The best place in town to get a cup of plain ol' COFFEE

OK, so Dunkin' Donuts is coming to town and along with it they're popular coffee. So my question to any and all is where in town is the best place to get a lousy cup of GREAT coffee ? Apologies to Nimbus, etc, etc but I'm not talking froth and foam and chocolate and all that other foo-foo stuff, just a great cup of plain old everyday black coffee.

Back in MN/WI we had a chain of convenience stores called "Kwik Trip" (think Thorton-like) that had some of the best coffee I've ever had. I KNOW there has to be such a place in L'ville but so far it has evaded me.

Hep me Obiewon, Hep me.

While its not always available,DCE on Market does a fine job at regular Joe. I can think of one very cold afternoon in the early spring working in the rain on a barge on the river. I was quite cold and made my way over to DCE and requested a cup of regular black coffee. That was the best cup of drip Ive had in years. I dont really care for cappuccino or latte and the like,but a good cup of black can really hit the spot. While Im glad I gave up smoking some time ago,I can still remember the perfect combo of a good cup of coffee and a smoke.

I like McDonald's coffee a lot. Wild Eggs has good coffee, I always get coffee and OJ when I go there.

Honestly if I want just black coffee, which is everyday, I usually just make it at home. I got a great coffeemaker as a Christmas gift last year and I always grind my own beans.

Go to Heine Brothers and just get whatever they have brewed for the day. You don't have to get a latte or some other type of fancy drink. All of their beans are roasted and sold within a few weeks (whether it be ground and brewed on site or bagged). Or better yet, buy a bag a beans, grind, and brew fresh whenever you want coffee. It is the best coffee around and it only costs about 25 cents a cup give or take depending on how strong you like it when you buy the 3/4 pound bags. Since I started drinking it this way I find it hard to drink anything else. I have even gotten to the point where I had to setup a coffee pot at my desk to brew my own during the day since the office coffee is like sludge.

I am not a coffee drinker. But the sign at White Castle's drive-thru sounds pretty tempting. "Coffee you crave"

I personally don't drink any of the "foo foo" drinks myself. I go for regular coffee, black. If the coffee is good quality (as it should be), there is no need to add sugar or cream.

We sell quite a bit of "plain 'ol coffee" every day. You'll pay about two bucks for a good sized cup at Ray's, and it is guaranteed to be the good stuff. Refills are only $0.50. We also sell it by the bag. $9.50 after tax, which beats the competition and is pretty much in line with supermarket pricing. We roast every few days, so it is gonna be about as fresh as you can get.

The one exception I have to plain coffee is I like to make myself a "Red Eye," which is simply plain coffee with a shot or two or three of espresso added. Besides the extra kick, it is quite tasty...

I also highly recommend trying a french press. If you can wait the three minutes, it is a very very tasty cup of brew.

If you want cheap coffee, go to Bargain Supply on Liberty (free!), or Lowes out on Bardstown rd (also free!). Quality hardware store coffees. Make sure to add plenty of sugar. (I do drink the stuff to calibrate my taste buds)

Cheers....

Now that I get to work at 6:00AM, I have started drinking coffee again. I stop at the Thortons on Hurstbourne and I-64. I'm pretty sure they use Consumer's Choice coffees. I'm quite fond of the French Roast and a $1.26 any size is quite the deal. Also, they offer buy 4 get 1 free rewards cards as well. This new location is much larger than your average size location and they have a very nice coffee bar where you can add any kind of syrup, flavored creamer or topping for free

Waffle House.


I know. I know.

As I spend a lot of time "on the road" I'm always popping in and out of convenience stores for gas, coffee, beef jerky, etc. The best tasting coffee seems to be the coffee that is brewed at (for lack of a better description) a lower temp...Seems like some places actually brew at the boiling point which in my mind creates a very bitter cup of Joe.

I keep an eye out for coffee that's been sitting on the burner too long. One sure sign it'll taste bitter. Another good tip I look towards is the staff making the coffee rotating the pots so they don't set on a burner; essentially going from makng it to warm burner. This makes a huge difference. One reason I like Waffle House is because their turnover. The coffee very rarely sits long enough to get to into any danger of being burned.

The one exception I have to plain coffee is I like to make myself a "Red Eye," which is simply plain coffee with a shot or two or three of espresso added. Besides the extra kick, it is quite tasty...

Love these. Always my afternoon pick-up when I'm dragging. And it does taste great. I prefer calling it a "Shot in the Dark," but whatever floats the ol' boat.

The one exception I have to plain coffee is I like to make myself a "Red Eye," which is simply plain coffee with a shot or two or three of espresso added. Besides the extra kick, it is quite tasty...

Love these. Always my afternoon pick-up when I'm dragging. And it does taste great. I prefer calling it a "Shot in the Dark," but whatever floats the ol' boat.

Red Eye for me too, Nimbus -style with 1, 2, 3, shots. I've found the name Red Eye is universal across this country. Isn't "Shot in the Dark" a Java Brewing thing?

The one exception I have to plain coffee is I like to make myself a "Red Eye," which is simply plain coffee with a shot or two or three of espresso added. Besides the extra kick, it is quite tasty...

Love these. Always my afternoon pick-up when I'm dragging. And it does taste great. I prefer calling it a "Shot in the Dark," but whatever floats the ol' boat.

Red Eye for me too, Nimbus -style with 1, 2, 3, shots. I've found the name Red Eye is universal across this country. Isn't "Shot in the Dark" a Java Brewing thing?

I did some research, and it appears that Shot in the Dark originated in the Pacific Northwest (makes me think perhaps it was a Starbucks thing ). According to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_eye_(drink) the following all work for this drink:
1. Red Eye
2. Black Eye (2 espresso shots)
3. Dead Eye (3 espresso shots)
4. Shot in the Dark
5. Double Shot in the Dark (2 shots)
6. Hammerhead
7. Sludge Cup (Alaska)
8. Depth Charge (Navy/Marines)
9. Double Depth Charge (Navy/Marines, 2 shots)

After reading this, I think I prefer Sludge Cup or Depth Charge. . .

the best cup of black coffee in town is the one you make for yourself with your favorite fresh locally roasted beans (mine are generally from Africa) made in your very own French Press or Vacum Pot!

Don't settle for less. Brew your own black coffee don't buy it by the cup.

1 pound of beans for between $9 & $15 will make something like 15 36 oz. cups french presses or 30 16 oz. cups.

In a store at $2 a 16oz cup that equals about $60 which shows you a bit about the way black coffee is the most marked up item in any coffee shop.

With drip coffee it take only about 30 grams to make a 64 oz. pot so the markup is even more.

My house. I use Sunergos, bought from the bulk bins at Whole Foods. They include the date roasted, and it's usually one or two days before the day I'm buying. Made in a french press. You could easily do the same. Or, if you don't live in the eastern suburbs like me, you can get them to make you a cup. No need for any specialty drinks.

Barring that, I often meet people for playdates at Ray's Monkey House. I get a plain old coffee, and it's good. They also have food I can buy for the kids.

Red Hot Roasters has a great drive-through if you're in that part of town.