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But we don't make our decisions based purely on quality - for instance I buy fair trade coffee knowing full well it doesn't taste as good as Lavazza. So I guess people will continue to use Goggle because Microsoft have been raping the landscape for so long . . .

I make my decisions on quality - fairtrade coffee is horrible(massive generalisation poss)- I keep trying it but now I have the nice stuff - hmmmm yummy proper coffee and check out coffeegeek for proper coffee

Grab a java, it's good for your brain

(As a Ruby and Perl programmer I have to disagree and state that Java is very bad for the health of your brain but I could be wrong and/or hallucinating ;-) )

Back to my Gaggia.

http://www.answers.com/topic/instant-coffee-1

As an owner of a Rancilio Silvia, I find that link in equal parts fascinating and horrifying.

Geeks have an income; I'm sure that a fair few of us can afford decent coffee, and have the temprement to learn to work the machine!

Go lower tech, and even tastier with a French press. Do mind the cafestol though.

http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/consumer/rancilio_silvia

That thing is freak'n indestructible. I've had one for almost seven years, use it daily - sometimes left on all day - and the damn thing just won't break. I wonder if I'll have it for the rest of my life because it shows no signs of impending failure.

Water is the single largest ingredient in a cup of coffee: no great bean can overcome over bad water. Here in San Francisco, we get good tasting tap water, but my cup of coffee does taste better after a pass through a Britta water filter (or from bottled water). If the water smells like chlorine or sulfur, and/or it tastes metallic, then those overtones will come through with the coffee.

That said, good coffee is simple.
* Fresh (local) beans.
* Buy whole beans; grind right before use.
* Good water...maybe bottled.
* Choose any method: drip, mokka pot, French press, espresso

More details on the above guidelines:
* Find a good, local roaster, from whom you can get beans freshly roasted (within 5 or so days, fresher the better). The http://coffeegeek.com/ forums may help. When in doubt, order yours online; I suggest http://intelligentsiacoffee.com/ out of Chicago for their excellent roasts and central location (they can get beans to you reasonably fresh throughout the US). In the Bay Area, I suggest Blue Bottle Coffee or Ritual Coffee.
* Buy whole beans. They keep longer. Use your beans within 10 days of roasting. Store airtight and away from direct sun. Some may argue that beans are best the day after roasting, and while I agree, there is a convenience/cost factor I cannot ignore. I buy 1/2 lb. of whole beans each week for my personal use (I drink a lot of coffee). The beans keep a lot of volatile, tasty compounds when their whole; these compounds evaporate when the bean is ground. In general I suggest a good burr grinder, but the whirly blade ones will work, too, particularly for paper cone drip. It's all about even grind, which is more likely with a burr grinder. For instance, I get more "grit" at the bottom of a French pressed cup of coffee when grinding with a whirly blade. Burr grinder cost a lot more. Check out http://sweetmarias.com/) or http://amazon.com/ or http://1stincoffee.com/ for some gear.
* Use good water: bottled or filtered. Hardness (both too hard and too soft) may turn you off...try bottled in either extreme.
* I like and consume coffee brewed using all methods. Choose one that suits your budget, your mood, and your tastebuds. If you're like me, you'll end up using most of them. My current favorite is the stovetop espresso (mokka pot). It gives a richer cup, which I like in the morning, and it looks damn cool. However, it doesn't travel well, so I drip or French press when I'm on vacation or away from home. I don't have the $$ or time to do espresso correctly. I go to a coffee shop for that style. A word on drip...skip the cheap coffee machines, as most don't get hot enough. You're far better off using a single cup cone filter (plastic or ceramic), a Chemex drip, or the similar model from Bodum. These are also cheaper than most coffee machines. See here http://sweetmarias.com/prod.brewers.shtml or here http://www.fantes.com/coffeemakers_manualdrip.htm
* One last note - varietals and roast do matter a lot. I suggest running through the style of coffee your roaster sells in order to find the one you like most. I'm fond of Ethiopian Yirgecheffe, but you may like something completely different. Experiment! It's fun and tasty!

Mini Mazzer. You can always pass it down to your kids.

Oh, hang on, this is Slashdot, there's a prerequisite missing to having kids...

At home, I have a good espresso machine, and I use that. Starbucks sold this machine years ago; it was so good they now put their own name on it and they still sell it. Mine says "Estro Vapore" on it, but the new ones say "Starbucks Barista". Highly rated on coffeegeek.com.

Note that other models of espresso machine have come and go, but this one has been selling for at least a decade now.

http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/consumer/starbucks_b arista

At work, I use the AeroPress. It was invented by the same guy who invented the Aerobie flying disc toy. The Aerobie web site has various flying toys... and one coffee maker. US$30 suggested retail, quick and easy to use and clean up.

http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress.htm

Here is the review that convinced me to buy one.

http://www.dansdata.com/aeropress.htm

I bought mine from a mail-order company on Whidbey Island (in Washington state) called Locals Only Coffee. They offer a deal where you can get an extra pack of filters for only $2 when you buy the press.

http://www.localsonlycoffee.com/Aerobie-AeroPress- TM-p/aer01.htm

REI also sells this now.

http://www.rei.com/product/745004

The coffee beans I use are from Caffe Appassionato. I use their house brand, "Appassionato Blend", ground fine. Even though I live in the area and could theoretically get the beans from a local grocery store, we just order the beans direct from the company by mail.

When you get the beans mail order, they come in a sealed foil pack, and I believe they replace the air inside the foil pack with nitrogen to keep the beans fresher.

I have an espresso grinder with a "doser"; so at home, I can grind just enough beans each day that I am always brewing from fresh-ground beans.

For coffee at work, I grind every few days and keep the ground coffee in a tightly sealed jar.

steveha

I humbly disagree. It is best when freshly ground and properly pulled.

Why not just drink real coffee? I mean something like ristretto. Yum yum.

Works great!

http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/homeroast/ 69336#69336

Buy a coffee roaster and green beans in bulk from Sweetmarias (I have no connection with them other than as a satisfied customer), and then buy a good espresso machine like the Rancilio Silvia, then enjoy the best damn espresso drinks in life for less than $.50 cents a shot. And who the fuck is worried about caffeine overdosing anyway? If you're heart doesn't palpitate, you haven't had enough!

yup its pretty disgusting. I havent actually done that since some all nighters 10 years ago (reheating filter coffee rather than waste energy making a whole new pot). Apparently you can get decent coffee this way though, using a cold brew process.

Anyway I don't need a command line for making coffee - its already online.

Don't be hatin' on the Viet coffee!

Vietnamese coffee is killing people

The stuff at Costco is "roasted by Starbucks". It's not the same blend of beans. Costco takes a (rather crappy, IMO) bean blend and sends it off to Starbucks for (over-) roasting. Starbucks has some good roasts and some bad roasts, but the Costco stuff is awful.

I can't take instant. At least, I don't like any brand I've tried so far. I take a thermos of coffee with me in the morning.

For the original poster: I'd suggest finding other ways of getting your fix. If you can't put a small coffee maker on your desk, consider bringing a press pot or even a 1-cup filter to place on top of your cup.

Don't forget CoffeeGeek. Tons of information on every method of coffee making imaginable.

I'm lucky to have a rockin'
espresso machine at home and use a pour over Mellita cone at work with a small burr grinder. Most important - hot water (just off the boil) and fresh ground, freshly roasted beans. If you can find a store that roasts regularly, you're on your way. Whole Foods is particularly good.

Why not buy an expensive espresso machine and explore the depths of your addiction? After all, you'll never discover your true character until you face down the demons, right? I recommend coffeegeek.com. It's like slashdot for coffee geeks, or slashdot geeks for coffee, or something. . .

quoth the author:
"And not just outwardly "flavoured, specialty" coffees produced by them were sprinkled with pixie dust... if you think that can of Maxwell House Gold isn't flavoured, guess what..."