This is my baby. I drink very little espresso in the summer...usually 2-3 cups of drip brewed. In the winter I drink mostly Americanos, which is a double shot of espresso and brewed coffee mixed. I LOVE my coffee. Have probably had 35-40 varieties over the past 8-10 years determining what I like best. Now I keep Kona extra fancy, Blue Mountain from Kauai (the same bean grown in Jamaica is radically different), Guatemalan Organic, and usually one more of 3-5 different varieties I like to blend in from time to time. I buy whole beans of the first two from Hawaii, and get the others from a coffee wholesaler/roaster in Cincinnati. Whole beans freeze very well (vacuum packed) and I grind nearly every day. I can adjust the blend to my tastes any given day....the Blue Mountain is very bold, awesome initial presentation, strong finish, great aroma. The Kona is light on presentation but finishes incredibly smoothly, and has some very subtle tones. The Guatemalan has the best dark chocolate tones I've ever found in coffee....by itself it's just ok, but it blends with many things really well. It's one of the main components in my espresso blend.
In the winter we have people stop by who will candidly tell us they came by hoping for fresh coffee.
I've given up a number of things in the last year to comply with my doctor's advice, but he is not getting my coffee. Not happening. Of course that's real easy to say when I haven't been told I need to give it up.