A Nice Cuppa

If my memory serves me correctly, caffeine is considered to be the most widely used, non-prescription drug in the world. In my own personal coffee world, the last 20 years have brought major changes to my caffeine consumption, mostly for the better. As a teenager, my coffee odyssey began as a way of socializing. With a group of friends, we would converge on the local pancake house and drink the ‘bottomless pot of coffee’ until we were so wired that we would commence on the most unusual adventures, like cleaning someone’s house or picking up trash in a park. As teenagers. It was the caffeine, there is no other way to explain how we would be driven to such lengths.

In college, naturally it was used as a method for getting more bang for your buck; a way to get through all-nighters during mid-terms, working on the research papers or finishing the semester on a ‘high’ note with Finals. Our student union was way ahead of itself in the early 80’s featuring a coffee bar with unusual selections from Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Sumatra. These days those varieties don’t even cause an eyelash to twitch, but then you were considered somewhat elitist if you were buying something other than vending machine brew. There were but a few coffeehouses on campus, serving such exotic drinks as latte’s and cappucino’s, with the extra indulgent mocha’s for those who needed an bigger sugar boost. Espresso was a heady drink, offering a more intense caffeine buzz, a richer, darker brew with a smoky concentrated taste.

Fast forward 20 years to today. Coffeehouses exist on nearly every street corner, in hospitals, bus stations, department stores and even in some schools and churches. Chain coffee shops are everywhere; every drink is exactly the same in every store, rung up by friendly and caffeineated servers sporting matching shirts and greeting each customer with the same perky phrase every time the door opens. There is nothing special about the brew, it’s as predictable as it gets. Neighborhood coffee houses, with unique and wonderful names offer a more personal cup of joe; maybe Fair Trade or 100% organic coffees, each with their own thumbprint of flavor and taste in each cup. Local brewers sport roasting machines on site, filling the air with the heady scent of a sack of green coffee beans turning brown and rich, and you can keep track of what days the coffee is roasted so you can purchase the freshest beans possible.

The menus at every place vary, but offer the standard drinks; latte, cappucino, mocha, americano, cafe au lait; each coffeehouse putting it’s own twist on the creative process. There are fancy espresso drinks of any variety of flavors, and you can get whole, 2%, skim, soy, rice or organic milk. Coffee might be cold pressed, a delicious alternative that takes the acidity out of the beans. If you’re a coffee junkie like me, you know where you can go to get a brew that feels like a sock in the jaw, or where a cup might be less of a punch and more tame. There’s always a wide variety of teas available. If you need a tea fix, you know what coffee house has the finest teas, where you can get loose leaf to brew in a T-Sac, who is likely to give you the freshest lemon wedge for your cup and who will refill your hot water without asking for another dollar. Chai tea is a wonderful alternative, and comes in multiple ways. This place may have one that tastes more of cardamom, while the one down the street favors a more cinnamom-based drink. It’s a unique and wonderful blessing to find the lone coffeehouse that brews a Chai tea from scratch, your cup tinged with pieces of herb, giving off an amazing scent. You know where you can go with your favorite book or magazine and not be disturbed, and where might be a great place to strike up a conversation with the person in the next chair. Which place offers a wide variety of newspapers from around the country? Who has the best wireless connection for your laptop? Which fireplace puts out the most heat? What shifts does that cute guy (or girl) work who has such a great personality? You might get to pick your coffee mug to use there, or take away a paper cup that is fully bio-degradeable and recyclable. The snacks behind the counter could have been made there that morning, or trucked in from a local bakery. The music might be soothing, alternative, satellite radio or a selected CD from whomever remembered to bring in a stack during their shift.

When I first began purchasing my own coffee, I started out using the pre-ground stuff in a can, and there were some decent varieties available. I remember the first time buying whole bean coffee, grinding it at the store and taking it home. I felt so mature, so different. It wasn’t long before I bought my own grinder and began grinding my beans fresh each morning. I brewed my pot with water heated in a teakettle and poured through a small device that fit on top of an old ceramic coffee pot that belonged to my grandmother. It made the headiest, richest brew I have ever tasted. I would pour it into a delicate cup, with a saucer and drink it carefully. The process made me focus, and the little cup made me slow down and spend a moment or two appreciating the morning. It was a great way to start the day. I still grind my own beans and try to seek out different roasts to have at home. I love to find a unique and out of the way coffeehouse that shouts of comfort and calm when you walk in the door, a place where you can just stop for a short time, get off the madly spinning carousel called life and just sit back to watch it go by for a while. A warm cup of coffee in hand and a friend at the table with you is the best tonic for our hectic and overly busy world.