The daily grind...

Ok so I will admit it... I am a true coffee addict. I love the bean, the black gold, the rich dark heaven in a cup. I especially enjoy mochas, I usually order a grande, non-fat, extra hot mocha, but mix coffee with chocolate, and I am happy chic. I also have my favorite fru-fru specialty drinks like cinnamon dolce lattes, midnight mochas, carmel macchiatos or christmas kisses, for those days when I want to pamper myself or induldge in something that lingers a bit longer on the lips. Majority of the time I go for hot drinks, but on a hot day in mid summer I like the iced ones too. I usually stay away from blended beverages that disguise the true essence of coffee too much for my liking.

The love affair began at an early age for me, long before the coffee stands stood on every corner like they do now. My Grandma shared her cup of joe with me when I was just a toddler. She would let me order coffee at restaurants as a treat whenever I was out with her. Of course I'd add more cream than coffee and pour sugar in until my coffee was a syrypy consistency. But that is when the bean planted itself in my heart and the love of coffee just grew and grew. In highschool I was known as a coffee addict before it was in style. My girlfriends tested me to see if I could name all the coffee stands listed in the phonebook, and I won, naming more than were even listed because new coffee shops had opened since it was published.

I'm not sure why I enjoy coffee so much. I mean of course there is the heavenly flavor, the rich aroma, the warmth of the beverage and of course the addiction to the caffeine, but there is more. Perhaps it is the care that is taken in the entire process, hand picked coffee beans, patiently roasted to just the right rich hue, the precise grind and the well trained barista brewing the perfect cup, mishaps in any step can lead to a distasteful disaster. But when each step of the process is completed with care and a heavenly cup of coffee is loving brewed to perfection, I have a cup full of paradise personalized just for me and that is more than just a cup of joe.