# Java Fiends: Bad coffee or No coffee? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972 "2006-11-18T19:46:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/1 "2006-11-18T19:46:10Z")
A question for the caffeine addicts out there: let’s say you don’t have access to a decent cup of joe. Will you settle for some dreck at a donut shop somewhere? Will you stoop to 2-hour old Folgers in the breakroom? I’m afraid I’d rather go without than drink that kind of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/2 "2006-11-18T19:51:37Z")
I drink coffee for its stimulant properties, not its taste, so while I prefer good coffee to bad, I’ll take the bad stuff if it’s all that’s available. Donut shop coffee isn’t always bad, BTW. There’re plenty of donut shops with better drip coffee than starbucks, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/3 "2006-11-18T19:56:54Z")
I’ll generally do without. I like good coffee and I can really taste the difference. I also drink mine black, so bad coffee really, really, really stands out. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/4 "2006-11-18T19:57:53Z")
I drink any coffee, any temperature. It’s a drug. I’m an addict. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/5 "2006-11-18T19:58:20Z")
Hoo-boy… I’ve drunk the worst of it. I’ve mixed Nescafe with cold water for my fix. It doens’t even begin to dissolve. I’ve drank the icey, filmy leftovers from the previous morning in the bottom of the Mr. Coffee carafe. I’ve had the cold percolated nastiness at church bazaars .in styrofoam cup without benefit of creamer. I’ve picked grounds from my teeth following ‘misbrews’. I’ve even…_choke_…drank Mountain _sob_ Dew when no coffee is available…_runs into bedroom to cry_ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/6 "2006-11-18T19:59:14Z")
[QUOTE=blondebear] I’m afraid I’d rather go without than drink that kind of stuff. [/QUOTE] I have done, but it takes some ‘doctoring’: creamer and sugar. I’ll drink even mediocre coffee black; but when it’s old and skunky, and that’s all there is, I’ll add the creamer and sugar. Or just have tea, which I usually drink at work anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/7 "2006-11-18T20:21:44Z")
While I do of course prefer good coffee, I also get severe headaches if I dont have my daily fix. I can seriously go without cigs longer than coffee, which is pretty sad I admit. So I’ve had to resort to fairly bad coffee at times. But I also prefer my coffee with cream and sugar which mellows out even the worse coffee. So definitely bad coffee over no coffee. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/8 "2006-11-18T20:38:41Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia] Donut shop coffee isn’t always bad, BTW. There’re plenty of donut shops with better drip coffee than starbucks, IMO. [/QUOTE] I’d have to agree. Dunkin’ Donuts makes a good cuppa joe, and 7-11 has good coffee, as long as it hasn’t been sitting around getting burned on a hot plate for hours. Depends on where you are. If the choice is nasty instant (which is all my mom ever has), I could run out and easily find a couple of donut shops or 7-11s within 5 minutes. Not to mention the ubiquitous Starbucks or indie coffee shops. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/9 "2006-11-18T20:52:33Z")
If I don’t have access to a good cup of coffee, I take one of [these](http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=78876&catid=13135&trx=PLST-0-SEARCH&trxp1=13135&trxp2=78876&trxp3=1&trxp4=0&btrx=BUY-PLST-0-SEARCH). They have 65 mg of Caffeine, and the other ingredients are basicly just a Tylenol so no weird side effects. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/10 "2006-11-18T21:06:09Z")
First thing in the morning, I \*must \* have coffee. It’s not an optional thing. So whatever is there, I’ll drink it. Trying desperately to stay alert through another three hours of meetings, or on the road at 1:00am, with hours more driving ahead of us? Again, I’ll take whatever you’ve got. But if I’m not desperate for the caffeine, I’d rather go without than drink crap. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/11 "2006-11-18T21:08:28Z")
I’m also a true addict-- I only drink a cup or two in the morning, but if I don’t I get a bad headache, so I must find ANY caffeine before 11 AM or the day is destroyed. Red Bull or tea will do in an emergency. Bad coffee, sure. It’s medication. If you can go a day without any coffee simply because all you have access to is bad coffee, you’re not a card-carrying addict. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/12 "2006-11-18T21:23:03Z")
No I’ll wait till I get a good cup or go without. Also a good cup includes cream or 1/2 and 1/2, no whole/part/skim milk will do. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/13 "2006-11-18T22:28:29Z")
Like any real junkie, I’ll feed the monkey whatever is handy to keep him from screaming. Oddly enough, decaf will shut the little bastard up but tea or soft drinks won’t. Go figure. Yeah, I’ve broken the habit from time to time, but these days it’s my only vice and I’m too old to take up smoking, hate pills & injections, and gave up the hot anonymous one-night stands when I gave up dating (that would have been the week before I got married, I think.) Until I take up pipes and cigars at age 60, as planned, no one’s taking away my coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/14 "2006-11-18T22:33:30Z")
Any coffee as long as it’s strong. I won’t touch useless coffee, i.e., coffee-flavored water. Anything else as long as it isn’t decaf is game, no matter region, temperature, or brewing method. I quit smoking easily enough, but the coffee will never go. ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/15 "2006-11-18T22:41:45Z")
[QUOTE=jnglmassiv] Hoo-boy.. I’ve drunk the worst of it. I’ve mixed Nescafe with cold water for my fix. It doens’t even begin to dissolve. I’ve drank the icey, filmy leftovers from the previous morning in the bottom of the Mr. Coffee carafe. I’ve had the cold percolated nastiness at church bazaars .in styrofoam cup without benefit of creamer. I’ve picked grounds from my teeth following ‘misbrews’. I’ve even.._choke_..drank Mountain _sob_ Dew when no coffee is available.._runs into bedroom to cry_ [/QUOTE] Well, now. I came in here to say “bad coffee is better than no coffee” but I think, perhaps, I didn’t know whereof I spoke. I shall, instead, say, “_some_ kinds of bad coffee is better than no coffee.” I shall also say that I’m not in **jnglemassiv** ’s league. At all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/16 "2006-11-19T04:08:44Z")
Tim Cahill wrote a book, Road Fever, about an attempt to set a speed record driving from Tierra del Fuego to Prudhoe Bay. At one point in the trip, they resorted to handfuls of moistened instant coffee to keep themselves awake. Now, **that** is hardcore. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2006, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/17 "2006-11-19T04:16:23Z")
Heck, I’ll even drink the stuff at Starbucks. 🙂 I’ve got one coffee taste that’s a little odd - mostly I likes me some sweetener, but for kickstarting a slow morning, I find there’s nothing like black, hot coffee from McDonalds. Must be the ambience… ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/18 "2006-11-19T04:24:43Z")
It depends on the circumstance. At work, all of the coffee is bad coffee, so “bad is better than none”. At home, I won’t buy bad coffee, no “none is better than bad”. At a restaurant or other public place, I generally won’t order coffee unless I’m confident that it will be of good quality. At a friend’s house, I’ll likely say “no, thank you” if I think the coffee isn’t going to be up to snuff. So I guess if you pinned me down, I’d go for “no coffee” Apparently I’m not an addict after all. ---
**Author:** ![Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gut)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2006, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/19 "2006-11-19T04:29:02Z")
I’ll go without. It’s easy enough to get a decent cup and I have my morning fix at home. The coffee at my office used to be total crap. The other sales guy and I grumbled enough that we get decent coffee now 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2006, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972/20 "2006-11-19T05:56:46Z")
I vastly prefer good coffee, and that’s what I make at home. And I drink it unadulterated, so there’s nothing to cover up the taste, no matter what that taste is. That said, if it’s a choice between bad coffee and none, I’ll take the bad stuff. And I’ll bitch about it relentlessly until I get some decent coffee made. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/java-fiends-bad-coffee-or-no-coffee/380972.md?page=2)