Looking for Coffee Aficionados
I’ve confessed before that I don’t drink coffee. Not ten cups of coffee for the first 54 years of my life.
But now the tense of the verb has to change: I didn’t used to drink coffee.
About six months ago, I was staying with a friend in Vermont, sipping on my sad little Diet Dr. Pepper at 7:00 in the morning while he was luxuriating over a cup of coffee. So I gave it a try.
Now, half a year later, I’m wondering: why did I think I didn’t like coffee? I love coffee. Strong, bold, black. No sugar, no cream. I like it from Peet’s, from Starbucks, from our Cuisinart Keurig.
But I’m WAY behind. I still just basically am able to say, “I’d like a coffee.” So educate me. What’s great coffee? What’s your favorite? What’s your favorite way to buy it? Why is Starbucks such a cultural phenomenon? What’s the deeper message of coffee?
Are there some true coffee people out there? Teach me!
Meanwhile, I’m now battling my coffee addiction. I may have to cut back.
Verona (Starbucks) has a great finish!
I’m not much of a coffee expert but I loved the coffee my daughter brought back from honduras — very smooth. Then I fell in love with Italian coffee when I went to Rome (very strong like esspresso without the burnt taste), so I bought a Bialetti Moka Express (stove top cafe maker) and use Lavazza or Illy Medium Roast in it and that comes fairly close.
Ah, Michael! Welcome home at last! 8^)
As I’ve always said: “Water is just coffee that hasn’t reached its full potential!”
The joy of coffee! Glad you are finally in the fold. What makes it so wonderful? The smell, the bittersweet taste, the feel of a hot mug in your hands, your heart beating a little faster, the fog lifting from your brain and the miracle of being a stimulant which actually calms your spirit. There is bad coffee, but it was only created so we could appreciate really good coffee. As the wisest man to ever live once said: “Dark am I, yet lovely.” (Song of Songs 1:5)
Mike, welcome aboard the coffee train. Check out http://www.counterculturecoffee.com for some of my favorite. They are running a special on Yirgacheffe right now. ALWAYS buy whole bean, as recently roasted as possible. ALWAYS grind your coffee just before brewing (the CO2 begins to release upon grinding and the half-life is rather short if you want good flavor). NEVER freeze your coffee but store it in an airtight, dark, room-temperature place. French-press is always to be preferred over traditional coffee machines. Boil your water, pour it into the carafe, wait approximately 40 seconds and then pour into your freshly ground coffee. Stir intermittently for 2 minutes. Press and pour for caffeinated paradise!