Buy good coffee beans: They should be whole beans, sustainably farmed, and roasted within the past few weeks. Plus, if you want to take part in the "third wave" coffee renaissance currently sweeping America, they should be a lighter roast so you can actually taste the flavors—the terroir—of the coffee. With darker roasts, you're missing out. We know it's a weird analogy, but a dark roast is just like taking a nice steak and charring it beyond recognition.

I disagree to a certain extent, I think there are 2 things you need for perfect coffee

1. Freshly Roasted beans 2. Freshly ground beans

All the rest is just ceremony...

It sort of reminds me of the #vinyl debate. Does it really sound that much better than MP3 or Compact Discs? -I think that if it does it is marginal. That said, the "ceremony" is a huge part of it. The ceremony is the fun part of most things, making/drinking coffee included.