I'll admit that I'm not as much of a purist as my youngest brother who was once a "barista" for an un-named coffee chain. However, I've found that the coffees we agree to love are:

1. Wegman's Barry House Buzz - good enough that I can drink it black, a real challenge for me since I really like coffee the same color as me, and I'm a freckled redhead

2. Folger's Gourmet Selections in chocolate or caramel - Almost good enough to drink black

and 3. Our absolute favorite is a fresh roasted Kona shipped straight from HI by our best friend.

We also enjoy most coffees from Caribou Coffee...

We REALLY don't like any of the coffee from Starbucks. It tastes like it's burnt and isn't worth the price.

We're coffee nuts - I drink waaaay too much of it. Our favorite is from our local coffee roaster Old Bisbee Roasters. They hand select the coffees that are in season and only roast in small batches. The owner is a perfectionist and has been written about in Gourmet Magazine. We even order it by mail when we know we're going to be in one place for more than a couple of weeks. $14/lb delivered.
I loathe Starbucks - it is sooo burned.
For our 'cheap coffeee' we like Community coffee. If you make it really strong it's pretty good.
We also like Illy - a fairly pricey Italian coffee that we got hooked on in San Miguel de Allende Mexico.
Most of it depends on what you like.... and how you make it. I think a french press is the best but I even make it in the little hotel 4 cup coffee maker.

It could be that you've fried the coffee receptors on your taste buds after all those cups. A good cup of coffee is quite a treat.

Ever notice that some people can't make a decent cup of coffee no matter what kind of beans or equipment they use??

Yes... My father typically makes very weak coffee, but claims it's strong coffee. I always try to be the one to make coffee when we're visiting, and I bring my own beans.

Good comments.

I just started receiving Boca Java coffee and am in love--The Banana Fosters flavor is just delightful. It's pricey, but coupons/discounts can be found on the Internet.

Bigguy I didn't know you knew about Inteligentsia! Really Inteligentsia is great and so is Zoka located in Seattle. Coffee is really like fine wine and it doesn't take a lot of training of the pallet to tell. I usually find foods that pair well with the coffee, just like certain wines pair well with certain foods. Example if you get a Sumatra or even a Salawesia (sp) they are both great with cheeses and ooooooh so gosh darn good with cheese cake! Kenya and my absolute favorite Harrar (sp) are good with berries esp. blueberries with the Harrar. Try the harrar in the morning with a yummy blueberry muffin and you'll know what I am talking about. The best brewing method is the French Press but if you don't want to deal with a press a brewer with a metal filter is next best. Here is a great link with word and pic demo for a press http://coffeegeek.com/guides/presspot If you decide to go with the press later on it is best NOT to use dish soap on it. The reason for this is that the taste of the soap or fragrance can stick to the insides and for a purist or close to it that is no bueno. A simple hot water rinse is good enough for cleaning. One thing about the metal filters they are better for the environment as are the presses because you aren't using paper filters and since you aren't using the paper filters you are going to be getting more of the actual taste of the coffee. I hope that our tips help you to enjoy coffee a little bit better. Even though I am not a big fan of Charbucks the bare basic of info is a good start but if you want better beans (trust me I am a coffee snob!) The above shops that are mentioned are the best I have had.

Edited to add: I forgot to mention use filtered water! The chemicals that are put into our drinking water can really affect the way good coffee tastes. I really can't stress enough to use filtered water only! Never ever ever ever tap water!

In an effort to rule over everything coffee-starbucks has bought the company that makes the "clover"machine-whis is like an automated press pot and makes one cup at a time.These machines cost $11,000 each

I have experienced the clover at Intelligentsia--folks it is not all that wonderful.The coffee is not in contact with the water-which is not hot enough-long enough to fully extract the flavor.

I would much rater be served an individual press pot.

Here is an article about this

http://consumerist.com/372326/starbu...or-burnt-beans

I get that they do not want to give starbucks one red cent-but I do hope they can find a buyer for a used $11,000 coffee maker!
http://consumerist.com/372729/no-sta...-coffee-makers

Geographically speaking, IMHO Blue Mountain and Kona are the two best varieties of coffee I've had. The name of the last pound of Kona I went thru is escaping me, but I'll put it this way: I came home from my last cruise with 5 pounds of Blue Mountain in the luggage. I pick it up in the pierside shops in Ocho Rios, where it is shockingly well-priced.

spend some time here:

http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/grinders

use filtered water. do the wine blind taste thing, and see if you can tell the difference.

i use paper filters. i find them to be finer than the gold filters. i do not like sludge in my coffee, although purests use cloth as it lets the sludge run through.

Robin Williams: "What is this, sludge?"
Hank Azaria: "Yes, it's sludge - I thought it would make a nice change from coffee."

I've tried several brands of Kona coffee across a few trips to the region. The one I keep coming back to is Blue Sky, and it is excellent. The medium roast is great for drip/french press, and I use dark roast Estate Reserve to make Americanos at home (most Kona coffees I've tried don't stand up to steam pressure, but this one, for some reason, makes great stovetop espresso). It's so good, I have to swear when I drink it.

If you're in ANC, the Kaladi Bros. Trieste is a really nice espresso blend, though it's not grown locally.

Please define what you mean by specialty coffees. There are quite a few things called coffee these days. In terms of things like lattes, etc, they are mostly meant as breakfast drinks. If you're talking about better beans, then that's something different. I've drank a ton of Green Mountain coffee and really don't like it. The best way I can describe it is that it has a dirty taste to it. I like Vermont products and spent a lot of time drinking the stuff (was served at a place I worked), but I really never found it to be anything special.

In terms of advice in general, I would suggest a few things.

1. Buy a burr grinder and use fresh beans. The fresh grind does the most to help your effort.

2. Find out what kind of roast you like. Can you handle dark roasts or do you just like light roasts. If you don't like dark roasts, then it won't matter what kind of coffee is used if it is roasted that way.

3. Get a machine that does expresso. I always prefer an Americano (expresso with water added) to a standard drip. There's just more flavor.

There is a large cost to buying expensive coffees every day. It eats up disposable income quickly. There are plenty of better things you can do with the money if you make the coffee at home such as travel or giving it to people in need.

"3. I use drip most of the time but french press for entertaining guests."

Good post. I'm sort of torn on the french press. It's great if you drink the coffee quickly, but the strength changes as you drink it if you drink it slowly and you always end up with sludge in the bottom of your cups. I'm not sure that guests would appreciate that. I do use one from time to time though.

http://sweetmarias.com/