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Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Coffee, nectar of the Gods

Coffee. The most addicting drug I've ever ingested. Oh, sure, I've done my share of smoking pot in the day, and yes, many a beer has passed my lips over my lifetime, but nothing has ever had a hold on me like coffee. Nothing else in my life has reduced me to standing over it while it is being prepared and shaking with anticipation. Nothing gives me more pleasure when I take a deep, long whiff from the cup. Ahhhhhhh. Not only do I crave it and HAVE to have it, but it has changed me and made me a snob.

A bonified Coffee Snob. I say, "I HAVE to have it", but that is not always true. If my only option is the local gas station coffee? No, thank you, I'll just suffer through the migraine that I know is coming if there isn't something warm, creamy and highly caffinated and high quality in my system by 9:30 a.m. - AT THE LATEST.

We are the types that buy whole, organic coffee beans and grind them ourselves. You know what I'm talking about and I know there are many of you out there! We have this disease known as "protecting the supply" - just like druggies - if our bean supply gets down to a 1/3 of a bag, the panic starts to set in. "We need coffee. Can you stop today? Or should I go in case you forget?" It's a very frantic conversation. Lucky for us, our daughter works at a very chic, hip coffee shop so it can be as easy as having her bring home a fresh bag of beans. But there is nothing worse than when she comes home at 8:00 p.m. (too late to get beans anywhere else) with that look of panic on her face that says, "oh God, I forgot your beans." Nothing like affecting your children with your disease. I can see it now, Adult Children of Coffee-holics.

A continual argument in our household is how to grind the beans. What is the perfect grind? I tend to believe that a 'not-so-fine' grind is the best and doesn't give your coffee that 'bitter' aftertaste. However, my husband grinds the shit, literally, out of the beans and thinks that gives the deepest flavor.

We are so sick in the head with our coffee preoccupation and taste that we even considered getting 2 coffee pots - one for him and his ground-to-death coffee and one for me and my not-so-finely-ground taste. We haven't sunken to this level as of yet, but it is a constant conversation in our house.

There is a certain disadvantage to being a Coffee Snob. When you go out of town to visit family or friends, what if they are NOT coffee snobs and drink Folgers or Maxwell House - already ground and IN A CAN? You don't want to insult anyone and you certainly don't want to admit your disease - so you drink it or you abstain and go back to the migraine.

Now, to some people this might seem extreme and like we have nothing better to do with our lives than obsess over coffee, but nothing could be further from the truth. We actually have very busy lives, but you other Coffee Snobs out there will know exactly what I'm talking about. Just like other addictions, they make you seem crazy and we admit it. Absolutely, stark-raving mad about our coffee consumption.

Can anyone relate?

4 comments:

*~*Cece*~* said...

Damn, you just made me want to look for a grindin' & brewin' coffee maker.

Is there REALLY that much of a difference between fresh grond & already ground coffee?

Angie said...

Have you ever had coffee somewhere that you just took a sip and thought, "holy shit, now THAT is coffee." That's it! Once you grind your own, you'll never go back.

Try it.

*~*Cece*~* said...

That's what I'm like when I get black coffee from Starbucks. Oh man, I'm in strong coffee heaven!

Sara said...

I am a coffee Snob, but also a cheap and adventurous coffee snob. I like to try to find out how good of bean I can get for the least amount of cost... This is where Trader Joe's has come in handy. They have several different Organic beans and they are several dollars cheaper a pound than most other places. Also, seeing as though my personal favorite Roaster is in OR and has to be shipped every time, that means that the savings is even greater. Like I said. Sara=cheap.

Also? Now that I live in the Seattle area, I am expected to be a coffee snob and I wear that snobbery proudly! It is really easy to bring coffee with you when traveling because you can call it a gift... like a bottle of wine! No Folgers for me... unless I'm stuck at a hotel or something!