The Weirdest Coffee Experience I've Had So Far

In this episode, I share a personal story about my early coffee journey and a disappointing experience with an extremely dark Italian roast that crumbled in my hands and tasted terrible. I talk about how this experience actually helped shape my coffee preferences and philosophy. I discuss how this disappointment led me to explore coffees from all over America, developing my palate and discovering what I truly enjoy.

I emphasize that coffee lovers don't have to like everything about coffee - it's perfectly fine to only enjoy certain aspects. The journey of discovery, finding what speaks to you personally, is what makes coffee special. Listeners will learn the importance of exploring different coffee styles without judgment and how to embrace their own unique coffee preferences rather than feeling pressured to like everything.

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:15 First visit to the coffee shop
• 2:30 The Italian and French roast recommendation
• 3:20 The disappointing experience with the dark roast
• 4:45 Reflecting on the coffee journey
• 6:00 Learning that it's okay to not like everything
• 7:15 How the experience shaped my coffee preferences
• 8:30 Current coffee preferences and brewing methods

Transcript

[00:00] Today is April 2nd, 2025. We're doing pretty good right now. No complaints, all is well for me, and I hope you're doing pretty good too. Today we're going to be talking about stories.

[00:20] I don't know how well I can tell this particular story, but I'm going to tell it anyway. It's true, not made up. The way I tell it now may be a little different than what I remember from years ago, but it doesn't matter. It's a story about coffee.

[00:40] So here it is. I started my coffee journey, and everything was great. I was buzzing out of control, buying everything related to coffee. I visited different coffee shops and stores, and even joined online forums. I just wanted my fix, and I didn't care where I got the coffee - grocery store, online store, or locally. I think I was mainly shopping locally at the time.

[01:10] My path was still developing. I was using the French press, which was fine. I had my trusty French press and just wanted to try new coffee from everywhere.

[01:25] I looked up this place in the Houston area. I'm not going to mention their name. I believe they're still in business and doing really well. They approach coffee a bit differently than most, but they did have a store. I don't know if they still have the store, but I went inside with some knowledge about coffee.

[01:50] I went in like a kid in a candy store. I was just looking for my fix.

[02:00] The person there saw that I was new to the whole coffee thing and took me under his wing. He showed me different beans, explained origins, and described taste notes. I was really geeking out over this information and couldn't wait to get home.

[02:20] Right before leaving, I mentioned that the coffees I had been drinking weren't strong enough. No matter how much coffee I put into a light or medium roast, it still wasn't strong. Many coffee shops were doing the same thing, and I was getting frustrated. All I wanted was for it to be strong.

[02:45] He said, "Oh yeah, we've got this French roast and Italian roast." I think I bought both of them. He gave me a small bag, saying, "I just want you to taste it and see what you think about it. But it's strong as hell."

[03:05] I smelled the bag. It smelled like carbon. I thought, "Okay, cool, whatever."

[03:15] I had a grinder at the time, so I took my bag of coffee home. The first thing I did was open that extremely dark Italian roast. I picked up one of the beans, and not knowing my own strength, it crumbled in my hand.

[03:35] I thought, "What the hell is this?" I didn't want to put it in my grinder. It was oily, black, and just not good.

[03:50] I figured, "Forget it, just put it in the grinder. This is the only thing you have." So I did that, put it in the French press, did my little swirl, waited four minutes, and had my cup of coffee.

[04:10] It was garbage, complete garbage. I couldn't believe how bad it was. Actually, I should have believed how bad it would be. It didn't smell good, crumbled in my hands, and tasted weird. I was really disappointed. I drank a little bit, kept it for a day or two, then threw it out. The French roast wasn't much better - slightly lighter, but I could still crush it with my fingertips.

[04:45] I don't know why I'm telling you this story. I think we all have coffee stories about our experiences and how our thoughts on coffee have evolved. Now that I have time to reflect on that moment, I realize we're not going to like everything.

[05:10] The journey, the rush of discovery, finding things - it's all part of what makes us who we are. I wasn't meant to roast coffee that dark. I've gotten close because some clients request it, but those beans still have integrity and weight to them. If you know coffee, darker roasts barely have any weight.

[05:40] The point is, I went down this journey of wanting to know more. I think that's the beauty of it - I just wanted to explore more. Even if I didn't study it thoroughly in this case, it's perfectly fine. People will try to help you along your journey to appreciate coffee, taste coffee, or discover what you like about it.

[06:10] That Italian roast, that French roast, that extreme darkness isn't for everybody. It taught me that this style is not truly my jam.

[06:25] You don't have to like everything about coffee. If you like one or two things about coffee, that's perfectly fine. You're not crazy to only like a few aspects, as long as you enjoy it for whatever reason.

[06:45] This experience was part of my early coffee journey. It ended up catapulting me to try coffee from all over America. I started buying coffee from different regions, getting ideas and tips from people online and on YouTube, exploring their coffees and understanding what it's all about.

[07:15] I think that's what it's about - trying to discover and find our own journey. Today, I'm a medium and dark roast person, depending on the roast degree. I can appreciate light roasts too.

[07:35] I like different coffees from everywhere for various reasons. I even enjoy the simple, easy coffees like Brazilians and Central and South American varieties that are more mellow but still have character. I prefer pour-overs now. French press isn't my thing anymore.

[08:00] AeroPress is okay. I'm starting to really understand and appreciate it more for different reasons. I enjoy testing different pour-over machines and having espresso once or twice a month. That's my approach to enjoying and understanding coffee.

[08:25] What I'm saying is, take all the information you can from people, understand their perspective, and recognize that their journey is their own - they like what they like for their own reasons.

[08:45] You're just trying things out for yourself to see what you like. Eventually, with time, you'll develop your own palate and understand why you like what you like. Maybe you prefer coffee shops or espresso bars. It doesn't matter as long as you try it, understand it, and enjoy it for whatever reason. Even if you just like one thing about coffee, that's perfectly fine.

[09:15] So that's my story about the Italian roast that was garbage. I was upset for a moment, but I'm still on this journey of finding, enjoying, and experiencing coffee.

[09:35] This is me, Oaks, signing off. Let me know about any of your crazy, wacky coffee stories, because we all have them. We can't get through this coffee journey without collecting stories, right? Talk to you later. Bye.