Coffee is one of my favorite things.  I love the smell, I love the taste… Mmmm…. I had to give coffee up for a few years and I can tell you, there truly is no substitute. 

Here in Washington, you’ll find coffee stands on nearly every corner.  Sometimes you’ll find multiple Starbucks in one block - and they’re all busy.  We used to patronize independent coffee stands religiously, but we are on the Starbucks bandwagon now in a big way.  When you go to independents, your coffee can taste different every time and often, the beans are old and stale.  This is not a big deal if you’re a mocha/latte/breve type, but it makes a big difference if you drink espresso shots or an Americano.  Starbucks only uses fresh beans and I can go to any Starbucks across the country or abroad and get the same yummy cup of coffee. 

I can’t handle as much caffeine as I used to, but I still like a strong cup of coffee - no sugar, cream or flavors - I want to taste my coffee, not cover it up!   We also have our own espresso machine here at the house so every morning my husband and I can get our fix without leaving the house - we each have a four-shot Americano (espresso and water) with a single shot of espresso on the side.  Yum!  To keep the caffeine content down, we mix a pound of decaf with a pound of regular so we have the flavor of four shots, but the caffeine of two.  

All this coffee talk - a shot of decaf sounds pretty good right now! 

 I only seem to drink coffee when I have had to take my boyfriend to the doctor or ER.Generally because I am being woke up in the middle of the night , or up early …  And that only started in the last year or so. Normally caffine doesnt do much for me , unless its part of Excedrine or something , so there wasnt any incentive to drink it for that. I rather like starbucks white chocolate mocha thingy , but I dont really care for coffee unless I can get extra expresso in it and I am running on very very little sleep.

  I think thats probably because of the Trampoline incedent when I was little. My grandma used to let me sip some of her coffee ( she has it in the morning and after dinner sometimes ) , particularly when it was cold. So one night , at my little sisters birthday party I think , I drank a cup of hot chocolate , half of my grandma’s coffee and lord knows how much punch … and then jumped on the trampoline. That is the first and last time I ever got sick from being on a trampoline , but it was a long while before I could stomach any of those drinks. Coffee seems to have taken the longest.

Quality, preparation, storing and serving coffee:  I appreciate fine food and drink, including quality coffee from beans gathered around the world, expecially Kenyan and Jamaican Blue Mountain. Also, I use decaf, from naturally-decafeinated beans whenever available.

 I have found that even a high quality instant can taste good, on a camping trip, for example.  In my experience, in addition to the quality of the initial product (fresh, well-harvested and stored), the brewing is the key to making an enjoyable cup:  I have never had a bad sipping experience with quality coffee that was brewed from purchased ground, from beans that I ground myself or from instant IF it was well-treated after the brewing process.  Whether brewed by drip, percolator, compression or awakened with boiling water (instant), if the coffee is removed immediately after brewing from the original heat source and kept in a tightly-sealed vacuum container, it will be tasty for 5-7 days.

I hope that KatyDid realizes that her disdainful tone implies a rejection of more than her mother-in-law’s coffee protocol.  If the grandmom in question prepares and stores the coffee well, reheating caringly produces a fine enough cup for anyone’s taste.

The thought of coffee is what gets me up in the morning, and at least once a week I have a special coffee treat. I work with East African immigrants and a dear Eritrean friend brings me a large cup of her personally roasted, ground and brewed coffee. Coffee originated in that part of the world and the Ethiopians and Eritreans know their coffee! Fredda

No, dahlings, I USED to drink coffee.  Now, to get my blood flowing, I scan this site for anything with ‘Obama, Palin, Coulter’ - and now, ‘Peek’ in the title and watch otherwise intelligent mature woman attack each other. 

Then, with my blood running hot, my dears, I seek to maintain a modicum of civility for the rest of the day.  Great coffee alternative, dahlings.

OHHHH I now understand the question - it’s supporting advertisements for the site. Sheesh.

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