Coffee, A Matter of Taste

I make terrible coffee. I admit it, no taste test required.

 

It’s the reason I never drink coffee at home, I’d have to make it. I can’t even blame the coffee makers; I’ve tried plenty, drip, Melita, even old fashioned percolators, and bad, all bad. I switched to tea at home, and enjoyed my coffee whenever and wherever it was made by someone else.

A few years ago I gave it another try and bought a simple two cup drip coffee maker. I found a system that worked well enough to provide me with a decent enough pot of coffee with acceptable regularity.

I don’t drink milk, so I don’t keep it on hand, or cream, yet I like my coffee light. I use a flavoured oil product as it keeps longer, and I like the taste. So I was pleased with my coffee making prowess, and was enjoying my daily cups of coffee, until I ran out of coffee whitener.

This happened a few weeks ago, when I was doing some baking for the holidays, and resorted to using the cream I had on hand for a couple of specific recipes.

The coffee was terrible. What happened to my system? I thought I finally had the coffee/water ratios right. What went wrong?

I guess I had been fooling myself that I could make a decent cup of coffee…I just disguised it with vanilla flavoured coffee whitener.

I think I’ve found my solution. I had coffee at my daughter’s over the holidays, coffee made on a Keurig coffee maker. Since I seem to like flavoured coffees I tried a number of them, with fancy names that I can’t remember now, but the one with caramel was particularly good.

I’m toying with the idea of getting one for myself. The reasons are twofold.

Since I moved I’ve had to adapt to a smaller kitchen with very limited counter space. After the microwave and the toaster oven, there’s no room for my coffee maker and my kettle. I like coffee in the morning, but tea in the afternoon, and occasionally on a cold night, hot chocolate.

Those other beverages require boiling water, hence the kettle. I tried to nuke water but never seem to get the water to the right temperature. I’ll admit I have a bit of microwave fear. I once added something to microwave boiled water, only to have it explode in my face. Okay, it was more of a pop, but scary still…it was hot.

So the first reason I want a Keurig is that it makes coffee, tea and hot chocolate all from the one machine. I wouldn’t have to keep switching the coffee maker and kettle, in and out of the cupboard, in their constant battle for counter space. How convenient.

The other reason for getting a single cup coffee maker? It’s like the commercials advertise, make your drink to suit what you want, when you want. Sounds a bit self indulgent, but hell, why not?

Why not spoil myself; after all, I’m worth it. I think those words are from another commercial, hair colouring if I’m not mistaken.

Maybe this is all a subconscious message that I should get rid of the gray, something else to think about.

 

My how the mind does wander. LOL