Like the title asks, what’s the best way to get started?
Get an aeropress or a hario switch. They’re both super easy to use and give good coffee. Plus filtered coffee is slightly healthier cause apparently some of the not so good for you oils get filtered out.
Then either buy some ground coffee from the supermarket or for better quality stuff go to a specialty coffee place and ask them to grind a bag for you. They have good grinders and according to some testing a week old coffee from a good grinder is better than fresh coffee from a cheap grinder.
Then just try different coffees until you figure out what you like and don’t like then when you’re hooked you buy a good grinder and that’s it.
Clever Dripper is a less expensive alternative to the Switch and the filters can be bought at the supermarket unlike the Switch.
Also consider the new Oxo Rapid Brewer as an alternative to the Aeropress.
I’m gonna go against the grain here. Go to a coffee shop (preferably not a chain), tell them you are new to coffee and want to try something mild to start, go from there. Try different kinds of coffee, ask their advice. Once you find one you like ask them how THEY make it, what kind of beans, how concentrated, etc. Then you can start figuring out how to make it yourself. Maybe it’s a common enough coffee you can find in a K Cup, maybe it’s one you need to brew yourself in a coffee maker (which becomes a whole different question), but those are later things to figure out. Start simple: try some coffee, see what you like.
Maybe consider trying to find a local coffee roastery instead of just a coffee shop. I find they have a more enthusiastic approach to explaining the difference in what you taste.
If you can’t find one, a coffee shop is fine though.
I think this is great advice, not least of all for opening up espresso drinks. Also lowers the risk someone will start off with “bad” coffee. The best places for this around me would be some of the good local roasters.
I’d also consider finding a place to try Vietnamese and Cuban coffee. Maybe Turkish coffee, too.

