Tag: espresso

30 Things I Love: Coffee

coffee

My friends and family know I love coffee. In fact, this is the 5th post about coffee this year!

For many years, I liked the smell of coffee, but didn’t enjoy the taste. I got my caffeine fix through soda (we call it pop here in Minnesota), but that wasn’t as pleasant to drink right away in the morning. Then, my friends eased me into coffee drinking. Now, I am totally addicted.

I know we all have different olfactory sensitivities, and that plays an important role in how we perceive taste. I happen to be one of those with a more sensitive nose. If a food’s taste doesn’t match the aroma, I probably won’t like it as well. I discovered that I liked the taste of coffee, if it tasted how the beans smelled when they were freshly ground. This may be the reason this Mrs Olson doesn’t enjoy Folgers as much as other coffee.

I’ve said before that I like the ritual of drinking coffee in the morning while catching up on social media, and reading the news. I also love having coffee right away in the morning as a wake to fire up the old brain cells so I can function in the morning. This is probably why I liked the quote on my photo so well. Another good thing about coffee in the morning, is that I can fake being a morning person once the caffeine kicks in. Before I became a coffee drinker, I’m not sure how I survived being married to a happy morning person!

Some people are pretty opinionated on how dark your coffee needs to be (black coffee, no cream, no sugar is their preference), but I like all types of coffee. My favorite coffee style is a mocha latte made with 1/2 ounce of dark chocolate syrup, 8 ounces of 2% milk, and 4 ounces of espresso. Sometimes I’ll brew another shot, but I try to reserve that for really tough days. Otherwise I’m a little like Hammy in Over the Hedge. If I’m drinking brewed coffee, and not espresso, I like it with just a splash of milk. If the roast is good, and the coffee tastes how it smells, I’ll drink it black. The choices on how to make your coffee are one of the things I love about it. You can make your coffee according to what will make you happy that day.

Are you a coffee drinker? How do you enjoy your coffee?

Day 1: Pizza

Day 2: Shoes

Day 3: Shout Stain Remover

Day 4: The Ability to Vote

Day 5: My Heritage

Day 6: NASCAR

Day 7: Black Velvet for Photography

Day 8: Strong Coffee and Strong Hairspray

Day 9: Peacefulness

Day 10: Winter’s First Snow

Day 11: Freedom

Day 12: Dairy

Day 13: Jonathan

Day 14: Coffee

Click here to go to Holly Spangler’s blog, and see the link for other 30 Day Challenge Bloggers

 

 

It’s National Coffee Day!

National Coffee Day

I wasn’t always a coffee lover. I loved the smell more than the taste, so I didn’t mind sitting in coffee shops with my friends, the Domestic Goddesses. Then they encouraged me to try different types of coffee. Soon, I fell in love. I have many types of implements to make coffee with…a French press, electric drip coffee maker, filter cone, and my favorite…my espresso machine. Along with the implements, comes the need for good coffee beans. I may be a Mrs Olson, but I don’t serve Folgers. Right now, my favorite is Love Buzz, a free trade coffee that I purchase through my church. It isn’t bitter when brewed correctly, and works really well in my espresso machine.

I live two hours from a Starbucks, one hour from a Caribou (my favorite Midwestern coffee chain), and 11 miles from my favorite local coffee shop. With that in mind, for my 40th birthday, Jonathan gave me an espresso machine. I loved it! In fact, I loved it so much, I wore it out. Last July, my three daughters bought me a replacement. This time, it is a semi-automatic espresso machine, which means that after the water and coffee reservoirs are filled, all I have to do is push one button and it does the rest for me. It makes those tough mornings do-able for me…who am I kidding? Every morning is a tough morning for me!

The routine of drinking coffee with my breakfast every morning, while at the same time reading blogs and catching up on social media has become something that I miss when I’m traveling. For me, it’s a nice, gentle way to begin my day.

How do you like your coffee? Do you need a cuppa joe to get you started in the morning, or are you more of a I-really-have-to-stay-awake-and-I’m-desperate type?