I've had some local diner coffee that was atrocious. Thin, burnt, vaguely chlorinated. When I (very nicely) told the owner's wife that their coffee sucks, she looked at me with a shocked and disturbed expression and said that nobody else had ever complained about it, I looked around at the mostly empty restaurant and said "maybe if you had a few more customers...". I stopped going there. 20 years alter, I went back, whole new crew working there, new owner, the place was crowded and the coffee was above average.
As for just buying beans, the worst was the expired Starbucks from the local grocery outlet store. It was cheap. Really cheap, but it was 5 pounds worth of pretending that I was back at that diner.
For the last several years I've been drinking this, made in a Chemex.
As for just buying beans, the worst was the expired Starbucks from the local grocery outlet store. It was cheap. Really cheap, but it was 5 pounds worth of pretending that I was back at that diner.
For the last several years I've been drinking this, made in a Chemex.




