Seldom does a day pass when Joe Walsh is asked the same question by a customer.

The question: What's the best coffee?

As president of O'Neill Coffee Co. in West Middlesex, Walsh knows the grinds of coffee trade. He literally grew up in the coffee business, having worked at the West Middlesex coffee supply house as a teenager. He took over the business from his father, Joseph Walsh Sr., who semi-retired four years ago.

Creating a good brew starts with the basics, said the younger Walsh.

"The biggest thing with making good coffee is starting with good beans,'' Walsh said.

Founded in 1951 by his great-uncle and aunt, Jim and Peg O'Neill, the coffee supplier continually expanded over the years, and Walsh's dad took over when Jim O'Neill retired in 1984. That growth has continued under the father and son team.

O'Neill's buys coffee beans grown throughout the world, but the quality of beans can vary even within the same country.

"Everything is a car but there's only one Cadillac,'' he said.

Arabica beans generally cost more and are used in premium blends, while the less expensive Robusto beans are usually assigned to coffee can mixes to reduce the price. But in the coffee world there are no absolutes.

"Just because it's an Arabica doesn't mean it's good,'' Walsh said.

There are certain beans though that always seem to command a hefty price. The most notable is Jamaican Blue Mountain. Grown only on the steep hillsides in Jamaica, this relatively rare bean fetches $38 a pound and up on retail markets, nearly four times the price of other premium beans and more than 10 times what's paid for rock-bottom priced beans.

A controversy of sorts has arisen in the coffee world with a huge influx of beans from Vietnam. Over the past decade, the country has emerged as the world's second-largest exporter of coffee beans -- behind Brazil. Known for poor quality, the Vietnam beans have been gobbled up by major coffee suppliers and are used in a growing number of canned coffees to keep prices dirt cheap.

O'Neill's steers clear of buying beans from the southeast Asia nation.

"We pay more to get the better beans, but it's a huge comfort level,'' Walsh said.

That strategy has paid off as more Americans seem willing to pay more for gourmet varieties such as Columbian Supremo, Sumatra and Guatamala/Antigua.

After the bean, the next greatest factor in creating a coffee's flavor is the roasting. It's the roasting department at O'Neill's where the sweet odor of coffee reaches feverish pitch.

"The longer you roast the bean, the darker it gets and the stronger flavor is created because more of its oil is extracted,'' Walsh said.

When it comes to local tastes, the area favors a medium to a darker roast -- but not as deep dark as a French roast, he noted. Also, nearly all of the coffee sold is ground, but unground beans are also offered.

If requested, O'Neill's will sell a minimum two-pound bag of unroasted beans which a customer can roast at home. But beware: Beans pop like popcorn when heated, so using a typical kitchen oven isn't recommended. A home coffee roaster costs $200 and up.

Using good water is essential when making a cup of joe, along with a good coffee maker.

"You like the water to be 190 to 195 degrees because the heat is needed to release the flavor of oils when it passes over the ground coffee beans,'' Walsh said. "Most home models usually can't generate that kind of heat -- most restaurant machines can do that and it makes the coffee better.''

Offering flavored coffee also has perked up sales, but Walsh said it still isn't as popular as in other parts of the nation.

"Flavored coffee is a great way to introduce coffee to people who don't drink coffee,'' he said.

Serving a 60-mile radius, O'Neill's supplies restaurants and convenience stores, but private-label packaged coffees produced at its warehouse have seen strong growth.

Opening a retail store four years ago has created a new niche for the business. Walsh has found that people are buying coffee for friends and relatives.

"In the last three to four years I've seen a positive response to coffee as gifts and in gift baskets,'' he said. Like wholesale buyers, retail shoppers ask the same question on what's the best coffee.

Walsh gives them the same answer.

"It's the one you like,'' he responds.