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Thanks for this post. Was never really into coffee until I moved into a workspace that valued good coffee over Starbucks and K-cups (we drank MADCAP: http://madcapcoffee.com/).

I've been toying with the idea of getting my own setup but wasn't sure where to start. This definitely clarified that it's pretty expensive to get started so I may just stick with the artisan coffee shops in town.

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Consider an aeropress or french press. I like a french press @ home and an aeropress @ work (the aeropress is a bit cleaner to use).

Then, if you're willing to throw in some manual labor, you can get a nice burr grinder like the Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill.

All told, $50-75

90% of the benefit to your coffee is switching away from a regular drip machine and to some kind of press, and away from preground beans and to freshly burr-ground beans.

the grinder is really the huge purchase price. You can buy a cheaper grinder as a stop gap especially just starting out. Just make sure it's a burr grinder and not a blade grinder. Blade grinders SUCK.

That said -- over the long term buying a quality burr grinder is still cost effective.

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