"John Hendrickson" > wrote in message
...
>
> Let me start off with - I don't drink coffee... Well, I've had
> maybe a dozen cups in a 48 year lifetime. I have a special friend
> that HAS to have coffee. I would like to make good coffee for
> her, but I don't know how.
>
> What kind of coffee should I buy?
>
> What kind of coffee maker should I get? What features are
> worthwhile to make better coffee?
>
> Should I get a coffee grinder? Does coffee get stale? Is fresh
> ground coffee better?
>
> Anything else I should know?
>
Coffee is like wine or chocolate: you like what you like. Good to one
person isn't good to another. There are different kinds of beans, different
roasts, and different preparation methods. Rather than guess, I would ask
the friend what she likes - the type of coffee, the type of roast, and the
preparation method. Otherwise you are just taking a stab in the dark - a
stab that could be quite costly. Generally speaking, coffee does get stale
and fresh ground is better than previously ground. The problem comes in
that you can also buy raw beans and roast them yourself as well as grind
them yourself. You can use a blade grinder or a burr grinder. There are
just too many variables (including the type of water you use) so the odds of
you guessing are not good. Furthermore, my mother is one of those people
who must have coffee, but she only drinks the worst commercial brands brewed
in a cheap coffee maker and only likes her coffee very weak with a heaping
spoonful of non-dairy creamer. If you went out and purchased raw beans, a
roaster, a grinder, and an expensive Italian coffee maker, you wouldn't be
more off the mark for making coffee that she would like even though she is a
compulsive coffee drinker. How much do you want to spend? Is this friend
here for the weekend or will you see her frequently? Like I said, you
probably should just ask her.