I'had countless different beans and different roasts in my time. Some were really great, some not so much. But as for the best I'v ever had, well I don't know what brand it was, but in Vermont every place we went to had the best, better than any where. I didn't know why for a long time, then some one I was talking to up there explained to me it was the water. There they use natural spring water and the minerals make the water taste soft and smooth. I would have never thought of that before.
Unless it is weak, there hasn't been a coffee that I haven't liked. I love coffee as long as it is strong, dark, and puts hair on my chest.
You got hair on your chest? Oh my.
@zeuser two words: brazilian wax...so, no hair anywhere...
The best coffee for me is an ristretto (short pull) espresso. Brings out the sweetness of the coffee bean with none of the bitter notes that are extracted at the tail end.
For all the comments about cappuccino - I find that many coffee shops either make them too dry (float the foam on the cofee) or too wet (that's a latte!). Did get a great Turkish coffee at one of the local restaurants here in Houston.
I found a vanilla mocha mix, put it in my coffee with my vanilla creamer, it was delicious!!
Best coffee ever was in Costa Rica on the plantation where the beans were roasted and brewed....it was a great tour of the plantation and an interesting lesson in the history of coffee and the production process
I really only had coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. It was Hazelnut. I'm not a coffee drinker.
I was in Austin Texas for a conference early in the century, and I was hung over as hell. I went to a little Mexican place for some huevos with some legitimate frijoles and ice cold salsa with a warm tortilla, and a cup of hot, strong coffee that made me moan with the first sip. I grind my beans (dark roast Arabica, usually) and use a French press, and that is good java, but that cup in Austin from almost twenty years ago still lives on in my memory.
That place sounds like heaven!
@Ellatynemouth It was wonderful! Not much in the way of good Mexican food here in NC, but the coffee was the major memory.
Turkish coffee in Istanbul Turkey.
Served in those tiny brass espresso cups with enough sugar to make the spoon stand up in the cup...lol lol
My parents own one of those old-fashioned coffee percolators. It makes an amazing cup of coffee. I like my coffee really strong (so that I can then tone it down with cream and sugar). The percolator brew cycle keeps running the already strong coffee through the grinds which picks up more subtle flavors that single brew machines don't pick up.
The best coffee I have is whatever I have at a given moment. From a fine restaurant to Aldi brand instant. I try to live in the moment.
Hmmm. An Italian café in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Honestly the best coffee I have ever tasted was in Vicenza, Italy. I became addicted to espresso. I don't know what actual brand of coffee it was but it was full of body & flavor. The scenery wasnt too bad either