Is a taste for gourmet coffee an acquired one?

[Stevew443]

I have always had a bit of an aversion to the term "gourmet coffee" starting when a friend brought me some of the worst tasting coffee in the world, and it was labeled as "gourmet" because it was flavored. I think the company took sweepings from the floor and sprayed on what ever flavoring they had in the factory and bagged it up and figured that the term gourmet would make people buy it. I guess they were right because my friend bought some. I now will only drink coffee that I roast myself because I have found that I can roast good beans exactly as I like them and the coffee I brew from that home roast is actually some of the best coffee I have ever had. I am not saying it is good coffee, it is only the best that I have had. It may be swill to some folks, but I like it

 

[jzuzphreek]

I have always had a bit of an aversion to the term "gourmet coffee" starting when a friend brought me some of the worst tasting coffee in the world, and it was labeled as "gourmet" because it was flavored. I think the company took sweepings from the floor and sprayed on what ever flavoring they had in the factory and bagged it up and figured that the term gourmet would make people buy it. I guess they were right because my friend bought some. I now will only drink coffee that I roast myself because I have found that I can roast good beans exactly as I like them and the coffee I brew from that home roast is actually some of the best coffee I have ever had. I am not saying it is good coffee, it is only the best that I have had. It may be swill to some folks, but I like it

I think the terms "Specialty" or "Third Wave" are more descriptive of the coffee the OP is referring to. Right on with home roasting. I enjoy doing it as well, but there's nothing like fresh roasted from someone who's spent their life perfecting their craft.

 

[mrb7]

Maybe I'm simple, but that's ok. I like Maxwell House original.

I will admit that some of the very fine coffees that I have bought and brewed over the years are notably superior. But not enough so to keep me away from my old standby.

 

[bogiesan]

Is the taste for great coffee acquired? Maybe. But the a palate that appreciates excellent coffee really needs to be trained. Otherwise you just end up liking what you think you like without really knowing why you like it. That may be enough. Could be any kind of coffee, brewed any way imaginable, even instant or that K-cup crap.


Many coffee experts, and almost any coffee snob, will compare superb coffees to superb wines. (Indeed, there is room for far more variation of personal expression in the processing of good coffees than in wines but wine people won't listen to such heresy.)


Good coffees may be like good books, too. You know what you like, whether it's science fiction, romance, classics, or peer-reviewed medical journals. When you struggle with a bad book, you know it. You may enjoy one book more than hundreds of others without knowing why, exactly, maybe it just reads better. However, if you're an English major--or a writer yourself--you could recognize good technique and refined skills in the works of others. That would rationalize or explain the opinion you formed.


I think it's the same with coffees. If you know why what you like appeals to you, you will enjoy it more. Appreciating coffees requires a foundation, at least, in understanding how the more than 400 different aroma and flavor components work together to create the particular sensations you wish to savor.An understanding of origins and processing along with the many brewing techniques will allow you to recreate that experience whenever you want.


Try this, go to your library and see if they've got a book or two about coffee. Check one out and go to a coffee bar. Ask for an Ethiopian or Kenyan, sit yourself down for a spell and look over the photos, read the captions, find a section of the book that appeals to you. Maybe harvesting or processing or roasting or the many ways coffee can be prepared.


Coffee is a delightful obsession.

 

[YetiDave]

Instant coffee and coffee from beans is worlds apart. Similarly the difference between freshly ground coffee and pre-ground is also fairly great. But to be honest, so long as it's freshly ground I'm generally not too bothered what it is. Sure some tastes better than others, but I'll happily drink most coffee, it doesn't have to have a high price tag

 

[jzuzphreek]

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is widely regarded as some of the best coffee on the planet but is priced in line with everything else (about $5~/lb wholesale, green).

Fresh roasted coffee has a larger gap in taste and flavor over store bought whole bean as store bought whole bean has over 5 year old instant coffee.

I wouldn't say Yirg is regarded as "some of the best."

It's hard to quantify and make blanket statements about regional coffees. Surely people who care about coffee from Yirg lots (and who like bright, fruity shots) may think so. But consider that there's a lot more to a coffee than where it's from. If it's poorly processed or poorly roasted a potentially great Yirg can be as good as a can of Maxwell House. (Personally I'm not big into Yirg, though I do like Harrar).

 

[Rowdi]

Starbucks and the fast food coffee chains truly serve awful coffee in my opinion, i know others that swear by it.

but again i think its a learning experience, you realize what sits well with you and is absorbed well by your palette.

Like Beer scotch wine its all personal taste i think, but their is a line that makes the difference for me

 

[Maguirer]

What is DD ? I enjoy McD's coffee and Tim Horton's.

 

[StillShaving]

What is DD ?

DD = Dunkin' Donuts. A restaurant chain that is most commonly found in the Northeastern US, but now found in many places, though nothing like Starbucks. They are only a few DD in my area. I do not seek them out but their drip coffee is usually pretty good, especially with a doughnut.

Starbucks and the fast food coffee chains truly serve awful coffee in my opinion, i know others that swear by it.

One good thing about Starbucks is that most (all?) locations serve a few different variates of drip coffee. When I am away from home I usually ask for their lighter roast and find it okay. The flavor is pretty good but it does seem just a tad weak, but that might just be the contrast with their darker roasts.

 

[Alacrity59]

There are still some in Canada. Duncan Donuts that is. Yes Quebec is still a part of Canada.

 

[YetiDave]

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is widely regarded as some of the best coffee on the planet

Tried Jamaican Blue Mountain - preferred cheap supermarket espresso beans. The various best in the world claims haven't really meant much to me when it comes to coffee

 

[Mick]

Tried Jamaican Blue Mountain - preferred cheap supermarket espresso beans. The various best in the world claims haven't really meant much to me when it comes to coffee

Small problem with JBM is that it's counterfitted so, unless you're getting stuff from a trusted source you may not have even had JBM. Also, JBM doesn't do well past medium-dark. So, ya, a dark roasted JBM will likely taste worse than super market espresso.

Get it from a trusted source if you want to get something other than a "taste kinda like" or "blended with other stuff too" batch of beans.

If you want a good quality coffee try to get some Costa Rica beans from the La Minita Hacienda. Again a trusted source is best as when something gets a big following, there is always going to be someone who is willing to sell sawdust with that name on it.

 

[StillShaving]

Yes, one has to be careful about premium coffee origins, especially Kona and Jamaica Blue Mountain.

Quoting from an INeedCoffee article entitled Making Sure the Seal Means the Real Deal:

"There is no regulation in the United States that prohibits roasters from selling coffee that isn't Jamaica Blue Mountain under the Jamaica Blue Mountain label," he says. "There is not even a minimum quantity of pure Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee that must be added to be called a Jamaica Blue Mountain blend."

In Japan, where enormous quantities of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee are exported, the minimum standard to qualify as a Jamaica Blue Mountain blend is 30-percent. In Jamaica, ironically, the standard is lower - 20-percent must be pure JBM.

"But here in the United States, some roasters will use anywhere from six to 10-percent, and some will use all the photos and items they can to indicate that their coffee is quality and a certified blend," says Edgar. "Yet, they don't actually put what the percentage is."

 

[Royce]

Some people like coffee with their sugar. I drink it black, like my men...what?( Airplane circa 1980 for you non Gen X F's). Black coffee for me is pretty awesome when it's third wave light roast.
If your gonna go balls out on shaving why not enjoy the rabbit hole that is Third Wave Coffee. In no time you will have a handful of brewers, scale, thermometer, electric kettle, and conical burr grinder. Check out Brew Methods.com, check out beans from Intelligentsia, Stumptown, Handsome, Verve, there's whole list of others for sure.

 

[rxonmymind]

Tried Jamaican Blue Mountain - preferred cheap supermarket espresso beans. The various best in the world claims haven't really meant much to me when it comes to coffee

Yes! So true. I pif'd mine when I was just a newbie here as it tasted horrbile. I had some Folgers at a friends house and tht was better than JBM.

Same with Kona as one poster alluded too. A friend came back from hawaii of all places with 100% Kona coffee beans. Well you look on the back it said 20% Kona and a blend of coffee roasted in Hawaii . Pretty damn dishonest of you ask me and at a minimum a deliberate misdirection of the title. It tasted horrible. They not only burnt the beans but ruined the Kona.

 

[Cricket1]

Yeah-

Or you can go to Sweet Marias.com, and get awesome small farm beans that have usually been tasted by Tom from Sweet Marias, at the origin.

They are green beans you have to roast yourself, but you can get some amazing coffees for $8-$10 lb. (And BTW, Jamaician Blue Mountain, while a fine coffee, is priced so high mostly due to demand from the far east, not due to its OH MY GOD its the best in thwe world, quality. There are plenty of African Coffee's that are less than half the price of JBW which are better coffees, with more flavor, etc.

 

[Cricket1]

It's not only Japan causing the JBM price inflation, the folks with oil money do their part (hint: they are the problem).

?? Yes I agree about Japan, but am confused with your second point about oil money. Are you saying the folks at sweet marias have made their money from oil?

 

[life2short1971]

I think Guatemalan Huehetenago and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe are excellent choices this year for outstanding coffee. Actually if you use a reputable distributer its pretty hard to go wrong as this is an excellent year for coffee imo.

 

[KodiakAttack]

Good coffee and bad coffee can taste equally bad if brewed poorly.

This^^

 

[mretzloff]

Well, I made the switch from "grocery store" coffee to freshly-roasted coffee (as in, a day or two before I buy it). I have also moved away from the automatic drip coffee maker to a French press and use a burr grinder (Hario Skerton). My coffee tastes a lot better. This was confirmed last week when I was at a friend's house. He made some coffee for several of us with "grocery store" coffee and an automatic drop coffee maker. I drank the coffee black, but it was so bitter that I almost had to add some heavy cream. I have no problem drinking my freshly-roasted coffee black.