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Coffee virgin – no more

  • Posted on October 27, 2011 at 7:05 pm

You probably won’t believe this but until a week ago (at age 65) I never drank a cup of coffee. True, I swear. My adult children will verify this.

Caffeine is another story, but still rare. Over the past five years I’ve occasionally indulged in a Java Chip Smoothie and in July a friend convinced me to try a cup of English Toffee Cappuccino. I loved it. Earlier this month I ordered a Starbucks pumpkin latte. What a jolt! I asked what was in it and was told, pumpkin flavoring, milk and two shots of espresso. OMG! After my blood pressure returned to normal I decided that if I could survive a double shot I could survive a cup of coffee. Added to this conviction were recent news articles about light coffee consumption being good for our health. Being tired of hunting for an alternative when only coffee was offered was another incentive.

So begins this tale.

As a child I tasted my mother’s coffee and decided it was foul and never took another sip. When I was a young wife my husband, who always made his own coffee, was caught in a scheduling conflict. It was his turn to fix coffee for our Sunday School class. He gave me detailed instructions about preparing a 40 cup urn. I followed them to the letter. Later our classmates asked me very kindly to never prepare coffee again. If my husband couldn’t do it, I was to call for a substitute. Husband, upon hearing this news, said “Leave my coffee pot alone!”

Many years later Husband#2, after being warned about my coffee making history, agreed to prepare his own. However, one day he was not feeling well and asked me to fix a pot. I whined that I didn’t know how and reminded him of my coffee making history. He gave me confidence building pep talk and detailed instructions. I followed each detail precisely and proudly served him a cup. His response, “Don’t ever touch my coffee pot again!”

More recently the main person to drink coffee at my house was my mother. I bought her a four-cup pot (actually makes two small mugs) and a small can each of regular and decaf. During her visits she’d arise each morning, make a pot of regular coffee and enjoy every warming sip. When that was gone she would make a pot of decaf to last the rest of the day. After she returned home I dutifully cleaned the pot with white vinegar and stored it in the cupboard.

From time to time Son visited and complained that it took three pots to fill his giant commuter mug. I’m not sure how he made his coffee but Daughters #1 and 2 could not tolerate it. However, Son-in-law#1’s father was grateful for “good” coffee.

All this brings me down to my new non-virgin status. Last week Friend and Sweetie were scheduled to visit. Knowing nothing about brands I asked another friend to purchase the coffee. Realizing that I didn’t know how they drank it, I went to buy creamer. Oh no, there were choices!

In a panic I called Daughter#1 for advice. She suggested a flavor. I bought it then drove to the airport to retrieve my friends. While driving home I explained that I had a pot, coffee and creamer and hoped that they were satisfactory. The next morning when Friend made coffee I asked if she’d pour me a half-cup. I added flavored creamer and took a sip. Not bad but not good either. I added a teaspoon of sugar and was happy. The next day she asked if I wanted some coffee in my cream and sugar. Before leaving she showed me how to make what most would call “weak” coffee. It worked this time. So began my career as a ½-cup-a-day coffee drinker.

I know, some of you are laughing and still consider me coffee virgin. Son will get a big laugh when he arrives next month for a short visit and learns about my new habit. That’s okay. We all have to start somewhere. BTW, I wrote down the coffee brand and creamer flavor

Meet you at the coffee bar.

© by Sharon D. Dillon, October 27, 2011