Coffee Buzzed

I'm a big time coffee enthusiast. Not of the sort that wishes he could hook up an IV to stream the brew into his blood, but the kind that enjoys it as a morning ritual -- the scent greeting me as I try to wake up, the warmth of the mug in my hand, and the full-bodied flavor preparing me for the day -- and as a great companion for work or weekend morning writing sessions. About a month ago, I woke up on one of those Saturday mornings and had forgotten to get more coffee. I shrugged it off, thinking I would be fine skipping it. Big mistake. By about eleven o'clock, I felt the withdraw like I had never felt before -- a headache and a weakness in my body. It was then I came to a realization. I may very well be an actual addict. I've been drinking coffee on and off in my life for about fourteen years -- decaf when I was young. Over the past few months, I've been drinking it every morning, which was probably the cause of the withdraw. Now, I make sure to drink it in moderation, averaging around only two cups a morning and resist it in the afternoon. Coffee has gotten a bad health rap, and recent studies have shown evidence to the contrary. I was pleasantly surprised to read an article in the Courier-Journal (the local newspaper here in Louisville) about the health benefits of coffee a short time after that morning. The link to it on their website was dead, but I found the summary of what it cited here.

I relish in trying new beans. I usually get the varieties at Heine Brothers and have decided the Peruvian kind is my favorite. These beans are lighter than I normally prefer, but the taste is bolder than what the beans would indicate, yet balanced between full-bodied and smooth, a rareity. Lizz has an old time bean grinder her grandmother gave her, and I've taken pleasure in grinding the beans myself, a dedication to fresh coffee I've never taken up before. I go for coffee that's from local shops here in Louisville and are usually organic and fairly traded. Right now I've given a different shop a try, the Costa Rican kind from Sunergos. It's one of the most aromatic coffees I've bought. It has smooth and sweet notes in the taste with a slight boldness, though I wish it was a little bolder, because that's my personal preference. I will definitely be trying more from them though. You can pick up a package of their beans, not only in their store, but also at Rainbow Blossom if you live in Louisville and are looking for good coffee.

Fear not, on that sluggish weekend afternoon, I was able to get my fix with frozen Kroger coffee, which cleared up my headache and perked me up for the rest of the day. In the end, I'll take anything to indulge my coffee comfort. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a java junkie.