Press Your Own Coffee

Unfortunately for Starbucks, the first place people started pinching pennies when the economy went south was the $6.00 latte. If you can't put up with the Maxwell House at the office. Get thyself a small french press.

Recommended

Bodum makes this great 16 oz travel size french press. You can get one on amazon for as little as $10. All you need is hot water and some ground coffee. I recommend a good medium to dark blend, and make sure you get large grounds for the french press. In fact, if you have not used a french press before, make sure you read the instructions first.

The fun part of using the press comes from trying different types of coffee. You will really notice the different flavor profiles when you start using a french press and stop adding a ton of flavor syrups to your coffee.

Drawbacks

You have to clean it out after each use, and you may end up drinking a couple of grounds of coffee that slip past the filter. Also, if you don't have a hot water spout on the water cooler at work and don't make your coffee at home in the morning, this might not be the product for you.

It's Worth It

You will hardly even miss your Carmel Mocha Latte. Save the sugar and fat for a good desert or a donut. Some good coffee brewed within a week of being ground will kick the crap out of what ever they are serving at work.

I give it a 8/8 value to quality rating, but that all goes out the window if you use crappy coffee.