What are the latest words on best CD-R and DVD+R media to buy? Plextor / Taiyo Yuden for CD-R? Which one exactly? DVD+R media?

(Media will be used with Plextor drives)

Thanks!

Plextor branded media are very good indeed. I have used both CDR and DVD+R discs, mediacodes are Taiyo Yuden for both. Also Verbatim DVD+R (MCC004) has a good reputation.
For example, have a look at cdfreaks shop to compare specs.

The Plextor DVD-R 16x has better durability than the Plextor DVD+R 16x (reviewed by c't magazine). The quality of both is mostly superb, same with the Plextor CD-R. Those are really the best you can get.

I use Maxell CD-R Pro, which are made-in-Japan Taiyo Yuden.

If you buy TY discs, buy from a reputable store. Lots of places offer "taiyo yuden" cakeboxes for very good prices, but they may be counterfeit.

Mitsubishi Chem (verbatim) are my go-to for dvds, they make good +r and -r. Ricoh is great for +r, ok but not super for -r.

The thing with dvd writing is that a particular burner may work better with particular media, so there isn't always a universal best media. There might be one brand of cheaper stuff that's perfectly adequate for non-archival use. Look at cdfreaks and cdrinfo reviews of your burner to see if something they test stands out.

I've been using these for a while now, and am getting excellent results both with my LiteOn drives and my new LG.

Here's a KProbe scan from a recent write on my LG. I'm generally getting PI <= 20 and PIF <=2 with either drive.

I can't vouch for their longevity though, as I've only been using then for a couple of years.

I got Taiyo Yuden 16x DVD-Rs (TYG03) from rima.com, and I'm pretty sure they're not counterfeit. Got a quality score of 97 on my last burn with my Pioneer DVR-111D (flashed to 111L).
However, the 110D performs MISERABLY with them (scores of <60), so it's a bad choice if you have that particular burner (I own both). It doesn't do too hot with MCC 004 either from what I heard.
Plextors have no such problems with TY media, so I'd say it's a good choice.

Same here, on BenQ DW1655 with Plextor DVD-R TYG03:

Hmm... I am wondering why CiTay's drive does not have the hiccups mine has when scanning with CD-DVD Speed. When set to 8x, I have one at around 0.5 GB; the higher the speed, the more hiccups occur.

Are you using the same firmware BCHB?