I thought I was alone with this observation. One cup of ‘regular’ coffee in an airport somewhere years ago was enough for me to never patronize them again for this reason.
There is an interesting story behind the burnt tasting coffee fad. It seems that the most of the Italians who immigrated to the U.S. were poor people looking for opportunity. Since they could not afford high quality coffee beans, they compensated by roasting the inferior beans longer, giving their espresso that “burnt” flavor that has become so popular. Espresso became “cool” to drink, and the burnt taste became associated with sophisticated taste in coffee products, the sophisticated folk being ignorant to its origins.
For me, Folgers brewed in a drip coffee maker is my favorite, although on rare occasions we put it through a French press for a real kick in the butt.