In Search of the Perfect Coffee

Coffee can be a very subjective matter when it comes down to answering who has the best coffee. For some, atmosphere of the place serving the coffee has a lot to do with the answer. For others, it's all about the strength of the caffeine and for still others it has a lot to do with price.

Regardless of what someone may think makes a good cup of coffee, there seems to be a coffee for just about every type of person these days - and every type of wallet.

Amazingly, the price of a cup of coffee has quite a range depending on where you are getting the coffee and just because something costs more, it does not necessarily mean that it will taste better.

For example, if you go to a sit-down restaurant such as The Rainforest Café, a cup of coffee will cost you more than $2 and it's not that good. However, if you go to your local neighborhood donut shop, you can get a pretty decent cup of coffee for about 99 cents.

If you like brand name items and think coffee has to come from a coffeehouse you probably like Starbucks or some other equivalent coffee chain. Starbucks, which charges around $1.55 per cup of coffee has a bitter taste. Consumer Reports magazine, in its March issue, wrote that the Starbucks coffee tasted "strong, but burnt and bitter enough to make your eyes water instead of open."

This is very true. If you like strong coffee and enjoy paying $1.55 every day for your cup, then go to Starbucks.

Coffee Bean is around $1.35 for its cup of coffee and there is nothing really notable about it. The coffee is strong, though not as strong as Starbucks coffee. No matter how much crème or sugar you put into either a Starbucks or Coffee Bean cup of coffee, the result is still a rather bitter cup.

Now, if you are not too into brand name coffees and are on the run, your obvious bet is to hit a drive thru. Carl's Jr. coffee is not that great despite it's coffee brand change and at a $1.35 per cup, it's not worth the price.

McDonald's coffee, which advertises to be "richer" and "bolder" in flavor is okay once you put crème and sugar in it. If you are drinking it black, it's nothing special. At $1.35, it's a pretty good price for the convenience.

Burger King has good coffee for about $1.40 per cup. It has a smooth almost caramel sort of taste.

Of course, if you have the time, nothing beats brewing your own pot of coffee considering you have such a wide selection of grounds to choose from and you have a wide variety of creamer flavors to choose from. Plus, making your own coffee comes out a lot cheaper than going out, but then it takes a lot more time too.