I grew up with Scottish parents who drank tea 12 times a day. My mom had a small jar of Sanka instant coffee on hand just in case company preferred a coffee to tea. When caffeine was necessary to get through life in high school, Pepsi was my choice. It wasn’t until college that I really started to drink coffee.
I went to college in the 90’s, so it was the start of the indy coffeeshop craze and introduction of espresso and cappuccino to most of us. Thanks to Seattle and grunge rock, drinking coffee was cool again. And not just any coffee – fancy coffee. Espresso, cappuccinos and lattes. I remember the first time I heard of a latte, I thought “What’s a latte?”
Then I worked as a barista for several years of my college career and I make a mean foam. My foam brought all the boys to the yard. Seriously, do you know how hard it is to find someone who makes good foam? Very, very hard to find.
This is where I learned the difference between a latte and a cappuccino. I have since realized half the baristas I’ve encountered don’t know the difference between a latte and a cappuccino. And if they do, they don’t care to make it correctly. The milk to foam ratio is never correct.
It was working there that I started to love coffee. When a French guy tells you you make good espresso, you pay attention. If I wasn’t good at anything else, I was good at making coffee. But, much like anything else I eat and drink, I have to have my coffee in moderation. I typically only have one cup in the morning.
I like a dark roast and I’ve managed the perfect balance of water to coffee. For one cup. If I need to make more, it gets a little sketchy and becomes an experiment in weak vs. strong. I have my coffee with milk and sugar.
Even if I didn’t love coffee, I love the ritual of having coffee each morning. It’s honestly one of my favorite times of the day. I like to take my time drinking my coffee, and working from home gives me that luxury. However, now I have a bit of a commute taking my daughter to school, so sometimes I have to drink my coffee in the car.
And you know what I love more than drinking coffee? Drinking coffee with a friend. Or multiple friends; even better. If I can have my coffee with my sisters, or a friend, my heart is full and my cup is empty.