They should be whole beans, sustainably farmed, and roasted within the past few weeks

They certainly don't have to be sustainably farmed to yield an incredible cup of coffee, and once the number of weeks after roasting = "few" as opposed to "a couple", beans begin to lose their flavor (of course, vacuum sealing and other methods can extend this).

Instead, the key is to start with the Golden Ratio of 17.42 units of water to 1 unit of coffee. The ratio will get you into that optimal zone...Meanwhile, a common mistake is to...

Meh. Then you come over to my Aunt's house for Thanksgiving and have her tell you to make absolutely sure the coffee isn't strong while you cry inside because you want a nice stiff cup at a ratio much stronger than 17.42:1.

I think the article is a bit arbitrary and a bit wrong. I agree with you mattrose. Fresh roast, fresh grind, and sort it out from there. I will say that the method of brewing definitely produces wildly different results from the same roast batch, but that's something you've got to figure out for yourself (if you even care). No telling what you like till you try it.