What really bad coffee / espresso beverage did you used to swear by, but now can't even think about drinking?

And furthermore, what are you drinking now?

For example, I used to down 3 or 4 (to lapse into Starbuckease) a quad tall 4 pump vanilla breve with whip lattes nearly every day when I worked there for 4.5 years.

I tried one about a year ago just for old times sake and nearly redeposited it on my shoes. It was like hot, melted ice cream and was soooo sickeningly sweet. I've been apologizing to myself about it ever since.

Now, I'm all about straight shots. macchiatos and sometimes a 5-6 oz capp if I need something sweet (hold the whip).

We all evolve. It's good to remember where you came from.

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Have y'all been looking in my coffee cupboard? :) Mom used to brew Maxwell House, and I would take mine with milk and Sweet and Low. Blehh! Then I discovered flavored coffees, and anything chocolatey became my new favorite. Then I had a Mocha Frappuccino, ahhhh! I didn't have my first "real" cappuccino until I attended the WBC this year. No shops where I'm at, which I hope to change soon. I only recently beat my powdered creamer habit, but now I am fresh-grinding each pot I brew, and I don't let it sit on the burner long. I just spent 4 days tweaking our new Fetco tea/coffee brewer at work, getting the perfect brew profile. Still may tinker with it a bit, see what kinda range I can get.

Went into Burger King the other day, and thought I would try a Mocha Joe, for old time's sake. It wasn't how I remembered it. I think our local store forgot to put in the coffee concentrate....tasted like chocolate milk over ice.

But, just to prove that you CAN sometimes find a jewel in the hog pen, I bought a bag of Sam's Choice Rainforest Alliance Whole Bean Light Roast Breakfast Blend, as an experiment. Bag has an expiration date of 9/10/2010. I am guessing that this was a recent shipment to our local Walmart. Wonderful flavor! I never would have guessed!
I used to drink Tim Hortons coffee and enjoy it!?!?!?!?!

Blech!!
Thank goodness for the little coffee bar that taught me not only how to enjoy a yummy shot of espresso, but also how to make one!
I used to work at Caribou, and I got into drinking coffee with their Heath Bar Coolers. To be honest, I still would swear by them to this day. Not as coffee, but man that was one of the best, sweetest things I have ever had.
In high school I spent every weekend night at the local country kitchen drinking their best brewed coffee for 8 hours straight. One cream, two sugars.
As for now, it's Macchiato's in the morning and presses through the day. Maybe an occasional capp, but they get away from me sometimes.
Growing up, my dad drank Folgers. He would put two teaspoons of sugar in each cup. When I was really small he would dip his finger in his cup and put a drop or two on my tongue. I loved it. As I got older my mom would not allow me to drink coffee (caffein,... even though I was allowed to have soft drinks.) Yet, when I was camping with my dad he would let me drink all I wanted. So, I when I smell burnt coffee and sugar it brings back a lot of great memories. Love ya Dad!!
Are you ready for this one?

When I first became a barista, rocking the Green Apron mind you, my drink was hideous. Iced quad half calf 2 pump white mocha soy chai. Wow. A chai with four shots of espresso, from a superauto, and half caf to boot. Now I'm a competition barista living on fresh french presses and sweet espresso everyday.

Paul said:
I used to brew a big pot of Folgers (I will fill the filter full) and then forget about it. A couple days later, I would warm the coffee up on the stove and drink it....yum!

My wife would still be doing the same thing if we had an auto-drip in the house.
I used to get into about three 16oz cups a day of triple pumped vanilla lattes with only one 12gm shot of coffee in it.. i don't believe I could even taste the coffee.

Now days, it's single shot macchiato's or 'spro's. and to change it up first thing in the morning, i have a small latte or cap (5oz), just so my empty stomach doesn't turn violent on me.
Kind of to the point of what everyone else has been saying it's the idea of what we use to think was balanced on the sweetness level has completely gone out the window once we start drinking straight shots and the sort. I used to drink iced mochas two to three times a day and would just annihilate the cup with Hershey's syrup (what we used at the store I used to work at). On top of that, I wouldn't even put in an entire single shot. It was just sugar and fatty milk. I tried one about a year ago and almost threw up.
I started on the "Caramel Delight" from my local shop. A mocha with caramel, but I always asked for extra of both... About 6 months ago I went back to the shop (which I actually worked at for like 3 years) and asked for one. I finished it with the help of another person and with lots of water breaks in between sips.

These days I drink pretty much everything, but nothing over 8 oz. Straight shots are a favorite, but I have to make sure I have something of substance in my stomach or it gets pissed. Normally a 6oz capp in the morning and 6 oz americanos or straight shots follow from that point. I drink a lot of drip, press, vac pot coffee as well. It's all about variety, just not variety in the form of a caramel delight... haha.

-bry
Maxwell House (Blue) then Folgers(Red), then back and forth. Something called Sanka for a decaf. when I travel with work it was coffee like substance from a machine in the welding shop - sometimes chicken soup colored water from the same machine. years of going on like that with the occasional International foods instant vanilla. Then I found Dunkin - did that for a few years until I found 8 o'clock brown bag (Columbian) It was a big jump IMO. Then I discovered home roasting - espresso on a *$ Barista machine - cappa's. Now its a roasting business, a Vivaldi II S1 and a Macap, every kind of brewer you can buy, roasting on an Ambex and looking forward to getting home for a cup. My "other" office only has what I can refer to as "stump water".

What a road...

Chris
Had to have the Super America station's Vanilla lattes. I bought all the canned instant espressos. Then I got the Krups steam toy and made many dreadful concoctions mainly with the Hazelnut supermarket beans and a whirly blade grinder. After a while I was able to do better with both up-graded equipment and somewhat refined tastebuds.
Oh man back when I was younger and managed a white hen I was addicted to the raspberry chocolate coffee and was sad when it went away. Now I would be sad if it came back, I tried a flavored coffee just to remind me and ick it was sick! Coffee has flavor it should not be flavored if I only knew then what I know now....
Now I love a well pulled double shot, an afternoon macchiato is killer but will always love a great cap as long as you know size matters and heat can kill! (in this case small is perfect!)

Dee said:
Oh man back when I was younger and managed a white hen I was addicted to the raspberry chocolate coffee and was sad when it went away. Now I would be sad if it came back, I tried a flavored coffee just to remind me and ick it was sick! Coffee has flavor it should not be flavored if I only knew then what I know now....

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