I really just want to make nice coffee, latte or the stuff with cream floating on top.
This is what I have for making coffee at work:
Swissgold KF300 Permanent Coffee Filter - One Cup
I love it. Simple but effective. Highly recommended. (Unlike paper, gold filters don't affect the flavour.)
For me, the quality of the beans is more important than spending a fortune on machinery - especially if you're not a fan of espresso. I've had some phenomenally good coffee out of my filter recently, simply by virtue of spending a bit more on top quality beans. I buy it in small batches, ground to order, from Monmouth, which is on my way to work - a 250g bag lasts about a week for me, so it's still reasonably fresh by the time I get to the bottom of the bag. And even if I spend £13 on a 250g bag, as I did recently*, it's still cheaper than those ridiculous pod coffees (which aren't really any better than instant IME), or buying by the cup from St*rb*cks.
d.
*It was very good, though by far the best coffee I've had lately only cost £8 for a 250g bag.