mmmmm, coffee

Totally savoring and enjoying my morning cuppa joe, I say, "Mmmmmm....coffee. How did I live so long without you?"
To which my husband replies, "Grumpy."

Man, that was a good one honey...better go write that down...

I like coffee - but it hasn't always been that way. I used to get an occasional Snicker's mocha here and there, and never drank coffee from home. When we moved to Bend and opened up our own coffee shops, I started experimenting with different flavors of syrups and coffee beans. Still, I didn't drink much of the caffeinated goodness, opting instead for the sweet taste of chai or blended green tea smoothies...I know, I know - what was I thinking?

So, it's just been about the last two years that coffee has become a staple on my grocery list and a necessary step of my day. Even the baby recognizes the importance of java to my morning. When she asks me a question in the a.m., she quickly tags on to the end, "...in a bit, after coffee?" What a smart little girl.

Today looks like a two pot kind of day. Yup, I think it will take two pots of coffee to get me through this day...it's raining. I drink more coffee when it rains, and I do not even know how that is possible - since on a "normal" day I am not often found without a cuppa joe in hand. But, for some reason, the rain incites a need to brew just one more pot.

Just a few other thoughts on coffee...

Now that I have owned my own coffee shop and know how to pull a perfect shot, as well as know my personal preferences for steaming milk and adding syrups, I will probably never again buy an espresso drink from a coffee shop. Just not the same. I'll stick with drip.

For any of you who are concerned about my caffeine intake, I usually brew decaf as my second pot. I cannot taste a difference - though my husband and dad swear I am crazy to brew such an "inferior" product. Though, I know they can't really tell the difference either, because when I don't tell them it's unleaded, they don't say a word. Silly boys.

And last, once you've used a commercial blender, you will never want to go back. This fact isn't related so much to the consumption of coffee, as much as it is to working in a coffee shop. After closing our shops and selling off our equipment, I made sure to keep one of those pieces of mechanical wizardry for my personal use. And to my dismay, it has been lost in storage for the past two years. Sadly, I have forgone making delicious mocha granitas and green tea smoothies during its absence to avoid the frustrations that are inevitable when trying to crush ice with a home blender....

...until now!!! My husband fought off black widows and cardboard cuts to expose the hiding place of my long lost, motorized, ice crushing, friend. And now, even though the weather is clearing up and the sun is starting to shine - my second pot of coffee will not go unused. Because now I have a new reason to brew that second pot...to blend deliciously smooth mocha granitas! Yay me!