I can’t get through, or even start my day, without beginning with a large, warm mug of steaming coffee. And I don’t use a coffee mug, either …. I take my coffee in large beer steins.
Some people tell me that drinking all this coffee isn’t good for me. But you know what? I’ve done my personal research, and it looks to me like it is actually good to overindulge. Overindulge is my middle name.
I drink lots of coffee throughout the day, and have for the past thirty or forty years. There’s a saying somewhere that says “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer”. If you drink coffee like I do, there’s a similar rule which applies to washroom facilities and coffee, too.
I used to be able to find a good cup of coffee, but back a couple of years ago, a really great cup of coffee seemed to be getting pretty elusive to find. (Maybe it’s just age and my tastebuds slipping?) I used to like to slip into the drive thru lineup and get my coffee, crack the plastic lid, and take a swig. Of course, the coffee’s hot, and I’d end up cooking the tip of my tongue. If you’re a ‘holic, you understand this. It’s just part of the day. I could also be fined for being a distracted driver, what with the new legislation and all, as I’m busy wiping the hot overspill off the back of my hand with anything available.
All to say that the coffee I was getting from the drive thru just wasn’t the same as it used to be. So, for the most part (and unless I’m having a caffeine fit) I’ve given up on drive-thru coffee.
So, why not the local supermarket, to see what they’ve got when it comes to coffee?
The selection is large – and I mean large. There’s plastic cans, metal cans, big bags, little bags, beans, pads, cups …. You name it, it’s in the coffee isle.
Well, in the forty some odd years of doing this, the one thing I’ve learned the hard way is that good coffee just doesn’t come in cans. You gotta go for the whole beans and use the grinder thingy if you are at all serious about the coffee you drink. It’s as close to fresh coffee as you’ll normally ever find. Into the coffee drip machine at home, and you could be a pretty happy camper.
Then, just to make decision making even harder, comes the coffee machines with the quick and easy little plastic cups. A brew at a time. On demand. As you like it. When you want it. Flavour that you like. And there’s bazillion to choose from. Of course, it costs a ton more than any other way of making coffee, but then who’s counting?
I am!
I guess my problem with this approach is that I look forward to having a coffee, then another, and another. I actually don’t care to sample a dozen types to find out what I like, and pay a small fortune per month to do so. The other problem with this approach is the massive amounts of xyz-Cups I now find that I have on hand.
Then, of course, ‘cause I’m such a coffee hound, I offer coffee to anyone bold enough to drop by the house, which presents another problem ….
In the old days, I’d say to guests, “Want a coffee?”, and the answer would be a simple “yes” or “no”. Now I’ve gotta say “would you like a Donut house coffee, a hazelnut, an almond mocha, a chocolate éclair blend, or ….. etc, etc. “
Then when the person finally decides, I have to make each one individually. So, if they company for the evening is more than one person, you’ll be standing in front of your little K machine for most of their visit – So just don’t have a block party if you have a single-brew coffee maker.
What ever happened to a simple, good, tasty, full pot of coffee? The essence of making a coffee is supposed to be 1) taste, and 2) a simple process, 3) it’s always the coffee and caffeine I’m after, preferably in a coffee that is excellent in taste, simple to buy, and easy to make.
Never did find it, so I ended up buying green coffee beans in large burlap sacks, and roasting my own. I get to decide exactly how it’s roasted. I also get to determine how it gets ground up – for my coffee drip type machine, or in my xyz type single coffee maker, or my French press. When I want a pot, I make one. When I want one coffee, I make one coffee.
What could be simpler?
I have my coffee selection down to two blends …. I like Cuban, I like Colombian.
My name is Keith, and I’m a coffeeholic.