  The auto-drip coffee maker is ridiculed by coffee snobs (and
for good reason—plenty of other methods make consistently better
coffee), but the auto-drip's no hassle, automatic brewing still
makes it the go-to choice for a lot of homes and offices looking
for a quick caffeine fix. While you may not be able to get the
"perfect" brew from an auto-drip, you can make it a whole lot
better with a little know-how.  An auto-drip coffee maker is
handy because you can set it and forget it, but the fact you
can't control the temperature or the water ratio as it pours
over the beans means you can't customize the brew as much to fit
your liking. The key to good auto-drip is to do skip any silly
tricks and keep it as basic as possible, starting with the right
coffee beans and roast.   Since you can't control a lot of the
variables that make a cup of coffee good with an auto-drip it's
important that you start the process right. This means fresh-
roasted whole beans, getting a good grind, fresh water, and
trying to get the