# The Worst Beans You've Ever Tasted



## rodabod (Dec 4, 2011)

Go on then, what were they? Did you manage to finish the bag?

Mine: Waitrose Kenyan AA. Marked on bag as two weeks post packing. Smelled fresh. Tasted like ass. Acidic, thin with little body. Just horrible. Tried them a few times, then straight in the bin. The "AA" must be short for absolutely awful.


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## truecksuk (Sep 22, 2011)

Well... NONE!

As long as they are roasted fresh, I've never come across a coffee that I dont like.

WELL ACTUALLY!!! Wait a minute:

I remember having a cold when I bought some Monsoon Malabar, bibi estate from union.

It smelt like suphury rotten eggs! I think I still drank it though. Once my cold was all but gone, I think it because an 'acceptable' coffee..

Saying that... I've had a couple of questionable coffees from Union. The other was Good Spirit Espresso... Too dark for my liking...!!

Never thrown coffee in the bin, unless its old, or cheap morrisons dial in your grinder type


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

I wont name the Roaster , however it was a Kenya AA. Physically impossible to produce an espresso, even if I had wanted to (and didnt).....and as brewed it was awful too. Probably the only time Ive found a bag with such a horrific roast profile applied.

There have been the olbigitory bags of sticky charcoal from time to time, but you soon learn to avoid those particular roasters, sorry cremators.....


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

I have had a few! Has Beans fist attempt at jailbreak was rank. I bought 3 bags off coffee from a roaster in Fleet, and took them to the Trading Standards. the coffee was months old, had no roasting date on it, or weight. At the end, TS said that there was no specific definition of the word FRESH in relation to coffee and even though they took the point about freshness, there was nothing they could do. weights and Measures though, took a different viewpoint!


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## forzajuve (Feb 2, 2011)

Cant say I have ever bought a bag of coffee and it was bad enough to throw away. There have obviously been some poor ones that were far too long in the roaster but drowned in milk they still went down. If you use trusted roasters as identified through the forum you will generally be guaranteed something drinkable (99% of the time). Whether it is to your taste or not is a different matter.

What usually goes in the bin is when someone buys you a coffee "gift" which will tend to be some bag of charcoal that turns your stomach when you open the bag.


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## sjenner (Nov 8, 2012)

The worst beans I have had were from a roaster in Muswell Hill Wm. Martyn... Ugh!


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

I've had a gift bought ror me recently . A bag of beans from the Eden project with a best of date of September on them. My friend excitedly asked me to make him a latte with them , I couldn't bring myself to do it ......


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## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

a friend brought me a bag of their prefered coffee recently. From a roaster i'd never heard of.

No roast date on bag, opened it up... blackened charcoal. Sorry to say that I didnt even try making a drink from these!


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## CoffeeJohnny (Feb 28, 2011)

Since developing a taste for good coffee as well as listening to advice. I can honestly say I've not had anything memorably horrific.

Though its monsooned malabar as my worst but that's a marmite coffee to many. That again raises the question of whether its to a liking or not. It's not to my liking no no no

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

My first roast on the Gene was a complete disaster and came out like charcoal. Luckily that's the only one I've roasted that I couldn't drink.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Geordie Boy said:


> My first roast on the Gene was a complete disaster and came out like charcoal. Luckily that's the only one I've roasted that I couldn't drink.


So, you were aiming for Starbucks' roast then??


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

My first roast in a Behmor was the worst I've ever had - but for the opposite reason. I'd read so much about potential fire risk that I was scared witless, pulled the plug early and ended up with gently warmed raw beans with no real roast.


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## rodabod (Dec 4, 2011)

^^ that reminds me, someone bought me a bag of Starbucks Christmas Blend.

God, that was awful. Imagine the taste of a half-full ash tray, topped up with pencil shavings and a burned poly bag, and you're half way there.


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

I think the worst I have had in recent memory is a tie between the January 2012 version of Hasbeans breakfast bomb it was just awful kind of reminded me of the aftertaste of those old kids sweets fizzbombs and more recently from Roberts in Mawdsley was a bag of their Mocha/Italian blend a friend of the OH bought me, it was just far too dark and oily, I did try it as she wanted to taste it when we got home but only put it through the Porlex as its easier to clean, it was just bitter as hell and tasted burnt.


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## c_squared (Jun 26, 2013)

In an effort to keep costs down I got a bag of tesco finest coffee beans, I can't even remember what the name was but they were a dark roast. They were absolutely horrible and strangely shiny, stale, bitter at best with a lingering aftertaste. I quickly learned there is no way to cut corners if you want something to taste good. I tried to persevere but admitted defeat and they ended up in the bin.


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## c_squared (Jun 26, 2013)

Charliej said:


> I think the worst I have had in recent memory is a tie between the January 2012 version of Hasbeans breakfast bomb it was just awful kind of reminded me of the aftertaste of those old kids sweets fizzbombs and more recently from Roberts in Mawdsley was a bag of their Mocha/Italian blend a friend of the OH bought me, it was just far too dark and oily, I did try it as she wanted to taste it when we got home but only put it through the Porlex as its easier to clean, it was just bitter as hell and tasted burnt.


Is the coffee at Roberts in mawdsley any good? I haven't been there for a while and wasn't really drinking coffee then.


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

I might get flamed for this, but Rave's Mexican. Low quality bean, no flavour. Gave it to a barista friend who also didn't like it, threw the rest out.

Also anything from Waitrose or Whittards, yuck!


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## ronsil (Mar 8, 2012)

I'm not keen on most Mexican Beans but having said that I know a Roaster who can really get the best out of them.

Keep an eye on the DSOL thread over the next couple of months.

Regarding my worst bean experience I really don't think I have tried, not drunk, anything worse than the motorway Starbucks I recently encountered.

Ugh!! Ugh!! Ugh!!


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## painty (Jul 25, 2011)

Some generic beans from a Morrisons (many years ago!) in a town that probably didn't have a high wholebean consumer population. The beans must have been absolutely ancient as they had the strongest taste of 'stale' imaginable. Totally undrinkable.

Under those circumstances it would probably be better to go for a preground since at least the turnover will be a lot higher.

(I have also produced the (very occasional) duff homeroast.)


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Sainsbury's extra dark espresso roast. Absolutely honking. Only got them to practice my latte art as they were dirt cheap.


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## glevum (Apr 4, 2013)

jeebsy said:


> Sainsbury's extra dark espresso roast. Absolutely honking. Only got them to practice my latte art as they were dirt cheap.


bought a bag of this over xmas as we had alot of visitors as my extract bag was held up in post. 100% rancid burnt ash, even made the milk taste rancid in a latte. Binned it and made a pot of tea instead.


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

c_squared said:


> Is the coffee at Roberts in mawdsley any good? I haven't been there for a while and wasn't really drinking coffee then.


Some of their stuff is pretty good others are very indifferent, I only ever seem to end up going there specifically to buy coffee if I'm about to run out and have forgotten to order or an order is late, that way I can at least have a look at what Roberts have at that time. They make a pretty decent coffee in the cafe and have a nice selection of teas and snacks too. The real benefit I suppose is that you can visit a coffee roastery under the guise of taking the OH out for the afternoon lol , with the rest of the crafts shops etc.

Whereabouts are you from C_squared?


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## c_squared (Jun 26, 2013)

Charliej said:


> Some of their stuff is pretty good others are very indifferent, I only ever seem to end up going there specifically to buy coffee if I'm about to run out and have forgotten to order or an order is late, that way I can at least have a look at what Roberts have at that time. They make a pretty decent coffee in the cafe and have a nice selection of teas and snacks too. The real benefit I suppose is that you can visit a coffee roastery under the guise of taking the OH out for the afternoon lol , with the rest of the crafts shops etc.
> 
> Whereabouts are you from C_squared?


I'm originally from Northern Ireland but live in Leyland now. I'll have to take a trip out to Roberts at some point. I have two young children who could be suitably distracted by the animals while I sneak inside for a coffee!


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## Locus Solus (Apr 28, 2013)

The only bag I couldn't finish in my pourover days was Hasbean's Guatemala Platanillo Maragogype. Redolent of sock and jockstrap as far as I remember (I've tried to suppress the memory). They didn't sell it long. Of course there have been other bad ones from the usual suspects, supermarkets etc. But that one hurt.


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## spune (Oct 3, 2011)

Every Taylors of Harrogate bean I've ever had... Not surprising, but still, God awful.


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## ronsil (Mar 8, 2012)

spune said:


> Every Taylors of Harrogate bean I've ever had...


Hey... their Italian Roast Beans arn't all bad in an Aeropress in a real emergency used as soon as the bag is opened.

Useless as an espresso.


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## painty (Jul 25, 2011)

jeebsy said:


> Sainsbury's extra dark espresso roast. Absolutely honking. Only got them to practice my latte art as they were dirt cheap.


All I remember is huge overpowering burnt rubber aroma . . .


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

ronsil said:


> I'm not keen on most Mexican Beans but having said that I know a Roaster who can really get the best out of them.
> 
> Keep an eye on the DSOL thread over the next couple of months.
> 
> ...


I've had an amazing Mexican from Boot Koffie / Golden Coffee Box in The Netherlands that I loved, nothing has ever compared to it.

I had a dark roast coffee made for me in a coffee shop last week (think it was roasted by Compass) - a stark reminder that Dark and therefore DSOL isn't for me







Hope you get a good one though.


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## xiuxiuejar (Jan 24, 2012)

I bought some beans from the Roast and Post Coffee Company - the worst coffee I have ever had. I was looking everywhere for Kalossi Toraja as it is my favourite brew and I had never had any problems with any Kalossi until now - seriously just all bitterness and sourness. I seriously grimmace every time I sip my espresso. To make things worse, I bought 3 kilos as the postage to Spain was free. Will never use this company again!!!

Oh and a packet of Starbucks full roast that I bought out of desperation when I had no beans left. That was just like drinking the contents of the barbecue tray.


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## Ben J (Jun 3, 2012)

There's a local coffee roaster in Liverpool called Adams and Russel, we order our soft drinks from them (Fentemans, Mawsons, real nice old fashioned style). They bugged us for ages to try their coffee so we eventually agreed and they sent some samples from their "Connoisseurs Collection". Once they arrived, me and the owner gave them a thorough once over, all were bad, but there was one, a "Kenyan Blue Mountain", which was pretty much undrinkable in any form (espresso, latte, americano and filter). Tasted old as hell (no bloom and that horrible rubbery taste), roasted to god damn and back, just generally disgusting. Best part was the interesting conversation I had with their managing director when I phoned up to place our next drink order.


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## MrChris (Aug 18, 2012)

xiuxiuejar said:


> I bought some beans from the Roast and Post Coffee Company - the worst coffee I have ever had. I was looking everywhere for Kalossi Toraja as it is my favourite brew and I had never had any problems with any Kalossi until now - seriously just all bitterness and sourness. I seriously grimmace every time I sip my espresso. To make things worse, I bought 3 kilos as the postage to Spain was free. Will never use this company again!!!
> 
> Oh and a packet of Starbucks full roast that I bought out of desperation when I had no beans left. That was just like drinking the contents of the barbecue tray.


I have just experienced my worst ever beans tonight from Roast and Post. I was bought them as a gift and opened this evening to dial in. Old Brown Java was the first one. Over-roasted on first inspection. However, it is the smell that had alarm bells ringing. No coffee smell whatsoever, rather a musky, stale odour. I pulled a double which flowed like tar with no crema in the slightest. Around 22 seconds for 28g and thought "Well, I'll give it a taste"...

Literally the worst thing I have ever put in my mouth. Burnt, bitter, lifeless.

Thinking that nothing could be worse, I weighed out the Harrar Longberry. First shot gushed out so made the biggest adjustment ever to the Mazzer Royal. Still too quick, again with no crema. Once again, like no Harrar I have ever had. Pulled a Rave Harrar immediately afterwards and the difference was night and day.

Feedback email has just been sent


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## spune (Oct 3, 2011)

ronsil said:


> Hey... their Italian Roast Beans arn't all bad in an Aeropress in a real emergency used as soon as the bag is opened.


Well... That's true.


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## Ricriley (Jan 3, 2013)

I really didn't like Has Beans 2012 Breakfast Bomb, the oddest coffee I've ever had! Tasted like it'd been marinated with old beef.


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## Gangstarrrrr (Mar 4, 2013)

Has Bean Kicker. Rank.


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## Kyle548 (Jan 24, 2013)

Probably mancoco Sumatra...

Very dark, I can get 14g in 30 out in 27, slightly acidic but in milk tastes like a tire, I don't get it at all....

At 16g the espresso is undrinkable and the milk is like ashtray bilge water.

How can I fix it....

I want to like these...

Maybe it's because of new burrs?


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