I really love my morning coffee. I don’t drink coffee often during the rest of my day, but I really want a cup of coffee first thing after I wake up. I’m not quite sure when coffee became such a high point in my life, but I suspect it has to do with being a working stiff who needed the jumpstart to get me going.
I no longer have to fight traffic and answer to a bunch of bosses, but I still want that first deep, rich, aromatic cup of the day. It smells better and fuller than any other time of day — unless I take an afternoon break at a coffee shop and spend a few minutes being really present to the experience. Or pursue some mindful coffee drinking in the garden.
Most of the coffee I drink is pretty much “straight-ahead” coffee. Single-origin, dark roast, with a bit of half and half to lighten and sweeten it. For years I was hooked on the Starbucks experience. You’ll notice that much of my equipment and many of my mugs are Starbucks-related. I still enjoy Starbucks — hence, the Verismo single-cup coffee maker on my coffee bar — but we have several great coffee shops and vendors in my area, so I’ve broadened my collection to include new roasts and flavors.
I “blame” Cleo Coyle for bringing other coffees into my life. Cleo Coyle, aka Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini, who write the Coffeehouse Mystery books, visited the Fredericksen Library in Camp Hill, PA, a few years ago. They worked with local coffee purveyor One Good Woman to create Billionaire Blend, named for their book. It was a genius tie-in and a coffee I liked. Delicious. If you follow Today’s Coffee (I’m novelgal on Instagram and Sandy Nork on Facebook), you already know I still buy and drink it.
These days I drink plenty of other roasts and flavors from a number of coffeehouses, cafés, and roasters. You’ll hear about them, either here or Instagram or Facebook. I like to get suggestions for what to try next. What are your favorites? What would you recommend?
sandynork 