This is a great thread - I'm bookmarking it so I can refer back to it.
@flavorguy, that grinder you linked looks really cool. But dude! $300??? That's 3-4 bottles of really good scotch!
I've definitely got the bug to try some different coffees, at least within my budget. I picked up some organic Peruvian last night which I ground and brewed this morning. Pretty good. Looking to get my hands on some other types to expand my palate.
Funny, Dunkin Donuts was mentioned a few times. They used to be my go-to many years ago, but like many companies they lost their way and stopped focusing on their core competency, coffee and donuts.
Ya know, prior to Starbucks, the chain that I thought would really take off was Au Bon Pain. Back in the early 90's when I was working down in Philly, the building I was in had one at street level, and we used to hit it on the way into work from the hotel.They were the first place I remember actually making the move to different coffee varieties. Too bad they didn't take advantage of that and, instead, got eclipsed by other chains.