Have you ever had a bad cup of coffee? It can be like drinking the sludge from the engine of a 1988 Ford Tempo. Don't get me wrong, it'll still wake you up... just not in a good way. You'll be jolted awake the same way your dog jolts you awake when he's about to barf on your bedspread.

No one will deny that New York state is home to a vibrant coffee culture, with countless cozy shops serving up bold brews, both upstate and downstate. But as most bean enthusiasts know, not every cup of coffee is created equal. Some customers come away from these shops having had a less-than-pleasurable experience, whether its because of unfriendly staff, an unwelcoming atmosphere, or a truly gross cup of joe.

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Thankfully, here in in the Utica-Rome area, really bad reviews are relatively hard to come by. We're fortunate to have some really great coffee shops in the area like Utica Coffee Roasters, Cafe Domenico, and even our chain shops (shoutout to Marcy Dunkin', with whom I usually spend a third of my paycheck).

SEE ALSO: The Most Hilarious 1-Star Reviews of CNY Auto Repair Shops

In order to find the really bad reviews, I've expanded my search beyond the Mohawk Valley. And because I don't want to feed into the kind of "negative review culture" that's so pervasive across the interwebs, the names of the businesses themselves have been withheld.

Keep scrolling if you're the kind of person who gets a small degree of enjoyment out of others having a miserable experience: