Sensitivity really is the problem. Sometimes people mock me for drinking instant coffee. Instead of letting that hurt my feelings, I laugh in their face and ask if they're volunteering to make coffee for me.
A pour over coffee only takes a few minutes to make. I can't imagine you are saving much time in this case, and the quality difference is substantial. But I'm not judging you, I know people that just like instant coffee better.
> I'm not judging you, I know people that just like instant coffee better.
As a self-confessed coffee snob (who owns everything from a Aeropress to a French Press to you-name-it and gets freshly roasted beans from across the world which I hand grind at home), it's always a matter of contention for me when my sister visits home and PREFERS both the speed and the taste of nescafe instant coffee over my finely tweaked-over-the-years methods for making great coffee.
She's not in the computer science field, so the instant vs fresh coffee debate is our version of the Emacs vs Vim debate ;-)
> A pour over coffee only takes a few minutes to make.
The trouble with that mode of argument is that for nearly every conceivable action you take in your life, there is going to be a "higher quality" version of that action that only takes slightly longer. There's probably always a way to get better results by spending slightly more time tying your shoes, brushing your teeth, shaving, washing your face, catching up on news, preparing your coffee, having your morning walk/bike ride/gym session, etc.
And yet you only have so much time in the day, so it's important to know which of those things you enjoy well enough to take the time to do the higher quality version of them. Maybe you love coffee and gladly spend a few extra minutes getting a cup that you enjoy, but maybe you couldn't care less about your skin care routine. But maybe I enjoy skin care and will gladly spend time shaving and washing my face, but maybe I couldn't care less about the quality of my morning coffee and just want the instant crystals.
Don't forget to account for the time spent cleaning the equipment and getting the beans/grounds fresh on a regular basis. Instant coffee keeps for months, and of course is also much cheaper.
I've had many pourovers and I appreciate them if I have the time. If I like pour overs at value P, then I would rate an instant coffee at 0.9P. The 0.1P of value I miss out on isn't worth the hassle of filters, dealing with coffee grounds, all that stuff.
One gets accustomed to whatever one eats, drinks or does frequently. I find that in order to appreaciate a good coffee, it helps to drink mediocre coffee on a regular basis.
A scoop of instant coffee in a mug and 60 seconds in the microwave is good enough for me. Coffee is a drug delivery mechanism to me; I drink it when I don't have caffeine pills handy.
Damn, this is the most unrefined way of preparing coffee that I've heard of. I have cut down on caffeine a lot a few years ago, but I still enjoy the ritual of brewing coffee in a espresso machine or in chemex. Most of the time it's decaf, too.
When I was younger I would sometimes feel deeply hurt when someone expressed disapproval of something I did or something about me, and as I've grown older realized that sometimes people don't like the way I do things, or don't like me, and that's okay.
I don't have a really specific point to make here, but it may be worth considering that snobby humor is sometimes really hurtful to some people, and telling someone "you're too sensitive" is probably not helping them grow into a more secure person with a healthier level of sensitivity.
Ego is the real problem. Placing too much value on managing your external identity is what leads to assuming how other people feel about your experiences is more important than how you feel having them. How can you enjoy a nice meal when you are worrying more about status than how it tastes? Why is it so important to express your superior status and look down on those that produce fractionally less tasty food than yours?
Better to not spend your life planning on how to improve your status and instead focus on finding things rewarding.
> and telling someone "you're too sensitive" is probably not helping them grow into a more secure person with a healthier level of sensitivity.
I fundamentally don't agree with that. That's not the way I want other people to treat me, so that's not the way I treat other people. If I have a problem with getting bullying and pressuring into doing something I don't like, I would rather have somebody set my priorities straight by telling me to ignore the haters. Offering me a shoulder to cry on won't help me. That's a superficial sort of kindness, like not washing a wound because it would be painful, choosing instead to let the wound fester.
I think we mostly agree - I'm with you that "Ignore the haters" is usually a good, supportive thing to say in these situations.
Are you sure that you want to be told "You're too sensitive" when you're having a vulnerable moment, and someone happened to criticize you in an area where you have some insecurity? Though it may be true, don't you already know it, and really don't want to hear it at that moment?
There's more than two ways to do things, which is the other problem with conversations with random internet users.
You don't need to just let them cry and not address anything, but also telling someone to "just ignore the haters" is probably just as effective as telling a depressed person "have you tried not being depressed?"
Occasionally I make too much coffee so there will be about a cup leftover.
Instead of pouring it down the drain I’ll just keep it and the next time I’d like a cup I put it in the microwave for a bit to warm it up.
The looks of utter disgust and horror I’ve received always put a smile on my face.
My solution to "extra" coffee is "iced coffee". I keep a small pitcher in the fridge to dump extra coffee in and pour me a glass over ice with a bit of flavored creamer whenever the urge strikes.
I'm most assuredly not a coffee snob (Folger's? Bring it on), but I just don't like the taste of instant. I will say that an AeroPress is one of my best investments for a quick, good tasting cup of coffee (faster and cleaner than my previous plastic pour-over thing that cost me $2).
Try Starbucks Via Instant. You might be surprised. I use it mainly for camping due to the ease, or if I run out of regular and can't bring myself to go to the store just for coffee right when I wake up, but I can't really tell the difference. Normally I grind the beans fresh for each batch and normally don't drink starbucks.
I'd take instant coffee from good beans over perfectly brewed coffee (IMO this is espresso or pour-over in a pinch) with shitty beans.