I have found that coffee is just as much a ritual as it is a beverage. Everyone has their own ritual, tailored to them, and to do so differently is contrary to their nature. My mother gets angry when people use her espresso machine wrong, in violation of her preferences. My father refuses to drink coffee if it isn't the perfect blend between espresso and cocao powder. My brother requires mint syrup to enjoy his coffee. Personally, I need to use my own pot, my own mug, and my own grounds. To do so any differently would be contrary to my nature; it would hurt, it would cause psychological resistence. I can't control it. It's the way I am. I have found that there are components to my ritual that make my coffee taste better.
Find a sacred mug. I cannot stress this enough. A mug that really defines you, tells everyone who you truly are. Perhaps it is the poster the from your favorite movie, or art of a video game character. Or maybe it has your favorite animal on it; are you fond of goldfinches, or perhaps koi? Maybe it's the logo of your preferred discipline of magick (java, python, etc), or a favorite novel (Lord of the Rings?). I have spent hours looking for the perfect mug. Scouring Etsy, Redbubble, Ebay, Amazon. "How will I know if I've found the right mug?" you may ask me -- to which I would respond: you will know. The mug will call out to you, seductive like a siren song, and deep in your spirit you will know that the mug is perfect. This is the most important part of coffee for me. If I don't have my favorite mug I won't even drink it. The coffee remains unchanged, but it's not the same.
Find the perfect pot. Some people might think that the grind and roast you purchase are the two most important factors; I would disagree. I have had drip coffee, espresso coffee, and percolated coffee. Even if the grind is the same -- the coffee came from the same bag -- the essence, the the flavor of the coffee is different. It's not the same. It doesn't taste the same. It doesn't have the same texture, the same aftertaste. If you hate every coffee you've had from your pot, try a different kind of pot: if you always use a drip pot, try a percolator or a french press. Another huge factor is the sound the pot makes. I know this seems unrelated to the coffee, but I am completely serious when I say this -- if the coffee makes a more pleasing sound when it is being brewed, it will taste better. It's the simple truth. Something about the sound of a percolator makes my coffee taste better. My parents dont want me touching their percolators so I have been forced to endure the sound of a drip pot -- but I've grown fond of the hiss of my new coffee maker.
Use the same temperature/type of water every time. Temperature of water is a HUGE factor when making coffee. My coffee tastes radically different if I use hot water in my coffee machine. I personally find that I like my coffee most if I use refrigerated water. The refrigerator I have dispenses water, refrigerated water, nice and cold. Additionally, the type of water is a HUGE factor. My house has well-water, and it's not safe to drink in large quantities for an extended period of time, so we have a distiller in the basement that distills the wellwater and sends purified water to the gridge. My coffee tastes RADICALLY different when I use water from the tap, or water directly from the distiller. Something about the filter that the fridge water passes through, it perfects the water. The fridge water is holy, consecrated for the brewing ritual. It makes the coffee taste perfect.
Find the right roast. This is less important, because I have found many roasts that I like. Some, though, I detest. They all taste distinctly and radically different. If you hate coffee, there is a very good chance that you simply have not found a roast that you like. Some are salty, some are sour, some are more bitter, some are more burnt. My mother buys all these bourgeoisie espresso roasts, but I find that I prefer Folgers "Gentle on Your Stomach" coffee. It's bitter, it's strong, it's not at all sour. Even if I leave it in the pot overnight, it hardly turns sour at all -- though if I leave it out longer than overnight it does start to grow sour. It also depends on the temperature; colder coffee grows sour less quickly. Other coffees, sometimes after they sit out for a few hours they grow sour.
Find a coffee that smells perfect. This probably seems like an unrelated aspect to flavor, but smell contributes to taste. When I drink a coffee and it smells awful, I enjoy the flavor less, even if it tastes differently than it smells. If you like the smell of french vanilla, try some french-vanilla flavored coffee. It might not even taste like french vanilla -- it might taste just like regular cofee, but the smell with make you think it tastes like french vanilla. It's a weird psychological mind-game you play on yourself. The coffee I use, it smells wonderful. It's strong, it's bitter, it doesn't smell sweet or savory. I think everyone should find this for themselves.
My favorite mug broke today. I spent two hours looking for a new one online, and discovered that Vistaprint (you know, the business card company?) will let you design your own mug, with text, images, etc. for less than $20. You can either have art that wraps all the way around the mug, or an image (the same or different) on both sides. I painstakingly designed two designs for the mug. One of them has the Wordstar 4.0 logo on it, and the other has the Super Metroid box art. $50 for them both, including shipping. In 9 days I will have my next check, and I will buy myself those two mugs. I won't be able to enjoy my coffee until then. Coffee tastes better out of a good mug. But I will make do.