Forced to drink crappy coffee

[summersolstice]

Early AM in the hotel room in Boulder and all that's available in the room is a generic 4-cup Farmer Brothers "Gourmet Coffee" in a bag. As we all know, crappy coffee beats no coffee but I sure miss my aged Sumatran and my French press. The mead may be good bu the coffee leaves a lot to be desired. End of rant.

[Nostalgia]

I will commiserate with you as I sip my Dunkin' Donuts coffee in my office.

-Joe

[kau]

I hate having to drink terrible coffee esp. when I really need it. Driving back from Houston I needed coffee bad but there is no shops along the route. Stopped into a Convenience store and to my luck they had fresh coffee brewing. Bought some, left and let it cool. First sip I wanted to spit it out, so awful. No clue even how it was that bad because it was fresh brewed. Part weak, part funky tasting, just terrible.

[IrregularPulse]

That's nothing compared to the office coffee I drink every morning. Blech, but still too lazy to bring my own.

[TwoheadsBrewing]

On my business trips I've found that the extra 10 minutes it takes to find a local coffee shop is time well spent. There is usually some local spot with some good drip coffee and it's well worth the time finding it.

[Austin]

I can't use hotel room coffee pots. I can barely sleep in the beds.

[conpewter]

Originally Posted by IrregularPulse

That's nothing compared to the office coffee I drink every morning. Blech, but still too lazy to bring my own.

So far that's where I am at as well (plus it's free...) I do have a friend that has a french press for work and one for home.

[cuppajoe]

Whenever I have to spend time in a hotel, motel etc I bring my own coffee fixins.

I've stayed in lotsa places and the coffee has always been crappy!!!

[RNDDUDE]

Summersolstice....do what I do on trips...take your french press and Aged Sumatra with you!

[robinpow]

Not to say I've traveled a lot, but enough that I'm always a platinum member with at least one hotel chain, and often two at a time.

First off, buy a little french press, and some bubble wrap. The french press is your friend!!! He doesn't take up much space, weighs very little, doesn't require electricity, and makes a darn good cup of coffee.

Next, go to the local dollar store and buy a cheap cup. Nothing is as depressing as a good coffee, in a hotel foam cup or worse yet, plastic glass. The buck you spend is well worth it. Also if it gets broken or lost no big deal.

Now for the coffee. In a perfect world you would carry a package of fresh roasted beans and a grinder. However the world isn't perfect. Just before leaving home, grind your beans, and seal them. I have a food vacuum sealer, and make a bunch of mini bags. However you could get buy with something less.

If you are going on a long trip, like I often do. I carry enough coffee to get me through several days. In that time, I can usually find a local coffee supplier.

Also there is a lot to be said for bottled water! While the odds are the tap water is safe, it won't taste like home, and in some cases can be darn right bad tasting.

As for those packets the hotel provides for their 4 cup machine. Don't waste it, pack it along with any other little items you didn't use (lotion, shampoo & etc). You may not use it, but there are a lot of shelters for battered women and the homeless that are happy to receive these little goodies. Every year I donate a huge box of goodies, everything from slippers to coffee.