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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Writer’s Workshop: 10 reasons to love or hate coffee


My first job out of high school was at Bucks County Coffee in our local grocery store. It was Hagerstown first coffee shop with arabica beans. Prior to this experience coffee meant something instant in a can and I didn't drink it. This little shop opened a life long love for coffee. I learned about fresh roasted beans served within one month of roasting (throw or given away when over a month old) and the wonderful world of espresso drinks.

I went to college the following year in Pittsburgh and worked at coffee shops for three years. Here are a few reasons why I love and also hate coffee:

10 Reasons I LOVE coffee:
  1. I love the taste so regardless of the time of day I am happy to get coffee!
  2. There is so much variety! Every country in the world seems to have a different version.
  3. Cuban coffee is great in Miami; Coladas & Kolaches, full of sugar and strong espresso, delicious!!
  4. Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, wonderful tasty chicory coffee! I went there in 1999 and fell in love with the beautiful outdoor cafe with this amazing coffee and beignets. It's even sold at Whole Foods so I can still enjoy it today.
  5. Bucks County Coffee - still has the best coffee in the world due to their dedication of providing only fresh roasted beans.
  6. Venti lattes on a cold New York morning - I still remember my trip in December back in 2004 when it was so frigid cold the only thing that could keep me warm was a giant steaming hot latte from Starbucks.
  7. Ice cold lattes on a hot summer day!
  8. Lattes at Cheesecake Factory come in a glass mug with a swizzle sugar stick, elegant and tasty!
  9. Tanzanian Peaberry - my favorite regular coffee from Bucks. A Peaberry is a freak of nature in that it's a single pod bean where beans are typically double sided.
  10. Finally, it wakes me up!

10 things I HATE about coffee
  1. Expensive restaurants make the WORST coffee! Why they want to end the meal on a bittersweet moment is beyond me!!!
  2. Coffee flavored ice-cream. Bleach!
  3. Starbucks decaf lattes, gross!
  4. Starbucks regular coffee, over roasted to the point of being burnt!
  5. Diner coffee sucks.
  6. Flavored coffee, puke! No offense to anyone who loves this, particularly my parents! When I worked at Bucks I was allowed to take it home and got them both addicted for life to this stuff! Glad it worked for them though!
  7. McDonalds frappucinos - because they are a cruel joke by only containing a minor amount of coffee.
  8. I hate the fact that it's addictive. The fact that when you don't drink it and get headaches sucks.
  9. I hate the fact that it's not locally grown in the continental United States therefore it has to be shipped causing it to be less environmentally friendly.
  10. I hate the fact that coffee is really nothing more than water and beans and it cost so much! $4 - 5 bucks of coffee is insane! That's why I mostly make mine at home.

6 comments:

crazywildberry said...

My favorite coffee right now is the Kenyan coffee that my sister's mil gave to us. It's delish! And I love hazelnut coffee. ;-P However, you made me the best cappuccinos. And lattes. Yum! I have good memories of you getting me hooked on the stuff too. My absolute first memories of coffee was of my dad drinking it. He takes it with sugar (lots) and cream. The first time I drank it was when I was about 7 (??) and it was so sweet and creamy. On the other hand, my mother likes to tease him that she is more mature because she drinks it black. :-P Yuck!

Do you remember that old bitty that tried to get you to deliver room service at the hotel in Pittsburgh? LOL! Good times!

With Bowl + Spoon said...

Here's another reason to hate most commercial coffee, http://www.blackgoldmovie.com/

I've learned to ask for "Fair Trade"...when a nickle more per kilo can be the difference of shoes or no shoes, school or no school, the Starbucks of the world can fork it over!

Shell said...

It really is crazy expensive if you get it somewhere like Starbucks. I'd rather have a dessert.

Amanda said...

For some reason this post made me giggle...I'm more of a tea drinker though.
Love about coffee: The smell (it's glorious to me)
Hate about coffee: It puts me to sleep!

I did try a tall decaf creme brule @ Starbucks last year and it was good.

Caterina said...

For some reason, I always jump to the conclusion that everyone that loves coffee is supposed to love coffee ice cream. And then surprised when they don't, ha!

I also hate that it's addictive, and force myself to go without a few days at a time.

And agreed !!! about the expensive restaurants and their nasty coffee. They really should step it up more.

Anonymous said...

YES!! to numbers 3 and 4.Cafe Cubano is yuuum.

We have a #5 close to me. It's called Cool Beans, and they roast their own coffee. Make the local square smell delicious.

#8 is certainly a delight. I don't know why coffee tastes magical from a glass mug.