Coffee Love

I love coffee. Coffee, coffee, coffee.

Sometimes I daydream about the coffee experience.

When Joel gets up for work, he makes a pot of coffee. As the coffee starts to brew, the strong, awakening scent dances through the kitchen, waltzes up the stairs (seriously, three beats per bar), sashays into our room and tickles my nose. Yes, Folgers, coffee is (one of the) best parts of waking up.

About a year ago, when Emmett was first born, our schedule was all over the place. However, I made sure I fit enjoying a cup of coffee in at some point in the day. I looked forward to that glorious cup of coffee from when I woke up to when the first sip burned my eager mouth.

My Oma used to have glass mugs for coffee. I remember when I was a kid, loving to watch my parents, my Oma, my Opa and my aunts and uncles prepare their coffee because I could see everything. I loved to watch the white cream burst into the rich coffee, creating a billowing cloud in the blackness before turning the coffee into a beautiful light tan colour.

As much as I love my collection of various coffee mugs (a Starbucks mug, a Batman mug, a couple of “Emmett” mugs, my go-with-anything-green Zellers mugs, our “New Dad” and “New Mom” mugs and our tiny white Corel “church” cups), don’t you think the adult version of the sippy cup (also known as takeout coffee cups) brings the most satisfaction? My sister makes these little fleece sleeves to put around Tim Horton’s cups that just make you feel like you are in coffee heaven. Warm, soft, happy—satisfaction.

Coffee is so wonderful: I love the look of the different coffee brand labels. The gurgling sound of the coffee maker. The aroma of a fresh brew. The coffee cup selection. The mixing of the coffee with cream (no sugar, please). The little spoon clinking happily against the sides of the mug. The biting taste. Starting to feel more awake and alert. Feeling extra enthusiastic doing whatever I was doing (talking, typing, reading, talking, thinking, talking). The whole idea of the “coffee break.” Having something to look forward to. Having something to look forward to daily.

Atop all of these amazing pros perches the social pro of coffee. I love getting together with someone for coffee. Coffee shared with a friend tastes sweeter. (See, this is why I don’t need sugar.)

“Let’s get together for coffee.” “Let’s meet for coffee.” “Wanna go out for coffee?” “Let’s talk over coffee.”

I started thinking about the fact that coffee shops have become meeting places of all kinds. Going out for coffee is an acceptable compromise for a couple still getting to know each other—it’s still a date but not as “involved” as dinner—more casual, less expectation. Tim Horton’s is a regular meeting place for old friends. Whenever the drive-thru is so long that I decide to go inside, I see people slumped in chairs that look like they live there. Some of them probably do pretty much live there.

What about business? Interviews? Deals? Run-of-the-mill meetings? Many a business idea has been discussed over coffee.

I wonder about all the conversations that take place in a coffee shop. You know the expression, “If these walls could talk”? To hear the walls of a house dictate the conversations had over the years would be really interesting, but what about a place that people go to just to talk? Imagine if the walls of Tim Horton’s could talk. Imagine if Starbucks had ears. What would it be able to tell you?

What kinds of things would it remember? What would it wish it could forget? 

Breakups, date interview questions, opinions, funny banter? 

Secrets, wisdom, mindless chatter? 

Complaints, news, senseless mumbling?

I’ll end this post with an interesting quote I found when I looked around at some sites online about coffee. This one, in reference to those who are dependent on coffee, is from http://www.cofei.com/culture/social-aspects-of-coffee.html (last paragraph):

“As addictions go, coffee seems harmless enough and, unlike some addictions, relatively affordable. And according to a British study, coffee drinkers show a lower suicide rate than non-coffee drinkers, and an even more recent study showed mental functions operated at a higher level when coffee was poured into the cup, though sad to say the study also showed that the coffee drinkers were more easily swayed as far as their opinions went, so happy were they with life.”

Yeah…right. Watch out, coffee lovers! Don’t invite the pushy salesman who came to your door in for coffee!