Instant Bumming Out

Disclaimer: I am not a coffee snob, but I expect a well-made cup of mocha.

Leaving aside my recent chronicles of java ventures, I've never had such a bad coffee-day (akin to bad hair days). The happy dust blew off somewhere yesterday.
I had to start out early in the morning, even before the sun was up! Divergently, I reached for a pack of Instant Coffee Drink Mix. Estimating that water takes 2-3 minutes to boil was a misjudgment that produced a cupful of scorching syrup which  parched my throat and annihilated my taste buds. As the day peeped over the horizon, I purported that maybe I'd been in too much of a hurry, and made a hash out of it.

During the dash at a dealership (the party was out assaying cars), I graciously accepted the offer for a cup of joe. The snack pit stop had a flask of hot water with a carton of non-dairy creamer and cane sugar. Per contra, by the time I'd walked up the two-leveled stairs and taken my seat, the coffee had become tepid. This time I was sullen about the cold draft which had dashed in with the Highlander.
I realize that this drama is beginning to sound a lot like Goldilocks and the three bears. Regrettably, I wasn't lucky the third time too. After a hearty lunch at an Udipi restaurant (which queerly even serves delicious Chana Bhatura), suggestion was made that we skip the Filter Coffee there for a finer cuppa at the neighborhood temple. Always up for a coffee bonanza, we walked first thing into the temple's canteen. I was forlorn that the counter had the same triad as the dealership, instead of the filter coffee canister, which the friend had attested was exemplary on account that his father had two cups or so on his last visit. Crestfallen, I carefully measured all the essentials. And it turned out to be by far the worst coffee I recall of my life. It was bitter, burnt, watery; in plain words disgusting. Trying to remain civil, I pretended to sip on the cup as crowds of devotees passed by. Eventually, I poured the coffee into the restroom sink, and scoured for some drinking water to shower away the aftertaste. A bottle of water, and full-strength spearmint chewing gum relieved my taste buds. But the scar of this memory is going to keep me wary of Instant Coffee for a long, long time.