Why do people buy expensive coffee?

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Question: My friend bought an expensive bag of mixed coffee beans from all around the world. I drank a cup and it's the smoothest and best coffee I have ever had. He, on the other hand, adds flavored creamer and tons of sugar. Question: Why do people buy expensive coffee, then add tons of creamer and sugar? High-quality coffee is for straight-black coffee drinkers like me. I'm so mad.
 
I like a touch of real cream or 1/2 and 1/2 in even the finest coffee, but I think the reason most people add a lot of flavoring is that most coffee you get doesn't taste very good on its own.
 
Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
I like a touch of real cream or 1/2 and 1/2 in even the finest coffee, but I think the reason most people add a lot of flavoring is that most coffee you get doesn't taste very good on its own.
Ain't that the truth, but caffeine is caffeine!
 
That reminds me of the very first time I had Starbucks coffee at the Charlotte NC airport and it wasn't worth 25 cents.... but I paid $4 thinking I would be amazed at the flavor. NOT.
 
I am a student, and there is an on campus cafe where you can spend campus dollars, they force you to have $100 of them each semester, so I often go in there and get an Arnie Palmer 50/50 lemonade/tea (99c), there is always a ridiculous line of women buying frapachinos and lattes, most of which are near 7 dollars, 80% of them paying with a credit card or cash. This bothers me, because while I do believe in having something of quality once and a while, it seems a bit over the top to have a 7 dollar coffee. And you would think that acquiring $15,000+ a year in debt was enough, apparently they want more, then people wonder why they can't get out of debt after school. I have tried the 4 dollar coffees before, I was not impressed, it was no better than one you make at home or get at a Holiday when you fill up, talk about word of mouth and marketing hype.
 
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Hello, It's been my experience that Starbucks coffee is bitter and entirely not worth the premium. There's a Starbucks near where I work and I swear the milk canisters have never been washed. Still you see all the pretty tourists lining up for the over-priced poison. I feel it's because they're too lazy or scared to walk into a real neighborhood for an OK-or better-cup of Joe. What people consume and for what reasons is a touchy subject as it seems always to involve "knowing" what someone is thinking. I'm confident in my assumption that people are frequently non-selective, image driven slobs. By the same token I had an aunt and uncle who flew for the airlines. They drank and preferred Folger's instant. Please don't think I fancy myself the coffee police. May I recommend our family's "blend" of 3 parts 8 o'clock Columbian and 1 part 8 o'clock original roast. Purchase when A&P has their 1/2 price sale and grind it fresh each morning. REALLY GOOD COFFEE; REALLY GOOD PRICE. Kira
 
Good coffee is a sensory experience. Steamed and foamed milk elevates that sensory experience. Besides, without my frothy topping, what would I draw pictures in to express myself artistically as if I were a minimum wage barrista/artist? LOL But as far as why people have a little coffee and cream with a half cup of sugar? shrug Beats me.
 
Originally Posted By: Popinski
Question: My friend bought an expensive bag of mixed coffee beans from all around the world. I drank a cup and it's the smoothest and best coffee I have ever had. He, on the other hand, adds flavored creamer and tons of sugar. Question: Why do people buy expensive coffee, then add tons of creamer and sugar? High-quality coffee is for straight-black coffee drinkers like me. I'm so mad.
You get mad if people put cream and sugar in THEIR coffee? LOL
 
Yeah, that does crack me up when people insist on a high dollar cup of coffee, only to LOAD it up with tons of milk and sugar. I don't see the point there either. You'll get the same results with the cheapest coffee you can buy in that situation. Steamed milk and/or a tiny touch of sugar? Different situation. FWIW, I like it black and strong. Tim Horton's being my easiest to get favorite. Joel
 
I buy 66lb bags of unroasted beans usually from invalsa.. ends up being about 6$/lb after roasting weight loss. Its amazing. I do add a dash of half and half or sometimes whole milk.(aprox half of one creamer per 20oz)
 
People have different tastes, some like their steaks well done and others like it rare. I mostly drink 1 cup of home made cappuccino with Lavazza Italian coffee bought from Amazon. It's much better than Starbucks and costs me less than 25 cents a cup.
 
Do you put steak sauce on a perfectly grill steak? If its a good steak it shouldn't need any sauce but you might like the taste of that A1 or 57 sauce and you put it on anyway. Same reason people by expensive motor oil and put lots of other additives in engine along with the oil. Why? Because thats how they like it and it helps them sleep at night.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
People have different tastes, some like their steaks well done and others like it rare. I mostly drink 1 cup of home made cappuccino with Lavazza Italian coffee bought from Amazon. It's much better than Starbucks and costs me less than 25 cents a cup.
Darn you beat me to the steak, I was writing while you posted!
 
Originally Posted By: Popinski
Question: Why do people buy expensive coffee, then add tons of creamer and sugar? I'm so mad.
It must be like changing oil with premium synthetic oil but also feeling the need to add 'cleaners','additives','conditioners' in it.Tastes,preferences vary and it is only normal.
 
I have a burr grinder and buy some really good beans. I love french-pressed coffee with some sweetened condensed milk on the weekends. IMO, it's better than anything you can get at Starbucks. At work, however, it's $2/week coffee mess swill with a decent amount of equal and artificial creamer. shrug
 
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I used to buy bulk Folgers and sneer at the coffee snobs. Then, my son got a job at Starbucks, became a Master Barista and started teaching me about coffee. I'm not quite the 'French press' guru he is but, freshly ground Breakfast Blend (at home) has become one of my life's little pleasures. When your coffee becomes a quality of life issue and you can afford something better, well, that's what we all work hard to achieve. Enjoy!
 
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When you start paying my coffee bill, you can dictate how I prepare it. You would make an excellent communist dictator.
 
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I'm with you on this, Pop. I drink coffee black, and appreciate the difference between mediocre and really good coffee. If you load the coffee up with sugar and creamer, you simply disguise the flavor of the coffee, and a really good blend is wasted upon you.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I'm with you on this, Pop. I drink coffee black, and appreciate the difference between mediocre and really good coffee. If you load the coffee up with sugar and creamer, you simply disguise the flavor of the coffee, and a really good blend is wasted upon you.
+1 Also some people just don't want to realize there are differences, same thing goes for motor oil, and people add [censored] even to that.
 
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