Better coffee. One cup at a time.

Month: March 2016

Time for a Coffee Blog Break

Last April (in the flurry of the hectic beginnings of spring) I published my first “Coffee Break” post. This year my breaking point came a month earlier and the load is a lot heavier. With baby number three on the way (due in July) and a complete kitchen remodel on my plate, I need to take a step back.

I plan to continue posting (I have several posts that are nearly completed and just need to be edited) but I need to give myself permission to make the posting schedule a little erratic. I also want to spend some time writing on some subjects other than coffee (gasp) and rework some of the pages and material I currently have on the blog.

The original idea of the first “Coffee Break” post was to supply a few short updates joined into one post and inform my readers that I may be MIA at times. This post will follow relatively the same format.

Good coffee is worth the extra dough

The subject of buying good coffee is important enough to be made into a manifesto type article but for now, I think these few words will do.

I’ve been having more conversations with people about coffee and I’ve noticed a trend. When people ask me where I get my coffee from, I have a tendency to tack on a statement about how the coffee is a little on the expensive side but really good. Sometimes I feel a little awkward about how much I spend on coffee.

Last week I got two really great coffees in and as I was enjoying a morning cup with my wife, I had somewhat of a revelation. Good coffee is worth it. I look forward to that 8 ounce cup of delicious and interesting coffee (some of the finest available) and compared to most of the other finer things in life, great coffee is a bargain.

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The Benefits of Drinking Coffee Black (And Tips for Making the Switch)

I drink my coffee black.

I don’t have a problem with people adding things to their coffee (my wife enjoys her coffee with cream and minimal disapproving head shakes from me) but I do think black coffee has its merits. It is my opinion that the vast majority of coffee additives are remnants from the first wave coffee notion that coffee is vile, caffeine is good and adding things to coffee makes it tolerable.

Unlike fifty years ago, the abundance and variety of amazing coffee available today is astounding. If you are still adding cream and sugar to your coffee, maybe you just haven’t found a coffee that really resonates with you and need to explore it some more.

It is, of course, entirely possible that you have found your coffee sweet spot and do actually enjoy coffee best exactly how you prepare it. I am fine with that. However, if you are someone who adds things to your coffee out of habit (instead of purpose), this post is for you. I’d like to make a case for exploring drinking coffee black.

The Benefits of Drinking Coffee Black

Coffee is good. I’m not talking about gingerbread lattes, caramel macchiatos or mocha frappuccinos. I’m talking about coffee, that little roasted seed from the fruit of a plant that is grown in an exotic location. When it is artfully grown, roasted and prepared, it’s good (really good).

I drink my coffee black because I want to taste it. I want to experience the sweetness, balance and subtle nuances of a great cup of coffee. There are many different reasons to make the move to drinking coffee black but here are a few of my favorite reasons to make the switch:

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