We have been trying lots of different kinds of coffee since we moved to a new city. While there can be a lot of fun ways to explore a new town, having to find a new coffee has not been one of them for me.
Last year, at a conference in Florida, when we had gone from the hotel to the conference site without anything more than a bad cup of hotel coffee, we found that we kept complaining to people that we needed a "real" cup of coffee to get ourselves on track. We kept asking people we ran into where we could get a "real" cup of coffee, and finally got directions to the cafe all the way across the campus where the conference was taking place. Casey said something to me like, he never thought he would become one of those people who complained so much about bad coffee and needing a good cup of coffee. "A coffee snob," I said. "Yes, we are coffee snobs. There's nothing wrong with that."
Life's too short to drink bad coffee, if you can help it.
Our friend Dave told us he drinks coffee from a can, Folgers or whatever he can get at Big K where he works. Sometimes he just reheats a cup of coffee from the day before leftovers. That made my skin crawl.
Okay, yeah, hey now, wait a minute, it's not that I didn't used to do that too: make coffee from whatever was cheapest or on sale at the store, use a paper towel for a filter, run water through old grounds because we were totally out of coffee, depend on the corner gas station to be my morning coffee stop, etc. Been there, done that. I'm just saying I'd like to think I've graduated from that, just like I have a lot of other phases in my life. And I also understand that some people will spend their whole lives there, and that's fine for them. But, for now, I'm a coffee snob.
The best coffee? Higher Grounds
After years of trying lots of different kinds of coffees, these guys take the cake. Their best coffee of all time, unfortunately, is out of stock right now, the Mut Vit. It was one of the darkest, oiliest, full-bodied coffees we have ever had the pure pleasure of drinking each morning. Unfortunately, Higher Grounds' warehouse was located in New Orleans and, you guessed it, they lost their entire year's supply of this bean. Not something you can recoup from immediately. They have to wait until the next crop season to get this bean back in stock. For now, however, they have a Sumatran to take its place, and a great decaf blend. This is truly coffee that will knock your socks off, and is a great cause to support with your dollar power.
Second best coffee? Hubbard Lake Coffee Roasters
We met these roasters when we lived up north in Michigan. A doctor at the local hospital and her husband. He does most of the roasting and selling the coffee locally. We were skeptical of their beans at first. They didn't have any fair trade when they first started, although they do now. Where they get their other beans is a concern, and they don't say much about it on their web site, although this is a "trade secret." Still, if they were working directly with the growers, like Higher Grounds does, it would be an open selling point. Hubbard Lake went through a growing phase in which we weren't really thrilled with their coffee, but then, once we had to use it as a backup and tried it again, we were really pleased with their dark blends. Great stuff, local folks, so that matters too.
Third best? Starbucks
No kidding. Starbucks has come out with organic coffees and fair trade coffees to meet the demands of its socially conscious consumers. I've been drinking Starbucks for well over a decade now, and I really can't stand those people who whine about what a mega-corp they are with all their chains. Starbucks started as a small coffee shop. I actually think it's great they've become so large and well-known; they are a success story in business. I mean, seriously, if you started a business, wouldn't you want it to do well? That's what they did. There are still small coffee operations around that do just fine (unlike the WalMart model of business plundering). Not every coffee shop is a Starbucks, and that's great. I visit as many coffee shops in any given town as possible, and prefer the locals over Starbucks because I'm out for an adventure. But, given a need for caffiene in a strange town, I'm going for the first cafe I can find, and that's often times a Starbucks. Not to mention in the airports! THANK GOD for Starbucks in the airports!
So, as I sit here and type this, what am I drinking? Alas, Starbucks this morning, as I have an order in with Higher Grounds that is on its way: ten pounds of coffee winging its way across the state to come directly to my doorstep. Now that's heaven.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Most Days
I love to get up in the morning. I love that quiet time in the house, when the world is still dark to my eyes and I depend on electricity to not trip and stumble down the stairs. I like it not bright in the morning. Muted light. I make my way through the house and get ready to take the dog out for a run. I turn the porch light off and step outside into the dark of morning, as though leaving the light on would make me noticeable to - well, to nobody - but it makes me feel stealth to step out into the darkness. By cat standards, it's really not that dark, and it only takes a moment for my eyes to adjust and be ready to set off on our run.
I like coming home to a quiet house, letting the cat out, the dog in, and finding my husband still warmly wrapped up in the flannel sheets and comforter in bed, snoring away (okay dear, breathing deeply...). There is such an incredible sense of comfort and calm to all of this simplicity. I relish in it within. I can feel it bubbling in me, a kind of self satisfaction with this life. It's a wonderful feeling that comes from really doing nothing but being who I am, where I am.
It's this time of morning I feel I meditate through the motions of my day. I breathe deeply through each task: running, stretching, yoga, making coffee, taking a shower. I believe in moving meditations, just being aware of and in the moment of the movements in which our bodies participate. The mind as working with and separate from this body, being it as well as seeing it. Routine, but aware.
By the time the light breaks on the day and I'm clean and caffeinated, I feel I have stepped out of my cocoon and am ready to alight. Most days are like this. And that's a good thing.
I like coming home to a quiet house, letting the cat out, the dog in, and finding my husband still warmly wrapped up in the flannel sheets and comforter in bed, snoring away (okay dear, breathing deeply...). There is such an incredible sense of comfort and calm to all of this simplicity. I relish in it within. I can feel it bubbling in me, a kind of self satisfaction with this life. It's a wonderful feeling that comes from really doing nothing but being who I am, where I am.
It's this time of morning I feel I meditate through the motions of my day. I breathe deeply through each task: running, stretching, yoga, making coffee, taking a shower. I believe in moving meditations, just being aware of and in the moment of the movements in which our bodies participate. The mind as working with and separate from this body, being it as well as seeing it. Routine, but aware.
By the time the light breaks on the day and I'm clean and caffeinated, I feel I have stepped out of my cocoon and am ready to alight. Most days are like this. And that's a good thing.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Wind Chill = No Run
Too cold this morning to go running. I could barely even get myself out of bed, not because of the cold, no, exactly the opposite. The heat was left turned up last night, which makes my head feel like a bag of rocks when I wake up. Anyone who lives in warm weather who might read this is going to think I'm crazy, but we keep the house at 67 during the day, and 61 at night. Even during the day, one degree of difference either way and I can tell; I either feel too warm or too cold. And at night, I've got to have it cool or my poor brain feels like it's set on simmer all night. I would have thought this very strange, except I know my parents sleep with a window cracked open in their bedroom all winter long. If the window isn't left open, my mom says she can't sleep or wakes up feeling groggy. Is this some kind of genetic medical condition? Or just general psychosis...
It's 20 outside this morning, which isn't so bad I wouldn't run, except for the rocks in my head, which cold air does help sometimes. No, it's the wind chill making it actually 8 degrees out that made me say, "Screw it. I'm staying in this morning." Not to mention that by noon it's supposed to be 38 degrees. Given the option, since it is a Sunday, no school, and no football until 3:30, I'm going to hold out for a noon run. The dog will just have to be happy to quack his duck around the house until then.
It's 20 outside this morning, which isn't so bad I wouldn't run, except for the rocks in my head, which cold air does help sometimes. No, it's the wind chill making it actually 8 degrees out that made me say, "Screw it. I'm staying in this morning." Not to mention that by noon it's supposed to be 38 degrees. Given the option, since it is a Sunday, no school, and no football until 3:30, I'm going to hold out for a noon run. The dog will just have to be happy to quack his duck around the house until then.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
No School This Morning
Dang! Who ordered the ice? But, I gotta say, niiiiiiice. No school. At least, not until 11:00. All the public schools in the area are closed, of course, but the college will open three hours late. Just enough for me to miss my first class. YIPPEE!!
I had no idea this was coming. I had a crappy night's sleep, got up at 4am, moved to the sofa and had another hour or so of fitful sleep. Finally got up and let the dog out. I heard a loud thump on the porch followed the the shuffling scrapes of his paws against the wood. I thought maybe he was scrambling after a cat or something. I looked out to see him standing there, looking a bit bewildered down at the porch and steps. Covered with ice. He had fallen and scrambled back up and was now wondering what the heck he was supposed to do to navigate this stuff.
I called him back in and suited up for a walk. It was raining and 24 degrees out. The back deck was covered with a sheet of ice, and the sidewalks glistened with it. We had to walk on people's lawns and on the terraces to keep from falling over! Poor Scrappy did a funky dog shuffle several times when he ventured off the grass and onto the sidewalk. Good thing he's young and limber!
It should clear up by noon, as the temperature rises. So, not a complete snow day for me, but something is better than nothing. I've so far spent a solid hour writing--in my journal, on a piece I'm working on for possible publication, and now on this. Two cups of coffee and a banana muffin, and I'd say it's starting out to be a pretty darn good day!
***
Later day update: No school all day! Double yippee! Counting on the rain and freezing temeratures to continue on through tomorrow...please...although, of course, keep all travelers safe, but CLOSE THE SCHOOLS!
I had no idea this was coming. I had a crappy night's sleep, got up at 4am, moved to the sofa and had another hour or so of fitful sleep. Finally got up and let the dog out. I heard a loud thump on the porch followed the the shuffling scrapes of his paws against the wood. I thought maybe he was scrambling after a cat or something. I looked out to see him standing there, looking a bit bewildered down at the porch and steps. Covered with ice. He had fallen and scrambled back up and was now wondering what the heck he was supposed to do to navigate this stuff.
I called him back in and suited up for a walk. It was raining and 24 degrees out. The back deck was covered with a sheet of ice, and the sidewalks glistened with it. We had to walk on people's lawns and on the terraces to keep from falling over! Poor Scrappy did a funky dog shuffle several times when he ventured off the grass and onto the sidewalk. Good thing he's young and limber!
It should clear up by noon, as the temperature rises. So, not a complete snow day for me, but something is better than nothing. I've so far spent a solid hour writing--in my journal, on a piece I'm working on for possible publication, and now on this. Two cups of coffee and a banana muffin, and I'd say it's starting out to be a pretty darn good day!
***
Later day update: No school all day! Double yippee! Counting on the rain and freezing temeratures to continue on through tomorrow...please...although, of course, keep all travelers safe, but CLOSE THE SCHOOLS!
Sunday, January 15, 2006
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