]

At age 70, I've had lots of perk coffee. I like drip or Keurig better. Right now we have a Keurig and manually fill each grounds dose into reusable screen containers. The only drawback is fine grounds at the bottom.

 

[belfastboy]

At age 70, I've had lots of perk coffee. I like drip or Keurig better. Right now we have a Keurig and manually fill each grounds dose into reusable screen containers. The only drawback is fine grounds at the bottom.

roughage....its good for you!

 

[Hercule]

I made "cowboy coffee" for the first time a few weeks back and found it quite nice. It was far better than one might expect for having been boiled.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Part of me is a little jealous of that. Life was simpler when coffee came in two not particularly distinct varieties — the percolator stuff at home and the drip from the Bunn-o-matic at the restaurant or the donut place.

Remember when “coffeehouse” was likelier to conjure images of a Denny’s than a quasi-boho espresso place? In some ways, that world was better.

I should have mentioned the other curious fact in old Germany, which relates to.
The simple coffee percolators are still partly sold here as "Espresso Cooker", for whatever reason. It's just not to comprehend. And many Germans are not thinking about the difference between high-pressure Espresso machine and the simple percolators.

 

[tonyb]

At age 70, I've had lots of perk coffee. I like drip or Keurig better. Right now we have a Keurig and manually fill each grounds dose into reusable screen containers. The only drawback is fine grounds at the bottom.

Chocolate-covered dark-roasted coffee beans ain’t bad. You wouldn’t want to eat a handful of ’em, but three or four make an interesting delivery system for a mild drug effect.

 

[Zombie_61]

I received supreme **** from my uncle one day.....he decidely ol' school caught me washing out the stove top percolator. Washing it was akin to a blasphemous act.....as I for certain was washing all the flavour out of the pot.

At one company I worked for the head of the maintenance crew tried to fire one of his guys for cleaning all of the coffee stains out of his cup. "Do you know how long it took me to get that cup seasoned just right?!?"

Chocolate-covered dark-roasted coffee beans ain’t bad. You wouldn’t want to eat a handful of ’em, but three or four make an interesting delivery system for a mild drug effect.

I ate half a bag once before someone told me what I was snacking on. Quite good, and I suffered no ill effects.

 

[Trenchfriend]

I ate half a bag once before someone told me what I was snacking on. Quite good, and I suffered no ill effects.

Buddy, that sounds delicious!

 

[Trenchfriend]

I made "cowboy coffee" for the first time a few weeks back and found it quite nice. It was far better than one might expect for having been boiled.

Mug-brewed?