Bird,
Of course Braniff is not around anymore and I think you would change your mind about airline coffee today. I don't think what they are using is the problem, but those water holding tanks don't get cleaned near often enough. My wife, she is a flight attendant, says bottled water is the only way to go on a plane.
She made the mistake of bringing home a German coffee by a company named "Jacobs" with a brand name "Kronung" (add ".." above the "o") that has me hooked. I've never seen it in the states.
MarkV