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the worst coffee?

adminadmin
edited January 1970 in Have your say
ok so this came out of a F/Book conversation Di & I were having over the weekend about an article in the UK Independent: see http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/being-modern-coffee-2335393.htm

what is the worst brewing method of all? I said stovetop because it brews all of the goodness out of the coffee, she said pod, because the coffees never going to be fresh - what's the absolute worst in your mind, and why?

A
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  • beanflyingbeanflying
    A badly setup fully automatic under extracted muck in a cup more often than not. Pods will generally get a reasonable extraction albeit it with less than desirable beans and a Stovetop with good technique will produce reasonable coffee with heat management.
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  • mycuppamycuppa
    on 1313364600:
    ok so this came out of a F/Book conversation Di & I were having over the weekend about an article in the UK Independent: see http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/being-modern-coffee-2335393.htm what is the worst brewing method of all? I said stovetop because it brews all of the goodness out of the coffee, she said pod, because the coffees never going to be fresh - what's the absolute worst in your mind, and why? A
    on 1313370136:
    A badly setup fully automatic under extracted muck in a cup more often than not. Pods will generally get a reasonable extraction albeit it with less than desirable beans and a Stovetop with good technique will produce reasonable coffee with heat management.
    Stale PODS - I must be doing something completely wrong. Nothing but the best beans go into our POD roasts. We have never used robusta in our PODs and unlikely to go anywhere near robusta in the future. Not that there is anything wrong with robusta. I am aware the majority of other brand PODs (and I'm talking about ESE PODS) contain reasonably high levels of robusta in the blend in order to deliver some strength - that's their own personal choice. POD conversion occurs within 3 days of roast - the beans are straight off the de-stoner and sealed into a large foil-lined bulka bag, shipped overnight to Sydney for conversion.  POD stock rarely lasts more than 5 or 6 weeks before we are preparing another batch. Given the POD is individually sealed, they are very fresh when opened. I've found a stray POD from 9 months ago and it still tasted reasonable in the inert packaging. What people need to understand with PODs is that they are designed for a short extraction - like a ristretto, being a just on or a touch over 7g. Although I do agree that buying imported PODs means you can risk getting something very stale.
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  • Brett HBrett H
    The old percolator that is left to over-extract and boil out every last flavoury nuance, has a lot not going for it IMHO.  I've seen these left on to 'keep the coffee good and hot' between morning tea and lunch.  Ah, I love the smell of freshly brewed ashfelt...
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  • WotBWotB
    Yes, the ubiquitous pot at a typical American truckstop.  The pot that stays on the warmer all day, and gets the bottoms of fresher pots poured into it. I refer to it as the Black Hole, and we all know how dangerous those are.
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  • beanflyingbeanflying
    Can I change my vote after going to the local bakery. Single basket to make a 12 oz takeaway, no tamp used and resteamed super foamy milkshake bubbles for extra crappuchino effect  :P
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  • mycuppamycuppa
    on 1313376521:
    Can I change my vote after going to the local bakery. Single basket to make a 12 oz takeaway, no tamp used and resteamed super foamy milkshake bubbles for extra crappuchino effect  :P
    Timbo - I sometimes wonder why you do this to yourself............ perhaps you prefer a rollercoaster to a bike  ;D
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  • shape_shiftershape_shifter
    Jeff thank you for that insight into PODs, I never knew anyone did anything like that locally, maybe they aren't all bad :) I think the peculator gets my vote.
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  • beanflyingbeanflying
    on 1313386142:
    Timbo - I sometimes wonder why you do this to yourself............ perhaps you prefer a rollercoaster to a bike  ;D
    Trust me I wasn't the one buying the "coffee", just observing. I was buying the Sourdough Rye and some milk to go make my own  :)
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  • beanflyingbeanflying
    on 1313398211:
    Sounds like that medical condition that my mate has....  OR was that a hypothetical ? Just admit it Tim, we have all been caught  ;)
    Trust me I don't do 12oz and as they only got a grinder 18 months ago after spooning their preground for many years I hadn't been caught for a very long time ....  :)
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  • MusclesMuscles
    For me it's he super-auto coffee you get with a buffet breakfast in a hotel. I have stayed in thousands of hotels around Australia and haven't had a good coffee with my breakfast yet. I've been known to enjoy a couple of PODS in a cup with a dash of milk, they're not all bad...
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  • hazchemhazchem
    if I had to pick a method I'd say Pods or probably 70's percolator coffee. Coffee ground weeks or at best days ago or coffee that has had boiling water passed through it repeatedly? No thanks. Life's too short. But really, any method, executed by uncaring hands is the worst one.
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  • UNMUNM
    I've got a stovetop that makes the most appalling coffee, due to the design of the upper chamber - it guarantees the coffee will be burnt just because of the shape and size. There are some better stovetops around though. I think the percolator just wins because it makes it so easy to abuse the coffee. I suspect any method requiring Sourdough Rye and milk would also be dodgy though ;) As to breakfast coffee in a hotel - that reminded me of my recent trip to Britain. First morning in a hotel near Heathrow there was a Costa coffee franchise in the hotel (more common in UK than McCafe). Had a short black and it was actually quite pleasant. Equally interesting was that several other people were drinking short blacks - around here it is rare to see anyone order a drink without milk and those are nearly always long blacks. There was also an option to eat at the hotel buffet which had a super auto, but cost was almost the same (free refills though). Didn't see anyone going back for seconds.
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  • Intense CoffeeIntense Coffee
    I tried Costa's coffee in the UK, and found that they really know how to mess up Milk style coffees. They give you those huge cups which turns everything wishy washy, so I reverted to their Short Blacks, and found them at least drinkable. (After having to explain what a straight espresso was. I did not venture into asking for a "Short Black"). Anyway that could be the reason everyone was drinking them?  ;) Graham
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  • RichardMRichardM
    Worst coffee I've had has been out of a plunger - it seems whenever I see plunger coffee at someone's house, I think it will be a good idea (hey, it's got to be better than instant, right???) and ask for it. I then sit there and watch them pour the BOILING water over the coffee. At that point, I know I'm going to spend the next ten minutes trying to pretend I'm waiting for it to cool before deciding to take the plunge into the ashy goodness that is burnt coffee.
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  • DizzyDizzy
    *Waves - Hi Ash* My original thinking behind the article was:- 1.  Stovetop Otto (or similar) made with freshly ground recently roasted coffee; or 2.  George Clooney Endorsed Pod Coffee Maker bought from Woolies for $60.00. No competition, in my books. HOWEVER, I have to say, I'm probably giving the article writer more credit than is warranted in this case!  :D Cheers Di
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  • MegMeg
    My memory of the worst coffee is when we were visiting relatives in Germany back in 1996 and went to visit a kitchen sales shop.  The cousin's partner (who was the salesman) made us a coffee from a commercial automatic machine.  The coffee was so thick, I still remember how bad it was and never drank another coffee for the rest of our visit.  Klaus tried to get us to add condensed milk to it!  I am sure that the spoon would have stood up in what he proudly served to us.
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