Just read an article in Consumer Reports ranking coffee beans and makers. They gave Starbucks a mediocre rating, saying it tastes "burnt" by comparison. Also, ground coffee quality varied drastically even on good brands. It's definitely better to grind your own.
Who did they rank the best? Caribou was #1. They're only available directly or at select stores. Frontier Airlines serves Caribou as well. Next in line is Eight O'Cock Coffee. They've been around for a while.
Our Cuisinart didn't get a good review, but I'm standing by it. It does a great job and the insulated carafe keeps things warm longer than a typical glass one. It also doesn't get warm on the bottom so you can put it on a wood tabletop.
