Update, the pestle-ground coffee from the shop next to the 16th c. mosque is most definitely worth the extra $1.50/lb premium over mid-range industrial grocery store coffee (local pricing, so everything still well below states-side). The opposite of the mochaccino/pumpkin spice latte tendency of some coffee chains (no name, no pack-drill), a more forceful taste that sidles up to bitterness, but never crosses over. I suspect the quasi-caramelized tastes that the coffee chains seem to favor have something to do with getting as much of the sweetness out of the roasted/browning range as possible, but Balkan coffees, which are prepared in the Turkish manner with a few variations (sugar separate, grounds warmed first, first contact between grounds and water is at a boil) have more to do with creating the right blend of oils. (Which are incredibly high in cholesterol -- even as a vegetarian, I've modified the practice to boil away much of the syrupy stuff that usually gathers on the foam and is traditionally considered the best part of it.)
