I am starting to think this is a ploy for Admin and poison to launch the new coffee shop sponsorship section of AM.
I'm in.
Coffeedrol.
Newman's own k cups is the worst coffee I have ever had. Worse than any other k cups. Worse than gas station coffee. Worse than old coffee reheated in the microwave. It's insulting to even call it coffee. I would call it something else but whatever I called it would be insulting to the name I chose.
My recommendation is to buy a burr grinder, find a local roaster or a reputable online roaster, and buy a few different pounds of fresh whole bean coffee. If you only have a drip machine, that works, but a French press is even better. Drink it for a couple weeks, then go back to k cups. The difference is incomprehensible.
Kcups ALL suck. If you must have a pod system, buy Nespresso, it's the best of the bunch. They know what they are doing, and control the age of their pods fairly tightly, so even though it's not fresh, it's not horribly stale either.
But yeah, buy your own gear, and find a local roaster (or, ahem, you know....mail order
![Wink ;) ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
). Let me make it easy.
Burr Grinders
The main thing is to grind your own coffee before brewing. Ground coffee goes stale quickly, and should be used within 2 days of grinding (and I'm being lenient), so obviously grinding at the store is a huge nono. If all you can afford is a cheap $20 blade grinder, do it.
http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-BCG111OB-Blade-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B003WIZ5PC
If you are poor, but willing to put in a bit more effort, this is a great $30 hand grinder with burrs that does a better job that a blade grinder:
http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Coffee-Mill-Slim-Grinder/dp/B001804CLY/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1391126973&sr=1-2&keywords=hand+grinder
If you can spend $80, this burr grinder does great. There are cheaper burr grinders; DO NOT BUY THEM! They suck. The Capresso INfinity is the cheapest burr grinder that isn't absolute ****. BTW, Bed Bath and Beyond generally carries the Infinity, and they kick out 20% off coupons all the time, which may be your cheapest bet. Anyway, here:
http://www.amazon.com/Capresso-560-01-Infinity-Grinder-Black/dp/B0000AR7SY
The best burr grinder for drip brewing is the Baratza Encore. It's well made, grind quality is very good, and Baratza overall has great customer service (Capresso doesn't), and it'll last a LONG time. This is the one I recommend, if you can afford it.
http://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B007F183LK/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1391127219&sr=1-1&keywords=encore
Brewing
There are many ways to brew coffee, but the best ones allow you to control water temperature and brew time. People tend to fixate on the brewer, but a good grinder is WAY more important, as grinding fresh, and having a consistent grind, is paramount. If you have that, you can pour 200 degree water over grounds in a cup, and let it settle, without filtering, and have an awesome cup, no brewer necessary. But most people don't need to go that native/ghetto, so...the cheapest, best brew method, IMO is the Clever Dripper. It simply kicks ass over all other methods, IMO. Cheap, simple, no muss, no fuss, and world class results. It basically combines the extended brew time of a French Press, with the convenience and clarity of a Melitta cone filter.
http://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Shrub-C-70888-Clever-Dripper/dp/B0047W70GY/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1391127485&sr=1-1&keywords=clever+dripper
There is also the ever-popular French Press, which is a great way to go too (take your pick):
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=garden&field-keywords=french press&sprefix=frenc,garden&rh=i:garden,k:french press
Some people like the Aeropress (not my favorite, but it's fine):
http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0047BIWSK/ref=sr_1_9?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1391127571&sr=1-9&keywords=french+press
If you need a drip machine, realize very few actually maintain the water temps necessary for optimal brewing and maximum flavor extraction. The best combination of price vs quality is the Bonavita machine. It's essentially a knockoff of the $300 handmade-in-the-Netherlands Technivorm (which is awesome too, if you feel like throwing money around). Get the thermal carafe, not glass.
http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV1800TH-Coffee-Thermal-Carafe/dp/B005YQZNO8/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1391128017&sr=1-1&keywords=bonavita
WATER
Coffee is mostly water, so of course which water you use matters. Use bottled spring water; I like Fiji, but any is better than most tap water. DO NOT USE DISTILLED. People have no idea what the water temp is when they brew by manual methods, and eyeballing it is BS, so use a steak thermometer, or buy this, and pour it at 195-200 degrees:
http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Classic-Beverage-Thermometer-Coffee/dp/B001U1XRA8/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1391127795&sr=1-5&keywords=barista+thermometer
Coffee
If I had $1 for every person who said 'I don't like coffee' then nearly dropped their pants when they tasted my stuff, I'd be a lot richer. Yeah, 99% of what's out there is absolute swill. This includes Starbucks. Let me make it really simple:
1) If it doesn't have a roast date on the bag, or they can't tell you when it was roasted, it's not fresh. 'Use by' dates? It's stale. Now, just because it has a roast date on the bag doesn't mean the roaster is good, or the beans are awesome, but it's an awesome start. So find you local roaster and give him a try.
2) The ultimate litmus: how does it taste? People get all wrapped up in the minutae of this or that, but the bottom line is what you taste. Remember, if all you've ever had is Folgers or Starbucks, you owe it to yourself to try fresh roasted coffee from a small, talented roaster.
If anyone needs more options or advice, I'm here. This is what I do, it is not just a hobby, so just ask.