Since the tea taxes of the 18th century, America has always been a country of coffee drinkers. The ubiquity of Starbucks brought about the rise of “gourmet” coffee, and recently, many people have been fixated on single origin, fair trade beans that are brewed in the latest multi-thousand dollar machine or fancy gizmo from Japan. But in the end, it’s not the technology that makes the coffee. It’s careful attention to the beans used, and how they’re roasted.