my friends respond when i call for opinions:

me: novice coffee drinker; please dispense advice

S: advice: coffee is good.
also, more serious advice:
http://bluebottlecoffee.net/

E: steer clear of sugary coffee drinks.
peet’s has good coffee.
and phillz
and blue bottle.
http://www.philzcoffee.com/
24th and folsom.

C: Coffee advice, straight from the internet:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/coffee

A: start with lattes, soy if you’re lactose intolerant
the milk helps dilute the caffeine
and espresso is cleaner than regular coffee
the filtration is quicker, with more steam and will cause less jitters
peet’s is probably not great for your first kind of coffee
like crack
it’s just usually not for beginners
i get super shaky and i’ve been drinking coffee for about eight years

P: They say it’s best if the water is not quite boiling when it hits the grounds, like 90 degrees Celsius.
There are certain oils in the beans that come out if you use boiling temperature water that give the coffee a sharp bitter flavor…. I mean sharper and bitterer than coffee.
If you’re making a lot of coffee, like several gallons, Joy of Cooking says to put a whole egg in with the grounds. I’m not sure why.
Like, with the shell.
I don’t know why? The egg absorbs something, maybe.

I got a http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm because Dylan got one before he went to New York. $25 on amazon. Now I just need to get coffee to put in it. The idea is: instead of thinking “oh god, it’s morning, i have to get up,” i can now instead think “ha-ha, now i will play with a new gadget. judy loves gadgets”

edited to add, at 2/10/10 2:28am:

R: re: coffee drinking, practice makes perfect. Try it Irish, works for me 😉

F: Advice for novice coffee person: come visit me and try the coffee from Barefoot Coffee Roasters. They’ll teach you to really appreciate it. They even have classes.