Flair 58

“I've tried, but I can't. My family loves their pre-ground Starbucks French Roast brewed at 40% of the strength the SCA recommends (5 scoops per 12 cups). It tastes vile (like coal ash) and is so weak it doesn't give me the caffeine hit I need. I've resorted to bringing my own coffee and brewing it cup-by-cup in an AeroPress I leave at their house whenever I visit for holidays, etc. I've tried desperately to convert them to better coffee (lighter roasts, better brewing ratios), I stayed at another family member's house the other night and they brewed something similar (super dark roast, brewed weak, crazy bitter), and to top it off, they only had fat-free half-and-half. I tried to stomach the cup and literally lost my breakfast. I've also learned that I just can't do espresso at second-wave shops. It is always too bitter for my tolerance. I've gotten pretty good at ferreting out third-wave shops when I travel, but if I'm in a particularly small town without any third-wave options, my primary fallback is actually brewed coffee from McDonald's (the supplier that they stole from Tim Hortons actually roasts pretty a pretty nice medium roast, with a nice balance of nuttiness and acidity), and so while I can usually handle brewed coffee at second-wave places easier than I can handle their espresso, I personally find McDonald's coffee to usually be just as good and less risky and also a lot cheaper ($0.99 for any size with the McDonald's app). In an absolute pinch, my last stopgap is a blonde roast (Veranda or whatever) from Starbucks, but if they don't have their blonde available, I won't patronize them. I just can't do Pike's Place or, God forbid, the fireplace soot scoopings they label as their "dark roast." I guess vomiting up my uncle's bad coffee *did* make me appreciate my Sump beans that I ground on my Mazzer Philos and brewed on my Flair 58 this morning after getting home from my trip, so maybe your post does have a point...”