There are many ways to make great coffee. There are even more ways to make terrible coffee. All methods start with quality ingredients.
Coffee
When making snooty coffee, the most important element in the process is quality coffee. Coffee comes from two types of coffee trees - Robusta and Arabica. Robusta is what you don't want. Coffee in cans like Foldgers and Maxwell House come from this variety of tree. It's not up to par. It tastes horrible. It's inexpensive, which is why it ends up in a can. You must have higher standards than this! Quality coffee is made from arabica coffee beans. All snooty coffee comes from this variety.
In addition to variety, there are a few other things that are a must when it comes to coffee beans. First, where they are from. Anyone who is concerned about bringing you the best coffee possible will know where the coffee you are getting is from, what altitude it was grown at, how it has been picked and processed, shipped, and so on. Most places will either print some of this information right no the bag for you, or at least list the information on their website or share with you where they have sourced their coffee from. If they aren't telling you what it is or where it is from, you probably shouldn't be spending your money on it.
Second, when was it roasted. Coffee has a shelf life. Once beans are roasted, they begin to change chemically. They let off carbon dioxide in the process. They age quickly. Think of it this way - home made bread right out of the oven always tastes better than week old bread bought from the store. Fresh roasted coffee will always taste better than already ground coffee found in of a can. Any roaster who is passionate about his trade will put a roast date on the bag so you know if its fresh or not. If it only has a use by date, I would keep shopping.
I buy my coffee from a variety of places. I can purchase quality coffee like Intelligentsia or Bloom Coffee at my local Foods for Living store. Prices run between $10 and $18 per twelve ounce bag. I rarely splurge on $18 bags of coffee. When I want something that I can't get locally, I turn to the web. Sometimes, I'll go in with a friend to order coffee online so we can split the shipping costs. Great coffee is available everywhere.
Now, if you are balking right now about price, calm down. Think of it this way - the pods you buy and use are way more expensive in the long run than the coffee I buy and brew. With an aeropress I can get 25 cups of exceptional snooty coffee out of a 12 ounce bag. That's fifty cents a cup. If I brew a whole pot, I get more yield. You do the math on how much your pods cost, then think of the waste you are putting in the landfill, not to mention the lack of control on your machine (your pod brewer) takes away from you. I win. Go buy some quality coffee and sell your pod brewer at a garage sale.
Water
Water is the second key element for making a great cup of coffee. You must have good water. I live in Lansing, MI. We have great water in our city. Our water company boasts that it is better than bottled water. I simply brew with water straight from the tap. If you live in a place where your water tastes funny, that taste will also be in your coffee. A gallon of spring water should be around a dollar at the grocery store. You want spring water--water that has a bit of mineral in it. It adds to the flavor and depth of your coffee. Depending on your habit, that may be all you need for the week. One dollar a week isn't bad at all, considering some of you will spend two dollars a day for gas station coffee, let alone the sugar coffee you buy from the national chains like Starbucks and Biggby.