It’s 5:17 a.m. here. It wasn’t what anyone would call the greatest night of sleep. From time to time, my allergies decide to get restless. When they do, there’s no stopping them. Sometime around 3:30 a.m., my nose started itching. Around 4:45 a.m., I started sneezing and gave up the fight to come downstairs. As I sit here with one of my two kitties taking up the full ottoman so my feet are relegated to the coffee table, I’m enjoying my second cup of coffee. If I’m going to be up early, I may as well fuel my day.
That got me thinking about the way that first sip tastes and why I love coffee since I decided at age 15 that I was going to become a morning coffee drinker. What’s so great about it? First, I’m genuinely thirsty in the morning. Second, the warm, nutty coffee hitting the back of my throat tastes good. Finally, coffee is a part of my routine. You know me and routine… we’re just like peanutbutter and jelly.
As much as I love coffee, the trouble is that I often don’t make a great cup of coffee. Part of it is a lack of precision. When you cook with a laissez-faire attitude of “a little of this and a little of that,” it’s hard to get to the scientific, data-driven precision that would lead my husband to having perfected the perfect cup of coffee. The second is equipment. I don’t have the best coffee maker. In fact, I’ve been on the hunt now for a coffee maker for the best part of six months. Finally, there are the four main ingredients, according to me: coffee, water, cream and sugar and I’ve only really perfected the blend of three of these.
When I think about where my coffee game stumbles it’s around the coffee. We have natural spring water here and a water filtration system that looks like the twin engines of the old space shuttle. I’ve definitely got the good water covered. As for cream and sugar, experience has made up for my lack of precision and these days, I nearly never miss with my blend of just enough sugar to take off the bitterness and enough cream to smooth it all out.
So, with the clarity that being up at before the rest of the house can give (except for kitty who is now sleeping and completely sprawled over my personal space), I realize I need to “up” my coffee game and it’s not just the coffee maker. I think I need to do a better job selecting beans – potentially making my own blends – and definitely grinding the coffee myself. It’s ironic, because I’m someone who is all about making nearly everything from scratch. From breakfast pancakes – there’s no Bisquick here – to my own salad dressings to fresh food prepared for nearly every meal. I buy raw ingredients and create from there. But coffee? I’ve been taking the easy way out for over 35 years.
So, because I have a relatively easy end of the week with a short day today and another long weekend ahead of me, I’m going to gameplan here. First, I have to find a coffee maker. I’ve read more reviews than I thought was humanly possible and I’ve asked too many people to count. It’s time to pull the trigger.
Next, I’m going on the hunt for good coffee beans. I may order a couple of bags of different beans and do a single-bean brew until I can figure out how each one tastes. From there, I’ll experiment with a blend. And for once in my cooking life? Yes, I’ll use measurements and take notes. (I know, I’ve promised to do this before but this time I really mean it.) It’s a total departure for me from everything that’s familiar, but it has to be done. A girl really needs a good cup of coffee. I just can’t be playing all loosey-goosey with this. It’s time to get serious.
So, as I pause for a few seconds to grab my mug, wrap my hand firmly around the warm ceramic and lift a still partially steaming cup to my lips, I wish you good coffee this morning as well as a good morning. Cheers!
The Yuppie Homesteader 