now THAT is a pet peeve of mine! Finding a restaurant that will keep customers coming back with cheap tea & coffee is a rare, but wonderful thing!....

and in stores, coffee itself varies greatly...I buy beans and grind them myself, and the price can vary from $5.99lb in a discount chain to $12 or more in fancy shops. (I like Guatemala Antigua for everyday). They claim "fresher" or "specially selected" etc...but I'd LOVE to give them a triple blind taste test and dare them to pick their own from a group! Sometimes I see premium prices for some organically grown, hard-to-find type that supports a commune, and I don't begrudge them a markup, but not for coffee whose price changes depending on the box label it's shipped in.