Another Cup

I grew up drinking Yerba mate and black tea with milk in the afternoons. I hated the taste of coffee. It tasted bitter, but I trained myself to like it. Maybe because I smoked cigarettes and that lead to coffee drinking. You can’t smoke without a cup of coffee, just like you can’t eat a bagel without lox and cream cheese. Coffee became my smoking companion, and when I quit one day I didn’t know what to do about my coffee habit. It’s partner had died. I left it alone to get cold in the cup.

Then one day I realized tea wasn’t strong enough so I went back to coffee. Solo. Black. That’s when I discovered the depth of flavor. It wasn’t a black drink. It had the complexity of wine. Now I needed to find cigarettes that were worthy of it. Or maybe not. I’d try the single life for a while. I would experiment with different beans and discover their complex personalities.  

The light roasts were too bland, unfocused, I lost interest quickly. The medium roasts were intriguing, and they promised an experience, but didn’t deliver. The dark roasts made my head turn and my heart pump. Viennese coffee made me swoon. Chandeliers, ballrooms and waltzes. Rich and dark and elegant. Could I be paired with such an elixir? Would it be possible?

 

the fragrance of stars

after the storm

a sudden longing

Calvin says, “Oh my gosh, you’re turning literary on me. Now I’ll find literature in my bed.”

What’s With The Coffee Controversy Again

We’ve been told forever that coffee and caffeine were bad for our health.

So we cut back from 12 cups a day to 6.

Still too much, said the doctors, but we ignored them. Caffeine withdrawal headaches were like death. You got all the flu-like symptoms of weakness, tremors, and nausea without the flu. Who wanted that? At least with the flu you got the added benefit of calling in sick from work.

Our bodies clamored for caffeine and we said yes.

Besides, coffee wakes you up in the morning, and keeps you purring during the day. It also gives you energy, a fake energy but who cares, energy is energy.

And it’s always a great finish to a good dinner. A great excuse to have a conversation. And a must-have if you’re a writer in a cafe.

This week we heard another report. It came from The New England Journal of Medicine. It said that frequent coffee drinkers have a chance of living longer than their de-caffeinated brothers and sisters.

People who drink the brew have a lower risk of dying from diabetes, heart disease, infections, and respiratory problems, to name a few.

If that’s true, I say haul in the grinders and let’s have a percolating party.

Of course, the study didn’t say if drinking more coffee would ensure better health. That’s for us to find out.

So crunch those beans and down that espresso.

Whether you drown your cafe in cream or soy, take it with or without foam, make sure it’s fully leaded and strong.

Coffee – it builds better bodies.

Calvin says, “Can’t stand the stuff. Now chocolate. There’s a theme. Send me a pound box. Assorted.”