14. How Do You Take Your Coffee?

Musing Interruptus is a podcast meant for sharing thoughts and stories and enjoying idiomatic phrases and words in general. You can read along; the transcription is in the description of this episode. The idiomatic expressions are in italics. Try to get the meaning from the context and then look them up to see if you were right. If you like it, share it, but more importantly, continue the conversation. The music is called  Tango Rosino by Blue Dot Sessions  Blue Dot Sessions  Hello and welcome to Musing Interruptus. I’m Renée Valentina. Have you seen the artifacts people use to brew their coffee? If you aren’t into this type of hoopla. You might just think, doesn’t coffee just taste the same? You might as well continue buying the instant stuff. And hey, you won’t get any judgment from me. I promise. From others, well, you might want to pick your crowd before proclaiming that all coffee tastes the same. You might get your head bitten off for saying something like that. Coffee culture has worlds and communities around them. The way people brew and take their coffee not only reflects their taste but also their patience to become impatient. If you know what I mean. Am I right? This vehicle is of course an aromatic gateway into alertness that might set you off for hours. Caffeine can last up to 5 hours or more in your body.  I had my last cup at 6 pm. It is now midnight and I have no intention of going to bed. This is tomorrow me’s problem and I have my eye on my coffee grinder and beans to save the morning. This is the second episode I write tonight. I’m not sure if writing more or writing faster is a good thing, but at least I have the sensation I am productive. The aroma is long gone, but that caffeine is still traveling through my veins. A double espresso at 6 pm is to blame. But it was so good and comforting. What I lack in judgment I make up in kindness. I am an amateur coffee drinker. I just know what I like, I can’t discuss undertones, how toasted or roasted it is, bitterness, body, sweetness, aftertaste, or acidity (unless it is burning a hole through my stomach, like that battery acid they try to pass for coffee at the soy totalmente place). I can however ask questions. For instance, do you take your coffee strong or weak? What are you looking for in a coffee maker? Some might say, he/she should bring it to my desk, my bedside, or to my lips, on command. Others might be looking for something easy to clean and refill. I like the idea of a chemistry set type of coffee maker, like the Siphone coffee maker. I went to a coffee shop and had a cup brewed this way. It was way too weak for my taste, but the show was spectacular.  I like the hum and rumble of the 1980s drip coffee maker. I can hear it, and I hear my mother and one of her friends talking in the kitchen. I wonder how many cups they would drink over their cigarettes and conversations. This also reminds me of the steam coming out of the dishwasher. All part of the sounds of that old house, that old home. I have a mind to find a Mr. Coffee drip coffee maker, just for the love of the sound and the comforting aroma.  Stovetop coffee makers also seem like fun. Although I would worry that I burn the coffee. I think I would need someone to do that for me. I guess if I get one, I would also need to get myself my very own barista. It seems a bit expensive for my budget. Then again, I guess this is the price of getting more serious about this beverage.  I have an espresso machine and a French Press. I love them both the same. I love the coffee bean grinder even more. That is where the magic begins.  I am wondering how you brew your coffee but also, how do you take your coffee? Do you take cream and sugar? How about decaffeinated? I’d like to know your thoughts on this particular way of taking your coffee. Does this