Overheard a guy at the cafe say his $20 bag of beans was 'just okay'

I was waiting in line at The Daily Grind yesterday and the guy in front of me was picking up his order. He told the barista, 'This $20 Ethiopian you sold me last week was just okay, I guess.' He brewed it in a cheap drip machine he got at a big box store. It hit me that the gear matters as much as the bean sometimes. How do you even begin to explain that to someone without sounding like a snob?

3 comments

3 Comments

emeryj6612h ago

My buddy spent a fortune on single origin coffee and brewed it in his old Mr. Coffee... tasted like burnt water. The grinder is the real game changer, honestly.

nguyen.angela12h agoTop Commenter

Yeah I used to think the brewer mattered most. Then I got a decent grinder and used my same cheap drip machine. The difference was crazy, like a totally different drink. Fresh grounds just make everything work right.

viola_lopez307h ago

Fresh grinding is huge, but water quality gets overlooked. Hard tap water can make even great beans taste flat. A basic filter pitcher helps more than people realize.