Sunday 30 March 2014

Coffee Confession

Right here, right now I will confess that I am addicted to coffee.
Put your hand up if you are with me.
 
That's a lot of hands! We are not alone.
 
I love the smell, the taste, the everything about coffee. Is it wrong or bad to think about the next morning's coffee twelve hours in advance?  ...because I actually have that thought most evenings...ah! coffee in the morning...can't wait...
 
There are people out there who absolutely refuse to drink coffee. They complain about the taste of coffee being "burnt" (!) It seems my profuse enthusiasm for coffee is a bit of a threat to them because most of these so called friends of mine adamantly refuse to even sample coffee when I mount my coffee bean soapbox.
 
Who are these people...and why do I call them friends...??
 
But I digress...
 
I'm not an over the top coffee consumer, one who slugs the stuff back all day long, no, I prefer my two mugs of coffee per day and know I must have them or suffer the usual coffee withdrawal headache. That's the price of addiction, folks! Occasionally I will imbibe three mugs of coffee when I'm dehydrated from too much badminton the night before but that is rare. Even when I was sick with the flu last week, I stuck with my coffee consumption routine to avoid the added stress of withdrawal to my flu-ravaged body. The coffee still tasted good, I might add, even though the outdoor air smelled sharp and chemical, like vinegar and stale gasoline to my assaulted nasal passages.
 
Coffee is right up there with red wine and cheese in the Necessity of Life category. It would be a long contemplation to give up any of these food groups in lieu of say, giving up a limb, or even that precious commodity, Time. In fact, it was just last year that my coffee drinking was threatened due to some gastrointestinal maladies. As a result I have been avoiding gluten and dairy these past few months. I thought I couldn't live without even 5% cream in my coffee, but got switched to organic, medium roast coffee, black, with even more enthusiasm for coffee than before (if that is possible). The taste of coffee is out of this world! Try it...you will probably like it!
 
So where to get this organic brew? Try your local food store in the organic section, or shop on-line. Lucky for me, there is a local bistro called Cocoa Vanilla that carries it and I went in there yesterday to purchase some more coffee beans. I may have met my match or better for title of Coffee Aficionado! I didn't catch his name, but we had a lovely and lengthy and naturally,  an enthusiastic conversation about coffee and coffee beans, and coffee growers. I was offered and accepted a couple samples of medium and dark roast brewed coffee and even some espresso coffee to take home to try. He is my new favourite coffee dealer! (Those are some whole beans in the cup, ready to grind).
 
Espresso is my Sunday morning treat. I like to brew it on the woodstove using an espresso pot my brother gave me a long time ago. I love the simplicity of the espresso pot, no electricity required, using physics only: the cold water is put in the base up to the check valve, add finely ground coffee in the filter basket, screw top to base tightly and place over heat source until water boils in base and bubbles up through the coffee,through the stem and spills into the reservoir in the top, one boiling pump at a time.
 
 
 
My brother gave me a pair of espresso cups and saucers and little spoons with this espresso pot but I've never used them, preferring my favourite mug instead. That way there are fewer refills needed!
 
 
Then I settle in to watch "Couch Church" on the TV with my mug of espresso. Life doesn't get much better than that!
 
Signed,
The Happy Homesteader
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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