I absolutely ADORE coffee. I love the Coffeehouse culture. It's one of the sort of affordable treats I can give myself. Now I need to differentiate what I mean by Coffee and coffee. When I talk about coffee or more specifically espresso drinks, I am not referring to the stuff you can get thirty-two ounces of at a convenience store for ninety-nine cents. No, no no! I mean the stuff you either go to a good coffeehouse to find, or make for yourself at home with a REAL espresso machine. To me, a cappuccino, for example should be in a small cup no more than eight ounces and consist of one third each of the following: espresso, milk, and froth. It should be a beauty to behold and even better to consume. It should make you happy and possibly even a little bit ''holier than thou', just for the sake of sipping its creamy deliciousness. You should feel regal and pompous and possibly a bit 'beatnik' as well, and maybe even a bit naughty.
coffee (emphasis, little 'c') is something that you drink to get you through the day when no other caffeinated substance will suffice. Its the thing that you may quickly buy on your way to work at the gas station just as your morning ritual. This thing however may taste positively wretched and evil, but somehow, you still manage to gulp it all down for the sake of the extra boost you feel you need to get through your day. This substance I speak of, coffee, with a little 'c'. is not COFFEE, but it does have its moments in our lives and I do think even though the following statement may get me strange looks from the artisan coffee brigade,there are times when little 'c' is sufficient when the big 'C' is not around for whatever the reason.
As for Coffeehouses, I love the diversity of them. I love them head to toe, from their tiny street corner kiosks to their prime location, designer decorated, corporate logo'd brilliance. Yes, that means I even like Starbucks, and for the matter, Seattle's Best Coffee, and Peet's Coffee to name three.
There are even times when the atmosphere of the coffeehouse by itself is all I need to feel that caffeine high. Sometimes, though not often, I can almost overlook things like Batista's using the word "eXpresso" (eXtremely annoying, btw) instead of espresso or the beverage of choice not being quite up to par, if the ambiance is dazzling. For the most part, I almost always, without a doubt, hands down, prefer a private little 'mom and pop' coffeehouse to the BIG guys out there.
Either way, Coffee is one of my happy times in life. Its one of my many regular rituals that I enjoy to the hilt. Someday I hope to be able to visit and experience Coffee France, Italy, Austria and other places around the world. I suppose I will have to wait for that....for now at least.
