"At last the coffee is brought in..." ~ Jane Eyre

Coffee is a trend in my life.

This flavor of this week is the delicious vanilla spice at Dunkin' Donuts (or D.D. as Cassie calls our only place of sanity on a cold weekday morning). Last week it was the pumpkin spice latte at Fourbucks, and the week before that it was the dark and vibrant blend at Panera Bread.

I started thinking about the origins of coffee today. I discovered that my taste for it runs in my bloodlines. I read a very interesting tidbit about the history of coffee in Paris: "In 1672 a coffee house was opened in the marketplace of St. Germain by an ARMENIAN named Pascal, created in Turkish style." This note of history is interesting, but not surprising to me. Clearly I inherited this coffee addiction from my good ol' ancestor, Pascal!

Some of My Best Coffee Experiences:

a. Cafe Du Monde: Neither myself nor Sarah realized how small the cups of chicory coffee were at Cafe Du Monde. Leave it to us to be sitting outside in the sweltering heat of New Orleans in June drinking hot cups of coffee. We sat and ate our sugary beignets in silence like an old married couple. Clearly something was amiss! We realized that the coffee was half milk, so our morning coffee fix was as awful as a LoupGarou!

b. Soorj: I made soorj for Steve two weekends ago. He took one sip and said, "Its not like my mother's!" Of course its not! MINE IS BETTER!

c. Kona Coffee: John gives me such a hard time about my coffee addiction. Alright, so he gives me a hard time about everything, but that is why I adore him. He is constantly telling me how gross he thinks coffee is and how the smell nauseates him. However, one of my best coffee experiences involves him. I will never forget when he arrived from Hawaii and brought me entire bags of Kona coffee when he came to my place. This present meant a great deal to me - one of the most thoughtful gifts I have received, actually. He gave me something he didn't like and probably hated spending money on. However, because it was important to me, it was important to him. I will never forget that.

d. Sanka: My dad loves coffee but insists on drinking instant. It makes me want to SCREAM! I love mornings where I go there using subterfuge and get him a cup of nicely brewed coffee. I am proud that I inherited my dad's Brooklynese pronunciation of cawfee.

e. French Press: Missy still uses the French press I got her for her bridal shower five years ago. When I look at it I always think of the shower, even today. In case you were wondering, Carltun on the Park made a great cup of coffee at her shower.

f. Percolating: My grandma Allie loves her coffee, and one of my favorite childhood memories is smelling the coffee percolate when we went to visit the Catskill house. Those were great breakfasts. Although feeding us was grandma's main priority, she had to get the coffee going first. I respect this philosophy.

g. Affgato: Sarah and I had this during our first visit to Inoteca. It is a shot of expresso poured over vanilla gelato. Many things would inspire me to move to Italy, but this could be number one.

I am off to have a cup of coffee, so here are some sites for you to peruse and enjoy. Ciao!

www.flavorology.com
http://www.armenianheritage.com/facoffee.htm
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/2005/10/11/coffee-health-benefits-cx_sy_1012feat_ls.html
http://www.ineedcoffee.com/99/11/teach/