Coffee versus Wine...

The other day I was thinking about the subtle differences between coffee and wine. Both can be addictive and damaging to your health, but in very different ways. I used to be a wine enthusiast (and still am when my husband and I drive up to Northeast Ohio – wine country) eager to try different varietals and interested in the background (terroir, etc.) of each. To be honest, I used to love to drink wine to soothe me after a bad day at work or to prepare me for the week ahead. We’re only talking a couple glasses a week, by the way, so I am hardly an alcoholic.

Nowadays I have a job I enjoy a lot more, but still find it difficult to always be as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as I need to be to conduct my duties with accuracy and efficiency. This is where coffee comes in. I started drinking coffee gradually and infrequently over the last couple of years or so hesitant to become too dependent on caffeine for fear of suffering from caffeine withdrawal headaches on the weekends (like my husband, aka ‘Mr. Crabby Pants’ sometimes did). So far I have found just having a cup or two (probably far less than a pint) doesn’t seem to create that situation. However, I have been told that if I switch to something stronger – like Turkish coffee or espresso, that might indeed cause me a lot more misery later; advice I am heeding for now.

I have already toured several wineries, a few microbreweries, a distillery, and last summer in Kansas City, MO, a coffee production plant (The Roasterie). That’s where I learned the difference between brewing coffee with a Cafetiere (French Press) or a Cone Dripper. I think I prefer the Pour-Over (Cone Dripper) method where you place a funnel shaped cone over top of your coffee mug, dump in a few scoops of coffee, then gradually pour boiling water over the grounds until you’re satisfied with the strength (and you don’t overflow your mug).

I received a Cone Dripper for Christmas and brought it to work with me to try it out at my desk. That cup of coffee could best be described as ‘Heaven in a Mug.’ Okay, so partly that was because I chose my bag of Gevalia Chocolate-flavored ground roast (thanks for the recommendation Tina!), but I was also proud of myself for my success in making a decent cup of coffee on my first try.

My husband and I picked up an inexpensive Cafetiere from Ikea on a visit over Thanksgiving weekend and have been using that on and off as well. The nice thing about that is the volume of coffee you can make, which is enough to fill a decent sized thermos (if not a little extra to have a nip before taking the rest to work).

I am enjoying shopping for coffee whenever I go to a different grocery store and have so far amassed a collection of nine different flavors of coffee (not including the two or three I gave to a neighbor since I didn’t care for them) with my favorite being Folgers Chocolate Raspberry. There’s just something about the combination of Chocolate Raspberry whose flavors complement each other and make for a very enjoyable cup of coffee. I will definitely buy another bag once this one runs out (won’t be long!).

Since summer seems to have arrived early here in central Ohio, I finally got out the Cold Brew Coffee Maker I received for Christmas. It’s super easy to use and is just another way to make a less run-of-the-mill cup of coffee (though you need to allow time for it to steep overnight in your refrigerator). We’ve used it twice so far and I think it largely depends on what flavor coffee you choose and what you later add to your cup when you go to drink it. This time we just chose a plain flavor of coffee (Seattle’s Best Coffee – Born in Seattle). Andrew heated his up, while I chose to just add a bit of milk and a dash of choc syrup and a spoonful of sugar. It’s not the most exciting of drinks, but still refreshing on a hot summer (spring?) afternoon like we had today (and all weekend). I also enjoy Ice Coffee, which is just coffee poured over ice and flavored with cream or whatever (I like my Starbucks!).

Have a good week everyone and stay cool!