i heart coffee

Alright. I'm back, with my steaming mug of happiness beside me.

I love coffee.

Have you noticed the little picture of the coffee mug on my blog?

I love coffee.

I never did when I was growing up. Neither one of my parents drinks it. My mom drinks tea every day, so I grew up drinking a lot of tea.

I drank coffee during my brief stint in college out of necessity. Because I never slept. And because my roommates drank it, and if they said "Jump!" I asked "How high?"

Then when I moved back home, I got a job in a coffee bar. And that's when I fell completely in love with coffee. I became a bit of a snob about it, actually. But it was really fun trying to determine the type of different coffees I liked. Sumatra Mandheling - 1 thumb up (and I cannot believe I spelled it correctly!) Kenya AA - 2 thumbs.

But now, I just drink Maxwell House. And I love the instant cappuccino at Wawa.

I still hang onto some of my old snobbery when it comes to espresso drinks. The way people order them, I mean. If you have no idea what you are ordering, do not try to fake it. I know absolutely nothing about wine, so I admit that and I let my friend Olivia choose lovely, appropriate wines to accompany the food I eat. It's just easier that way and much less embarrassing. And it allows her to impress me with her expertise.

But, in order to try to help people along just a little, here are a few basic tips:

1. Espresso, people, not Express-o
2. A shot of espresso packs the same punch of caffeine as a mug of coffee. Seriously, people. Look at the size of each cup. So if your latte has one shot of espresso in it, you will be fine. You don't need to freak out and decide to order something else, because "ooooh, if I drink that, I'll be up all night!"
3. Espresso, people, not Express-o
4. A latte and a cappuccino of the same size have the same amount of espresso in them. A cappuccino, by definition, has less milk than a latte, but has a layer of milk foam on top. So the cappuccino will taste stronger than the latte, since it is not as diluted.
5. Espresso, people, not Express-o

Alright, my coffee is kicking in a little. I'll stop bitching. Next post.