A $15 Mr. Coffee automatic-drip coffee maker using pre-ground beans should markedly “up” the OP’s game over Keurig dishwater.
I do not notice a significant difference between ground coffee and grinding my own from beans before brewing (I suspect many of those who claim to, would not fare well in blind taste-testing). Then again, I drink coffee that’s strong enough that it might mask subtle differences.
We use a French press and roast our own beans. That way our beans are fresh, no more than a week old.
I have a serious coffee addiction and based off of what you’re saying here’s my recommendations:
- french press is messy but makes very good coffee? Can be messy and but I like it on weekends when I have time to fuss over my morning cuppa. The same goes for my Aeropress. I recently bought a Breville Precision Brewer as I needed something that would meet SCA standards (what you should be looking for in a drip machine) and still made 60 oz of coffe for our Thermos (Thermii, Thermoses, Thermos’?!?) for work. For day to day use I would look at the Bonavita 5 cup machine for what you describe.
- use pre-ground coffee or grind my own beans? GRIND! You lose a lot of the flavour in pre-ground coffee. A decent burr grinder is key here as they don’t tend to heat the beans as the grind, Bodum, Oxo, and Breville make some decent ones for not too much money but you can get spendy quickly.
- freeze the beans or not Nope. Keep them cool and dark in an airtight container. A quick read here.
**- any other suggestions? ** Buy in smaller batches for best flavour, find a local roaster and try them out. Start with SCA recommendations and experiment with the grind and amount. You’ll find what you like by playing! As noted, try not to drown your expensive coffee with cream, sugar or other stuff, but keep some decent coffee around for those days when coffee and Baileys is just…necessary.
You’ll improve your Keurig considerably if you use fresh-ground coffee in those reusable eco-pods you can buy. And get the larger size pod, if your machine will accommodate it, and use more coffee per cup. Use the “strong” setting. If your machine lets you adjust the water temperature, go hotter - I think 190° is as hot as it’ll go. You’ll end up with something much better than drip, though not quite as good as French press.
Seriously, the ground coffee sold in those pre-packaged pods tastes awful, even the better brands. And the machines make watered-down servings.
I just swill black coffee from a drip maker, so I have nothing to offer the OP. But I’m surprised at the Keurig hate, as they seem to have exploded in popularity. The occasional cups I’ve had (maybe 5 total) have impressed me as adequate coffee. Is the primary appeal convenience?
For a french press, the beans should be ground more coarsely than they would for a drip makers or perculator, e.g. more coarse than out of the can pre-ground. If you are getting excessive sediment in a press it probably means that you’re using too fine of a grind.
Those suggesting that there is no difference in taste between pre-ground and freshly ground coffee are clearly drinking very old coffee. It isn’t a matter of opinion that there is a difference; grinding the bean exposes far more surface area and breaks the protective layer that forms by roasting, causing the coffee oils (such as pyrrols) and aldehydes to oxidize more rapidly. This difference can actually be detected with an hour of grinding. In general, intact beans will start to decline in flavor starting two or three weeks after roasting, and most of the stuff you find pre-bagged in the grocery store has been warehoused for months before it reaches the shelf.
Stranger
I have not had great success with a French press. I did have a 12-cup electric vacuum coffee maker, which made the best tasting coffee (as long as you slid a pencil under it to extend the brew cycle) until the (plastic) carafe part finally cracked, and they no longer make those. Vacuum brewed coffee beats all the other methods, IMHO, but you can spend a lot on a unit.
Sure, that’s why you don’t compost. But why do you make the effort of straining out the ounce or two of liquid from the spent grounds, instead of just immediately dumping the wet grounds into the garbage?
Yeah, I think the appeal is convenience, especially for people who don’t drink more than a cup or two on the weekend. I find pod coffee about as good as instant (and that’s undrinkable). They don’t make very good coffee and using the pods, the coffee ends up costing about $50 a pound, Using K-Cups Costs up to 5 Times More Than Getting Coffee From a Pot.
“. . .a finer grind” doesn’t compute for me. If anything will produce more sediment in a French press, it’s fine grinds. That’s why, on the supermarket bean grinder, you see the little French press icon all the way over on the coarse grind spectrum. I agree with leaving the grounds to steep for 2-3 minutes before pressing, which is what the common instructions for a press tell you to do. I also had a Keurig when I was working. Crappy, tasteless coffee. My daughter has one, which is why, when I stay with her, I have to make a morning trip to a coffee shop every day.
We only use the FP when we’re traveling in the RV, because of storage space. For cleaning, I fill it with water, stir up the grinds and dump it all in the camp space fire pit. 
When we eat at a local-ish Turkish restaurant I always finish my meal with a cup of Turkish coffee. I do not know how they make the thick, hot, oily brew, but I love it. Although I know to stop drinking at around the halfway point, I always try to get an extra swallow, so I do end up eating some of my grounds.
Yeah, Keurig coffee is analogous to printer ink: way more expensive than it needs to be. It is a revenue stream for the manufacturer. What people seem to like is that he can make a cup of coffee and then she can come along and use the same machine to make her chamomile. Not a good enough excuse for the shit the machine produces or the ridiculous amount of packaging waste that follows.
That’s what I do. Although, I do add a little water to the grounds and swirl to allow the grounds to loosen and fall out when dumping. I’ve not had a leaky trashbag once. The moisture is mostly absorbed into other trash.
Stranger On A Train, I agree that fresh roasted is best, but if the coffee is vacuum packed in a bag or canister oxidation should not be taking place. However, once that seal is released, oxidation begins and ideally you’ll want to use that coffee quickly or keep it in a vacuum canister. The alternative, buying smaller batches from a local roaster can be expensive and time-consuming. A luxury not all of us can afford. Also, darker roasts will oxidize faster than lighter since the longer roasting process will extract more oil from the beans, so the flavor of lighter roasted beans will survive a bit longer.
You probably already know this, but I thought I’d clarify. The brewing time is variable depending on brewing method. The coarser the the grind, the longer it takes to dissolve extract flavonoids and dissolve enough solids to create a balanced flavor profile which is considered to be ~20% dissolved solids:water ratio. French press method utilizes a coarse grind and long contact time (~4 minutes) whereas espresso method utilizes a very fine grind and short contact time (~20 seconds). The flavor profiles for these methods are very different even with the same coffee because fewer bitter flavonoids (e.g., caffeine) are extracted with shorter contact times. It’s one reason properly brewed espresso, while stronger in flavor, tends to be sweeter than drip or pressed coffee.
Also, pre-ground coffee is generally ground for drip brewers which require a slightly finer grind than french press resulting in undissolved solids passing through the mesh filter. Shortening the extraction time would reduce the sludge if you don’t want to waste coffee. Or just add hot water to the end of the cup.
Lastly, I agree with you and don’t think you’re snobbish at all to say that lots of flavored cream and sugar will significantly mask the flavor profile of any coffee to the extent that buying more expensive coffee and being choosy about blend or origin is a total waste. Further, it would indicate greater pretension than that of someone who can actually taste the flavor nuances of unadulterated coffee since the practical benefit of better coffee is lost behind the cream and sugar. Suggest your cousin sticks to an inexpensive dark roast (French) or take the first step to appreciating different coffees and learn to drink it black. If they aren’t willing to do that, they aren’t really interested in the subtle flavor variations of beans from different regions. Only strength will break through cream, sugar, and artificial vanilla flavor.
OT, but I’m in a similar situation and I have a worm farm. They do a great job with all my coffee grinds and veggie scraps, and I top-dress my potted plants with their amazing castings every year or so.
They add hot water to very finely ground coffee, so most of it dissolves in water. It is not filtered so none of the flavor-rich oils are lost. You’re drinking most of the bean and all of its oils and not leaving much flavor behind. Don’t drink your grounds; have your fortune told instead! It’s more fun that way. 
The biggest improvements to my coffee happened 1) when I got a grinder and started buying whole beans, and 2) when I learned to use the proper ratio of water to grounds. I intend to start home roasting soon and buying green beans. I’ll keep you posted but I expect another big improvement.
Brewing methods are much lower on the list as far as flavor improvement (as long as you don’t boil your coffee, so stay away from Grandma’s percolator!). Mr. Coffee makes a decent cup, so long as you use the correct amount of grounds (which means you probably can’t make a whole pot because the basket they provide isn’t big enough). I prefer a Chemex because it’s easy to clean and I have a choice between a paper or metal filter. (Which are definitely different. I wouldn’t say one is superior to the other, though. Paper just gives you a cleaner flavor with less oils. A matter of taste.) French press is very convenient and tasty, too.
I suppose if you’re more of an espresso guy, you might have better luck with an Aeropress or Moka pot or something. But most Americans like drip coffee, and a Chemex or generic pourover can’t be beat there.
If I’m reading her post correctly (correct me if I’m wrong, Beckdawrek), she’s only waiting a minute before she presses which probably means that the grounds are not dissolving enough to create solids small enough to pass through the mesh. It probably does mean that her coffee is under-extracted and doesn’t have a full flavor profile of a coarser ground brewed 3-4 minutes, but if she likes it that way… We can dispute the merits of her process, but ultimately taste *is *subjective.
Another vote for the Aeropress; I love the flexibility of making a regular coffee or espresso-strength drink, its portability, easiness to clean, tough build quality, and value for money.
The particular coffee I buy (Bustelo), I described as a finer grind may be better described as powdery or soft. I don’t necessarily wait one exact min. before pressing, it may be 2 min. I kinda know by instinct when to push, I have been doing it forever. People who have shared my coffee with me always comment on it. I have turned several people onto that brand of coffee and a French press.
As with most all things in life it comes down to how much effort you’re willing to put in. Through the years I’ve used most of the methods described here. Properly done a French press will produce an excellent quality cup of coffee, so will a the pour over method. That said, I use a Keurig. Coffee is just not that important to me. :shrug:
Now, ask me about my Henckles knives, All-Clad and Le Creuset cookware. 