Confessions of a "Gourmet" Coffee Drinker

This is a very special occasion for me. It has been exactly 181 days since I last smoked a cigarette, according to a web site called Smokers' Helpline Online. Published by the Canadian Cancer Society, the web site also provides information on how much life I have gained since quitting. In my case, the web site states that I have gained an additional 33 days, 20 hours and approximately one minute in my life expectancy.

During the past six months, I have made a few changes to my lifestyle. At the suggestion of the Cancer Society's telephone support service, I have taken to drinking copious amounts of water in a tall glass using straws that I acquired across the street at the local food market. As a result, I find myself drinking a lot less tea (my former beverage of choice while at home). I do however continue to purchase a cup of brewed coffee when I am out of the house (a long time custom of mine).  Another change in my routine is that I have taken to drinking the occasional cup of instant coffee prepared by a friend of mine when I am at her home visiting. Lately she has also taken to bringing some instant coffee to my home when she comes to my place for a visit. Partly to accommodate her I have also on occasion purchased  a jar of instant coffee (Maxwell House) The ostensible reason I bought the instant coffee was because my friend prefers coffee (particularly instant coffee, which takes less time to make than coffee does using the French Press -- the same French Press that remains on loan to me from Destination Cafe). The fact that I occasionally drink instant coffee is somewhat embarrassing for someone who has written about the superiority of freshly brewed coffee in such detail. I suspect that the reason why this is so is because I like my coffee with liberal amounts of milk and sugar, which masks so much of the bitterness that so many people take for granted when drinking their coffee.

Justifications like this aside, I still prefer the fresher taste of coffee that has been brewed using percolators or (better still) the French Press, but if feeling somewhat lazy and if it is my friend who is preparing the instant coffee, I actually don't mind it that much. In fact, I rather like it.

All this does not mean that I like the stuff on a regular basis. But there is still something special about coffee that takes only as long to make as boiling water and adding sugar, milk and a spoonful of coffee crystals. Freeze-dried or not, coffee in moderation still has a place in my life.  It is only a question of taking each cupful of coffee on its own unique terms.

As always, readers are welcome to share their thoughts on the subject of tea or coffee in writing at any time.

Happy coffee and tea drinking!