It’s 7:13 in the morning, and I am already on my second (massive) cup of coffee. The first one was cold and leftover from yesterday, just to tide me over while my crappy coffee pot (and angelic boyfriend, Anthony) brewed me some fresh stuff.
Simply put: I love coffee. When I gave up Diet Coke last summer, it became my sole caffeine source (and no, tea doesn’t count.) Like wine or chocolate, I love the really good stuff, but let’s be real—I won’t turn down mediocre wine, chocolate, or coffee.
I love it all—the watery, tasteless stuff they serve at diners by the gallon, the dark, almost burnt-tasting brew from Starby’s, and of course, the Bud Light of coffee: Dunkin’ Donuts (man, that stuff’s got drinkability.) One of the best days of my life to date was when I discovered they serve extra large coffees at DD.
In typical woman fashion, I have convinced Anthony he is “better” at making coffee than I am, so that I don’t have to do it when he’s around. But he does seem to eek better-tasting brew out of my lame $20 Mr. Coffee. His secret? He measures the coffee (I just eyeball it), and he adds a few dashes of cinnamon. The cinnamon is subtle when the coffee is hot, but when it gets cold, it adds a nice flavor punch—without that chemical taste you get with actual flavored coffees. For someone who drinks a lot of cold coffee (I have no microwave, so if I want to reheat it, it has to go in a saucepan. No thanks!), this cinnamon addition is a revelation.
The other day I was waxing poetic about his cinnamon coffee, and he told me that if I loved it so much, I should start using coffee in other ways besides just drinking it. It was on that fateful morning that the idea for smoky, coffee- and chipotle-braised pork was born. Our “Ohhhh, wouldn’t that be good!” conversation found its way into reality, and the following week, Tony and I made Smoky Coffee-Braised Pulled Pork Tacos with homemade corn tortillas, as well as Red Snapper Ceviche, fried yucca and green plantains, with two different salsas, and spicy Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream. It was a dinner to remember, indeed. You’ve already heard what mama had to say about that magical meal.
But now, here’s a recipe for coffee lovers, because good brew doesn’t just belong at breakfast.
Wow this Anthony guy is like a legend on this site already 🙂 Glad to hear you found someone so wonderful!
I remember the day when you realized the mythical extra large existed. I was just thinking of this the other day when someone else was in need of some caffeine therapy.
Um, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about your coffee consumption, Sharon. It all started so normally with that cup or two in the morning. Then there was the mid-morning pot that you’d sip on through late afternoon. On paper-writing nights, you’d brew a post-dinner pot.
Your family and friends have decided we need to intervene. At the very least you need a microwave to warm that day-old mud you start the day with. (Amber has graciously offered her cast-off.) But I’m starting to think one of those Keurig coffee makers might do you good. Enjoy a big pot in the morning and then take it a cup at a time the rest of the day. And Lord knows that K-cup donut shop coffee’s got drinkability.
No comment on Sharon’s coffee consumption – just a thought about the now very popular Keurig coffee makers:
the plastic waste from their use is really staggering. And none of it appears to be recyclable. There is one in my office and I’m just appalled by all those little plastic cups that fill the trash everyday. Reconsider fresh-brewed with a reusable filter, please!
dee dee! i am SO with you on those keurig things. maggy got one for xmas, and it was fun for like a day…and then i started looking at all those little plastic cups we were throwing away. at the rate i drink coffee, i’d be going through 5 or more a day, that’s like 1825 of those little cups a year going straight into a landfill. no way! i’ll take my lukewarm coffee any day.
I received a Keurig as a thank you gift recently and I love it! Admittedly, I’m not a huge coffee drinker, averaging two cups a week…maybe. I can definitely see the waste factor if used daily. I’m more of a tea drinker, and as I find the keurig tea/coffee expensive; I use it more often with a tea bag. I’m happily drinking my donut shop coffee judgment free. Just as I drive my hybrid, judgment free of people driving all gasoline powered cars. Also, keurig does offer a reusable filter. That will be on my birthday wish list for cost savings!
I’ve given up on any automatic coffee maker. I use a Melitta and love it! I’ve had it for 10+ years — and that’s longer than any other coffee maker lasted.
Have you tried the Starbucks VIA? It is the BEST instant I’ve ever tasted. I only allow myself a cup a day and this is good enough to be ‘the one’.
part of the allure of coffee, or tea for that matter, is the ritual of the brewing — the grinding of fresh beans, the smell of the coffee brewing, the selection of the mug that speaks to me that day…..somehow takeout coffee, never mind the outrageous prices attached, can never replace the morning ablutions involved, nor can you beat waking up to that incredible aroma if you set the automatic timer the night before. and cinnamon has great health benefits so go for it.
you mentioned you made the corn tortillas. i’ve often wanted to try but haven’t managed to get around to it. could you share your recipe?
I could’ve written about 75% of this article, with the major exception being drinking that first cup of cold coffee in the morning. How do you DO that? *shudder*
Anyway, I have also delegated the coffee-making duties of the household to my husband because he has the knack for it, and he doesn’t even add anything extra, it just tastes so much better when he makes it. I also adore drinking coffee all day. Even when I’ve breastfed both my kids, I’ve continued my coffee habit, just switching to decaf…that’s how much I love the flavor of coffee!
Bless your heart…enjoy that coffee!
Um, I just realized, that 75% bit was baloney…hyperbole at best. Sorry ’bout that…probably only 25%…I can’t create recipes to save my life, so the lead-in to the Pulled Pork Tacos would obviously never come from my brain.
I know, I’m being weird…I will go away now…
I say all the time about the coffee bean “God’s best bean” followed by vanilla and cocoa. Coffee is a gift. A gift from God. Savor, enjoy, consume. And I consume way too much.