hmmm, my GF and I recently bought very large mouth mugs (almost double the size of what we normally used). Dam coffee cooled too fast. However, the mugs look great and felt good in the hand ... oh well.
I hate styrofoam ... even when I was younger ... just plain bad.
I have never really noticed a big difference in quality paper cups or mugs. At times, the paper probably actually added to the flavor
MY father is a fanatic when it comes to his coffee:
#1 don't -- wash the coffee pot often, if you do use vinegar or just plain water. lolo, I agree, I freaking hate soapy tasting coffee!
#2 don't -- never, ever, drink old coffee. Freshly made "cheapo stuff" tastes better than day old "good" coffee.
#3 use -- freshly ground beans always taste better than grounded canned or bagged varieties. Hmmm, I would argue the point that a freshly opened bag would be equivalent but he's my dad and his standard response would be ... "get me some more coffee".
#4 follow the above and even a cheapy machine ends up being a better.
Recently I've been contemplating on moving up from my $40 machine. The grinder on the side is pretty handy but Dueller's point of about the temp of the water has been bothering me for a while. My GF's old machine seemed to use less water and if memory serves correct, tasted better. lolo, my machine takes in 5 cups and puts out 4.1 cups of water ... wtf?
Anybody have any comments about brewing?
I visit local coffee shops all the time and the best stuff has been hand poured with a long nosed tea kettle and cloth filters. hmmmm
note: I'm currently hooked on the vanilla something beans from COSTCO. Though obviously my first love is anything from KONA.