3 ms·

I’m similar, but I would describe it as “I’ve never had a cup of coffee I could distinguish from any other cup of coffee.” They all taste more or less the same

I’m similar, but I would describe it as “I’ve never had a cup of coffee I could distinguish from any other cup of coffee.” They all taste more or less the same to me. Maybe there are minor differences but if I’m not intentionally trying one cup right after a different one, I’m not going to notice. It all tastes like “coffee” to me. (I drink it hot and black. I can’t stand the taste of any coffee if it’s just warm.)

abstract_put 4y ago
As someone who really enjoys coffee, this is wild seeming to me. Have you sought out "different" coffees, or just don't naturally encounter them? For example, have you ever had any light roasted coffee? Or naturally processed? My first time having either of those I was shocked how unlike anything associated with coffee they were. Admittedly I didn't like either on the first try, but they were definitely VERY different from standard dark roast offerings.
- ninkendo 4y ago
  My wife generally buys the coffee, sometimes it’s Peet’s something or other roast, sometimes Starbucks breakfast blend, sometimes ground and sometimes whole bean (we have a grinder but are often too lazy to use it.) When I buy it it’s usually Folgers. I also get coffee at McDonald’s, Starbucks, gas stations, hotels, etc. None of these are really distinguishable to me. My friend made pour over coffee once, I don’t remember it tasting any different at all. I can tell if someone made it “strong” or not, mostly because if it’s really strong I feel jittery and over-caffeinated after. It does taste “stronger” too, but not so much different as just less watery vs more watery.
  - abstract_put 4y ago
    Ah, then I'm following. I would generally agree with you! Despite the labeling differences, I think almost all of those are going to be roasted to the point where that's all you can taste (rather than the bean). In a sense, the processing for all those offerings is basically "how can we make everything taste extremely predictable and uniform?". Most of the difference will be hot/cold, watery/concentrated. If you're interested, I'm 100% positive you'd be surprised at how many different flavors are available in coffee. I'd second the recommendation of qbasic_forever above. It can make a fun date with the wife, or if you have a locally available coffee subscription that can be a fun way to see some variety at home. Funky fermented flavors, maybe juicy acidity - I promise there are coffees that would be unrecognizable as coffee. All that said, you might not like any of them. If what you're drawn to is the roasty flavors and bitterness then you'll lose some of that in exchange. All that to say, I'm 100% certain you'd be surprised by the variety of flavors if you were to pursue it, but there's no reason to if you're happy with what you've got. It only gets more expensive and less accessible...
qbasic_forever 4y ago
Find a good coffee shop and try some different pour over brews. Ask if they have some natural (or dry) process beans and I bet you'll get a cup of coffee like you haven't really tasted before. Natural process beans are super fruity and almost taste like a tea. Also ask if they have some good robusta beans and try that too, again it might be familiar but much different than what you've had before (robusta is what Folgers and cheap coffee typically use, but it can be quite good when done well). But yeah I do agree if you're getting arabica beans from standard places that may or may not care about how they're roasted, keeping them fresh, etc. it all does start to blend together in taste.
- ninkendo 4y ago
  I mean, I hear what you and others are saying in the responses. I’m sure there’s coffees out there that, if I tried them, I’d admit were different, and likely better, than what I’m having now. But I’d be worse off overall in that world, because then I’d go from enjoying cheap coffee, to hating cheap coffee and only enjoying “good” (read: expensive and/or time consuming) coffee. Folks would say “try this coffee, you’ll never go back to Folgers”, and you know what? They may be right! But why would I be better off? I’m already happy. I already enjoy my coffee. Always trying to pursue finer and finer things leads you to a hedonic treadmill that’s hard to escape. It’s a trite and cliche Sheryl Crow lyric, but it’s absolutely true: It’s not getting what you want, it’s wanting what you got.
  - qbasic_forever 4y ago
    I still like cheap coffee--my go-to morning brew is pre-ground Folgers because it's so cheap and I drink a lot in the morning. It's just like beer IMHO, just because you've tried and like certain types or brands doesn't ruin everything else. It just increases my appreciation for when I do find or want something a little more special.
    - camtarn 4y ago
      Yep, same here. My favourite coffee shop does a great pour-over and an even better oat milk flat white. But it's far away, and most of the time I either drink supermarket dark roast filter coffee out of the machine at the office, or super cheap coffee from McDonald's or Gregg's. I can taste the difference, but I still enjoy both ends of the spectrum. Amusingly, the only coffee I have ever actively disliked was a cold brew from aforementioned coffee shop. I think I'm just not cut out for drinking cold brew - it just tasted weak and acidic, even compared to a light roasted pour-over.

abstract_put 4y ago

As someone who really enjoys coffee, this is wild seeming to me. Have you sought out "different" coffees, or just don't naturally encounter them? For example, have you ever had any light roasted coffee? Or naturally processed? My first time having either of those I was shocked how unlike anything associated with coffee they were. Admittedly I didn't like either on the first try, but they were definitely VERY different from standard dark roast offerings.

ninkendo 4y ago
My wife generally buys the coffee, sometimes it’s Peet’s something or other roast, sometimes Starbucks breakfast blend, sometimes ground and sometimes whole bean (we have a grinder but are often too lazy to use it.) When I buy it it’s usually Folgers. I also get coffee at McDonald’s, Starbucks, gas stations, hotels, etc. None of these are really distinguishable to me. My friend made pour over coffee once, I don’t remember it tasting any different at all. I can tell if someone made it “strong” or not, mostly because if it’s really strong I feel jittery and over-caffeinated after. It does taste “stronger” too, but not so much different as just less watery vs more watery.
- abstract_put 4y ago
  Ah, then I'm following. I would generally agree with you! Despite the labeling differences, I think almost all of those are going to be roasted to the point where that's all you can taste (rather than the bean). In a sense, the processing for all those offerings is basically "how can we make everything taste extremely predictable and uniform?". Most of the difference will be hot/cold, watery/concentrated. If you're interested, I'm 100% positive you'd be surprised at how many different flavors are available in coffee. I'd second the recommendation of qbasic_forever above. It can make a fun date with the wife, or if you have a locally available coffee subscription that can be a fun way to see some variety at home. Funky fermented flavors, maybe juicy acidity - I promise there are coffees that would be unrecognizable as coffee. All that said, you might not like any of them. If what you're drawn to is the roasty flavors and bitterness then you'll lose some of that in exchange. All that to say, I'm 100% certain you'd be surprised by the variety of flavors if you were to pursue it, but there's no reason to if you're happy with what you've got. It only gets more expensive and less accessible...

qbasic_forever 4y ago

Find a good coffee shop and try some different pour over brews. Ask if they have some natural (or dry) process beans and I bet you'll get a cup of coffee like you haven't really tasted before. Natural process beans are super fruity and almost taste like a tea. Also ask if they have some good robusta beans and try that too, again it might be familiar but much different than what you've had before (robusta is what Folgers and cheap coffee typically use, but it can be quite good when done well). But yeah I do agree if you're getting arabica beans from standard places that may or may not care about how they're roasted, keeping them fresh, etc. it all does start to blend together in taste.

ninkendo 4y ago
I mean, I hear what you and others are saying in the responses. I’m sure there’s coffees out there that, if I tried them, I’d admit were different, and likely better, than what I’m having now. But I’d be worse off overall in that world, because then I’d go from enjoying cheap coffee, to hating cheap coffee and only enjoying “good” (read: expensive and/or time consuming) coffee. Folks would say “try this coffee, you’ll never go back to Folgers”, and you know what? They may be right! But why would I be better off? I’m already happy. I already enjoy my coffee. Always trying to pursue finer and finer things leads you to a hedonic treadmill that’s hard to escape. It’s a trite and cliche Sheryl Crow lyric, but it’s absolutely true: It’s not getting what you want, it’s wanting what you got.
- qbasic_forever 4y ago
  I still like cheap coffee--my go-to morning brew is pre-ground Folgers because it's so cheap and I drink a lot in the morning. It's just like beer IMHO, just because you've tried and like certain types or brands doesn't ruin everything else. It just increases my appreciation for when I do find or want something a little more special.
  - camtarn 4y ago
    Yep, same here. My favourite coffee shop does a great pour-over and an even better oat milk flat white. But it's far away, and most of the time I either drink supermarket dark roast filter coffee out of the machine at the office, or super cheap coffee from McDonald's or Gregg's. I can taste the difference, but I still enjoy both ends of the spectrum. Amusingly, the only coffee I have ever actively disliked was a cold brew from aforementioned coffee shop. I think I'm just not cut out for drinking cold brew - it just tasted weak and acidic, even compared to a light roasted pour-over.