Good Coffee Makes for a Good Day

Truth, I am powerless over something in my life.

I am ready to take my first step. Sounds funny but I have, to be honest with you and admit that I have an intense love for coffee. You may even call it an intense habit or addiction. My habit or possible addiction is not to alcohol, tobacco, or sex, it is to coffee.

But in my mind, my coffee habit is good and beneficial. Coffee is my one and only my pleasures in life. I think about it first thing every day. To be truthful, I was not introduced to this hot beverage until I was 35 years old. Before that, I couldn't even stand the taste of it before then.

My father was a coffee drinker. One of my most cherished memories was when he would crack open a fresh can of coffee for him. When I heard the sound of the pressure releasing, I would breathe in that first smell of coffee and savor it. At that time, I came to find out later, the smell embedded it's self into my subconscious mind.

Since then many years passed between those memorable mornings in my childhood home until my first taste of morning java at the age of 35. It has since become a joy in my life. In fact, I am drinking my favorite brew as I create this article. I am very lucky that I am not caffeine sensitive and drinking coffee doesn't keep me up at night nor does it give me the shakes from drinking too much.

Coffee has been proven in studies to increase clarity of thought, increase brain power, enhance memory, increase physical and mental energy as well as help personal resilience. I know for some that the caffeine is too much and can be harmful but for the large majority of people, coffee can be beneficial. Coffee can offer some good health benefits in moderation. Be sure to drink coffee responsibly.

For me, my favorite style of coffee is black. I like my coffee naked without anything in it to reduce its flavor. I like to smell and taste the different types of coffee beans. I feel that anything added decreases the enjoyment. Unless it’s a big dollop of my daughter's fresh made whipped cream.

Over the years of drinking coffee, each type of bean presents a different taste. I have learned that each bean also presents a different smell. Some taste and smell sweet, and others sharp. I have found that where they are grown and what type of soil in which they are grown in, as well as the water (minerals) and temperature range, can determine how the coffee bean will smell and taste and eventually brew.

Coffee can be turned into a beverage in many different ways. Each method of processing can create a different smell, strength, and taste depending on how they are prepared.

The coffee bean itself can be prepared by grinding, burr-grinding, chopping, pounding or roller grinding. There are different grinders used to produce each effect mention. Try each to see which gives you the smell and taste you want.

Boiling Method

– the main method used for brewing coffee until the 1930s and is still used in some Nordic and Middle Eastern countries. The aromatic oils in coffee are released at 96C (205F), which is just below boiling, while the bitter acids are released when the water has reached boiling point. The simplest method of boiling is to put the ground coffee in a cup, pour in hot water and let it cool while the grounds sink to the bottom.

Steeping Method

– this method is achieved by using a tall, narrow cylinder with a plunger that includes a metal or nylon mesh filter. The grounds are placed in the cylinder, and boiling water is then poured into it. The coffee and hot water are left in the cylinder for a few minutes (typically 4–7 minutes) and the plunger is pushed down, leaving the filter immediately above the grounds, allowing the coffee to be poured out while the filter retains the grounds.

Filtration Method

– the method of draining or seeping hot water through a porous material or filter that holds the ground coffee and drips into a decanter. This is the American style of preparing coffee commonly known as percolating.

Pressure Method

- this method of brewing coffee by forcing steam under pressure through darkly roasted, powdered coffee beans. Pressure method is what I use for my method brew, Espresso.

Over the years, I have tasted different coffees from all around the world. I have settled on two distinct types to fit my taste and stomach: Columbian and Cuban coffee. Why? They are both sweet coffees and are low in bitterness.

Why might you ask? They are both sweet coffees, low in bitterness and acidity.

Columbian Coffee

- The Columbian coffee bean is hardy and has a vintage. The bean will vary in taste due to soil variance, changes in the climate and the amount of rain in any given year.

Cuban Coffee

- The Cuban coffee bean is grown in Cuba. Cuban coffee is a very strong but sweet coffee. The Cuban bean is grown and marketed more for espresso. Cuban espresso has cultural significance in Cuba.

I have found that I am unique. So are my taste in coffees. Therefore, I developed my own blend of coffee to fit my taste. I would like to share my special blend. I blend two different types of coffee. I take a generic Columbian ground coffee and a Cuban espresso ground coffee to increase the flavor and blend them together. I have found that they combine nicely with a deep robust taste. Both mixed together produce a sweet taste, no bitterness and almost no acidity which is gentle to my stomach.

To accent it I put in a tablespoon of homemade whip cream on top. I want to warn you that it can be so tasty that you will want it that way after your first sip.

Warning be careful with using whipping cream regularly if you have a cholesterol problem.

Here is the recipe for making a fresh and flavorful whip cream.

Pour a quart of heavy whipping cream in a cold metal mixing bowl; add two cups of granulated sugar and a splash of vanilla extract. If you have an upright stand mixer; it works the best and makes the whip cream real fluffy. Mix on high until the whipped cream is light and fluffy.

But if you don't have one any hand mixer a strong arm will do perfectly.

No matter how you like your coffee it is my hopes that you enjoy it as much as I do.