Beverage of choice

I have always been a coffee drinker. i love the smell and the taste. no black coffee for me though, make mine sweet and light.  Interesting to look back over 40 years of coffee enjoyment and see what remains the same and all the changes.

Over the years i have used just about every brand of coffee. Maxwell house was the staple for so long then it seemed to become bitter to me.  Folgers is ok, but my favorites are chase & sanborn and chock full o' nuts.  I even had a period of time when i drank Postum, a non coffee substitute.  honestly, you can get used to anything given time.

I have used every type of sweetener, both artificial and natural.  White sugar, honey, raw sugar, and now agava syrup:    http://allaboutagave.com/     Most of the artificial sweeteners too;   saccharin, equal,  splenda  (the current artificial rage). 
One of the new natural sweeteners, Stevia, is also gaining in popularity here. http://www.steviaextractintheraw.com/Our-Products.aspx
but it can  leave a bitter taste, so finding one that is non bitter is a must.

i have never been a fan of  dry creamers. Dry serves no purpose in the equation. even the liquid coffee creamers have not interested me.  When we bought milk from the farm, i often used the cream that rose to the top.  Milk went from raw whole milk to 1%.    I   use  Almond  milk now too.    The liquid component of my cup of coffee is to cool it enough to drink it down.  Cream does not work, as i always use too much. 

Using other than sugar does require a period of trial and error, fine tuning the amounts used make for the perfect cup of joe.   Most times, less is exactly what you need.    Many claim artificial sweeteners seem to leave a taste, making it more important to use just enough and not spoil the coffee drinking enjoyment.

Over the years, i have learned to tolerate and finally enjoy the flavored coffees.  There was a time, when i could just be hooked up to the caffeine I.V. to get the jolt i needed. the flavored coffees distracted me from my enjoyment of the scent of coffee brewing.  With the advent of cappuccino and latte and coffee houses dedicated to the brew, we are all exposed to coffee being elevated to an art form. Once you could get coffee, sweet and light, now you need a college course to decipher the many ways to have that morning eye opener.

The future comes to upper bucks county.  We even have a starbucks here!  my my, how the Washington state love of strong coffee has spread here to the east. Just a little too strong and bitter for me. 

And the reason for the coffee talk?  a recent trip to BJ's and i noted "winter spice coffee". how interesting.... nice container, 28 ounce. (28 oz is the new 32oz) not sure why i decided to try it, but after the first pot i was hooked. A good arabica coffee with the addition of nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom and allspice. The smell is delightful.  I mentioned to a friend, a coffee drinker, and back to the store i went to get some for her and more for me.

coffee is just one of  the best companions you can have  to start the day.   I don;t need to fly around the room any more from the caffeine overload.  i just need a little nudge after i read the paper and start the day's routine.

Good Morning Coffee!