Remember that drink I invented yesterday? (oc)

[u/DaveKellett]

COME for the acrid taste, but STAY for the lack of caffeine!

[u/Apprehensive_Hat_444]

Believe it or not, there are different qualities of coffee, and better coffee has a better taste lol

I used to think I hated coffee, beer, wine, steak, etc. Turns out my parents were just cheap. I like all those things, just not the cheapest available versions.

[u/Aeseld → u/Apprehensive_Hat_444]

Wine is probably the most interesting example since cost and taste have only a tenuous connection. You can almost always find something cheap or mid-range that you enjoy.

Frankly all beer tastes bad to me though.

Coffee tastes fine if you cut the bitterness. Prep can help, I use cinnamon and a bit of salt. 

As for steak... Preparation and good cuts. Good prep can make up for a poor cut. 

[u/DrunkenAsparagus → u/Aeseld]

There's still a quality floor that I think most people will notice. I went to a wine tasting once where you drank a couple selections from several categories, and then after everyone ranked them, they told us the relative prices. 

I consistently chose the second cheapest option. That stuff was maybe a bit sweet, but not actively terrible. I think with most consumer goods, it's best to find your minimum quality threshold.

[u/Artemis96 → u/DrunkenAsparagus]

Yea the lowest quality wines are legit undrinkable for me. Talking in Italian prices: <10€, I'd rather drink water. 10-20€ you can find some good stuff. 20-35€ very good wines. >35€ I can hardly tell a difference, and I personally cannot justify the price.

Some of my friends have a more experienced taste and will sometimes go into the 50-60€ range

[u/Aeseld → u/Artemis96]

Keep in mind that the higher price points have a significant psychological influence. You have to justify what you're spending. 

But blind taste tests with someliers consistently showed that they could not accurately determine the price points of wine in a blind taste test. So...

Your friends might be duping themselves.