Becoming a
coffee connoisseur wasn’t an instant fall head over heels event for me. It all
started in high school. Urged on by a girlfriend who knew of such things, my
initial cups of the wonderful brew were instant (yuck) and loaded with milk and
sugar to kill the taste.
As a young Army
wife, coffee became a luxury which didn’t make it into the monthly budget, even
at the low, low commissary prices. You might say I allowed my love of coffee to fall
through the cracks, temporarily.
When the
children arrived and the incomes rose, two AM feedings coupled with six AM
risings for work necessitated a return to what I began to term essential caffeine.
Speaking of children, none of my four adult offspring could care less about my
beloved beverage. I guess my constant raves about the joys of all things coffee
fall on deaf ears.
Regardless, my
personal affection for coffee continues to grow and prosper. First thing in the
morning – essential. After lunch – enjoyable. Three o’clock in the afternoon –
of course. A throwback to my days working full time. A few years back, my coffee loving journey
took a positive turn when coffee consumption was thought to be a weapon against
breast cancer. As the daughter of one who succumbed to the disease, I was all
over that one.
Coffee drinking
isn’t all good though. This love affair can come with a certain amount of responsibility.
“It’s my only vice.” Me to the doctor when she questions my daily quota. Eyeing
me over the top of her glasses, her response is usually, “Uh-huh. Try to cut
down.” In other words, don’t allow coffee to let your health fall into danger.
I won’t. But, flavored,
iced, lattes and such, I can’t help it, I covet them all. At this point in my life, I'm a true coffee aficionado. Why not? I figure I've earned it.
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25 comments:
Coffee is my vice, too. I started drinking it (instant--I agree, yuck) to stay awake for an early morning college class. I've graduated to a Keurig, which I love. One cup at a time. Expensive, yes. Enjoyable, YES!
Write on, girls! Your coffee drinking schedule sounds just like mine. I'm the only connoisseur in the house so I don't have to share the morning brew. A good thing because it takes the entire pot to get me stirring.
Usually I prefer mine black but in the fall and winter months I can be seduced by flavored lattes with whipped cream.
Bless the man who discovered coffee. Joe, wasn't it? : )
Coffee! My true alpha/beta/everything hero!
Love it,
-R.T. Wolfe
Coffee is very important to me, but I have precise requirements and procedures. I started drinking strong coffee when I worked the night shift at General Motors and still had to get up early with little children. Now, I just love it. I also have a Keurig, and I am obsessed. However, I only drink two cups in the morning. I do not drink it throughout the day, ever. I just don't want it after those first few cups. I do not like flavored/sweet coffee. I have to have just a touch of creamer, half and half to be exact. I heat a cup of water in the microwave and use that hot mug to make my first cup of coffee. My writer friends and family well know that when we go out of town, my Keurig comes with me. Motel coffee just does NOT do the trick. Most of my heroines love coffee. It was pointed out to me in my last novel that there was WAY too much coffee going on. :) Enjoyed the post, Margo!
I had one reader ask me why I had my characters in THE CROWS drinking so much coffee. His question took me by surprise. The book is set in a rural part of Michigan, and when I moved here from California, one thing I noticed right away was when visiting my neighbors, they didn't offer a drink (wine or a cocktail), they offered coffee. For me coffee has always been my wake-up-in-the-morning drink. In fact, I don't dare drink regular coffee after noontime or I'll be up most of the night. So I'm not the aficionado you are, Margo, but I do love a good cup of coffee.
Enjoyed the post, Margo. My affair with coffee includes my hubby of many years. Each a.m. he brews a fresh pot and brings cups and pot to the bedside table so that we can sip and listen to NPR and discuss our day. It's the BEST part of daily life for me and a strong pleasure association. Happy coffee-time to you!
Okay, Margo, you're the obvious winner of the coffee drinking contest! LOL I only drink it in the morning. But I do love the stuff, and my heroines all drink coffee. After all, who can relate to a woman who doesn't love coffee!
Excellent post. I was a so-so coffee drinker until I met Calvin. He'd grind the beans every morning for a set number of seconds and I'd just stand and stare at his turning making a simple pot of coffee into a scientific experiment. "Just wait until we go to Paris and you hear the espresso machines whistle and smell the aromas wafting out onto the street." And I'm thinking I don't want to drink anything that whistles and wafts. Just give me some coffee.
Hello all. Sorry for the delay in getting here. Eighth grade football game (my son's a coach) We won!
You're right, Diane. Enjoyable - yes - expense be darned!
You betcha bless Joe, Teresa. Lucky you not having to share! I usually end up making a second pot!
Right on, RT!
I'm with you, Alicia. My h/hs do a lot of coffee drinking too. You win the connoisseur award, hands down. (Good to know I'm not the only one who takes my pot along on trips.)
Here, here, Maris. Morning coffee is the absolute best!
Susan. You actually have a husband who MAKES and SERVES the coffee?! Lucky you. Mine will do so, on occasion, but not as a rule.
What, Jannine? Someone who doesn't LOVE coffee? No way! So I win that one, huh? Go me!
Whistling and wafting may have its place with coffee, Vonnie. So long as it's good and strong and hot! Mmmmm. Sounds like an alpha. Another woman whose husband makes the coffee. I'm seeing a trend.
Once again, I'm the odd ball. I never got past the yuck stage. I love the smell of coffee, love mocha cheesecake, but I often have friends say, "taste this! You can't even taste the coffee in it." Uhh...yes I can! My caffeine of choice is Diet Pepsi. I drink quite a bit of that. Thanks for sharing!
I was a soda fan. No coffee. My mom was the all day coffee drinker and it hurt her health...then they came out with the flavored coffees... ohhhhhh... now I've caved. I'm there... and I love the warmth and the whipped cream, chocolate...
MJ. You sound like my kids. (No offense ;-) At least you're getting your necessary caffeine in some acceptable form.
Melissa. Oh yes, the flavored are the best. It is smart to drink responsibly no matter the beverage!
Yay me!!! Thanks for the award. :)
My pleasure, Alicia! ;-)
Margo, I'm reading this with my Sumatra Starbucks, the best, boldest of the Starbucks coffees. I am a BIG fan of great coffee...must have at least three cups in the morning and a latte at Starbucks around 11:00 when hubs and I read the paper. I started drinking Starbucks in Seattle at the shop's inception, 1971, also the year of my marriage...the coffee company and the marriage are still percolating. My first job teaching was with the originator of Starbucks, Zev Siegel, a history teacher in my school. We were friends. He and two friends sold Starbucks to Shultz. Yes, indeed I have a lonnnnnggggg history and love of coffee!
I'm not a big coffee drinker, but I do love my tea. I think it has the same effect for me as your cup of joe.
Me too, me too! My husband brings me a cup of coffee while I'm still in bed. I had a doctor I asked why I could drink it past ten and still sleep. He said it must be just something warm in my stomach. You hit a nerve with your readers, good post.
My husband calls coffee "the essence of all good things in life." I can't stand it. :-)
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