I searched the forums, but most of what I could find was either walk in places or what was the best way to make coffee.

Some background - one of my coworkers is currently deployed. We asked him what he needed in the form of a care package, so he asked around and the only thing they need is coffee. I'm guessing premium/gourmet, because they grumbled about only being able to get Folgers or Maxwell House or something.

My problem is, I don't know anything about coffee. I don't like the stuff, so I don't drink the stuff, so I don't know anything at all about the stuff.

The only requirements are that it has to be ground (no beans) and I have to have it by Monday morning (which means Next-Day Air tomorrow at the latest most likely for mail-order or something I can get locally).

Does anybody have any recommendations on what coffee I should get for the care package?

Thanks!

Alledgely the worlds best coffee is made from the partially digested beans recovered from the excrement of some ferret like animal. Its pricey tho! Not sure your friend would enjoy that however.

Oddly enough, I had somebody else tell me that too. Even though these guys are mostly Marines (the rest Army) and will eat damn near anything just because, I refuse to send that to anybody.

Jamaica Blue Mountain is really good coffee. I see that this place sells it ground up and in lager amounts. You can also try just get a few different types from a local coffee shop since people prefer different types of coffee.

As a coffee fanatic that no longer makes my own 'cos I can't stop at one, I find that Costco's house brand is pretty good. They have a grinder there you can use.

I hate Folger's and Maxwell House too...

Anything that says 'Breakfast Blend' usually does the trick for me.

Ditto. I was very surprised, but Costco has some very good coffee!

A lot of their Kirkland store brand products are very good. Often much better than well-known national brands and right up there with more expensive premium brands.

Totally unrelated, but I can speak highly of their automatic dishwasher detergent and balsamic vinegar.

My favorite beans:

http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net/StoreFront.bok

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/store/coffee

http://ritual.myshopify.com/

http://www.eccocaffe.com/catalog/index.php

More expensive than the mentioned sources, but worth it. If your bud wants premium/gourmet as you stated, you won't go wrong with any of those choices...

- Jon

Even though they have been acquired and their great TI-branded shops were closed down, I still like the Torrefazione Italia coffees and they are available through some grocery chains in the West:

http://www.titalia.com/site/about/grocery.aspx

Why look! Arizona!

I mix the Palermo half-and-half with Montecatini Decaf.

They also package pre-ground, vacuum-packed samplers that are handy for things like road trips.

Consider also sending over a coffee press - there isn't any sense in sending over good coffee if all they are going to do is ruin it with paper filters! I use this one when I'm camping:

http://www.backcountry.com/store/GSI0038/GSI-Outdoor-Javapress.html

It's inexpensive and only requires boiling water, no electricity. Makes good coffee.

Hasn't this been mentioned on the forum before? AeroPress

Press the coffee right into a cup if you'd like.

French press the best but cleanup is more of a hassle and they are fragile.

If they are deployed they really need the spendy, ruggedized version.

But then the grind has to be coarser to work well.

Another option for something that is widely available and a step up from Maxwell House but which comes in a can and travels/keeps well is Medaglia D'oro.

Awesome, thanks for all the recommendations. All the mail ordered ones will be here today and I'll pick up the store mentioned ones tomorrow. That means the package is going out Monday morning like we hoped.

Thanks again!

The one I linked to is Lexan, I've carried it in my pack many miles and never had a problem.

Excellent list. I'll add these to it:

http://www.barefootcoffeeroasters.com/

http://stumptowncoffee.com/

http://philzcoffee.com/

http://www.dunnbros.com/

But can you sit on it?

Seriously it does look good and you could buy 3 for the price of 1 of the Willams-Sonoma trig. I do like the double-wall WM unit, though. My friend had one on his boat during a week-long delivery and we just let it bang around in the galley sink. We'd preheat it with some boiling water and it would keep coffee hot for an hour. When I got home I bought one. I use it at home, though, just for the thermos feature. My boat has real weenie sink drains though so mostly I use those Melitta filters to keep the sink from getting clogged.