It’s all in the beans. Nothing will improve your morning coffee like making the switch to whole beans that you freshly grind right before you brew.
You must find high-quality, freshly roasted beans. We suggest visiting your local coffee roaster. I tested everything here using beans from my local roaster (Jittery Joe’s Roasting Company). If you don’t have any coffee roasters in your area, you can order some quality beans online. If you’re unsure which variety of coffee to get, see our guide to the best subscription coffee services, which will send you new beans to try every few weeks.
Once you have whole coffee beans, it’s time to grind them fresh each day. Here’s our guide to the best coffee grinders. Be sure to read through our other coffee guides, like the Best Latte and Cappuccino Machines, Best Portable Coffee Makers, and Best Portable Espresso Makers.
Updated March 2021: We’ve added the VSSL Java and updated pricing for the rest of our picks.