By Kevin Kapaun

Dissatisfied with the bitter drek from the corner greasy spoon, customers flocked to coffee shops in pursuit of a better cup of coffee. And they found it! High gas prices are curtailing driving so they need to get that great cup of coffee at home.

No longer satisfied with the "canned coffee" of yesteryear, increasingly coffee lovers are discovering they can satisfy their passion at home - without paying Starbucks prices! $4.00 for a cup-a-joe can quickly rack up the monthly credit card bill.

Remember the mantra of "high yield" promoted by canned coffee companies in the 1950s? It has taken a back seat to "high quality" by today's gourmet specialty coffee roasters.

These micro-roasters do what the big companies can't (or won't); provide the freshest roasted, highest quality coffee beans possible. It is common to find coffee on grocery store shelves over 6 months old. Shortening the time from roaster to your cup is usually a micro-roaster's mission. The impact of freshness in the cup is astonishing.

Vietnam has quickly emerged as the world's third-largest coffee producer, behind only Brazil and Colombia. Vietnam has no minimum export grades, produces low-quality robusta beans and exports some of the world's most impure coffee.

In coffee, "there are two kinds of off tastes," says Kenneth David, author, coffee taster and industry consultant. One is a "compost" taste, and the other is "old shoes in the back of the closet," he says. "Vietnamese robusta combines both."

If specialty roasters aren't using low quality beans…guess who is! Large commercial coffee companies are well known to use lower-grade coffee beans. Specialty-grade arabica coffee beans are the highest grade of all coffee.

Consumers are also climbing on the coffee equipment bandwagon. The production and sales of state-of-the-art, professional quality brewing devices for the home continue to climb. Many older consumer coffee makers brew at around 170°. This is to low to properly extract the flavor producing oils. Newer, professional quality models brew at the optimum 190 to 200 degrees.

Yet, confusion exists for the average consumer how to create the perfect cup at home. Although the pursuit may be as much art as it is science, some basic tips will help:

• Use the freshest roasted, highest quality coffee beans available
• Store coffee beans in an airtight container at room temperature
• Burr grind the coffee beans immediately before brewing
• Use the correct grind coarseness to match the speed of your brewing device
• Use good tasting filtered water
• Serve brewed coffee immediately

Most specialty roasters will be glad to answer your questions about equipment and help match your taste preferences to the wide variety of specialty coffee beans available worldwide.

The investment in quality equipment and quality beans can help you find relief from month-end credit card shock and fulfill your coffee passions at home.

Kenneth Davids is author of many coffee-related books. He can be reached at CoffeeReview.com.

Kevin Kapaun is a specialty roaster and a member of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. He can be reached at SpecialtyJava.com or 1.888.586.JAVA.