[peterwwillis]

You don't have to go quite that far to get better tasting coffee. You start with a good quality roast, pre-ground is fine, because average grind size is medium to coarse, which is a good general size (esp. if you don't wanna over-extract).

For a brew method, immersion brewing (like an aeropress) is uncomplicated, fast and can make larger batches at once. Brew at ~205F for 2 minutes, extract gently, and add water if it tastes too strong. You can use that method to make a large batch at once and keep it in a thermos, or make coldbrew and then warm it up to ~160F. No need for a scale or constantly grinding the coffee, and you don't end up with a single lukewarm cup of pour-over.

For "fancy" coffee you can do the same, except instead of adding water you can add frothed hot 2% milk. And if you really just want a "coffee ritual": clean everything of old coffee residue, filter the water, bloom the coffee before brewing, wet the filter before extraction, and get your coffee:water ratio, temperature, and extraction time to match the roast. All of that and no hardware besides an aeropress.

[wikibob]

I disagree, I’ve found a very significant difference between pre-ground and freshly ground coffee.

There are volatile organic compounds in coffee that begin to dissipate and react with oxygen as soon as they are exposed to the air by being ground.

I’m no coffee snob, I’m not advocating a high end burr grinder, the cheapest one on Amazon will do (~$60).

Same with the brewing method. Aeropress is great too, but anyone can find Meltia pour over filter holders and filters for $5 at their grocery store.