Tea or Coffee

(by request)

I’m a coffee guy. Not sure how long this affair has been ongoing, can’t really recall the genesis either, yet pretty much morning after morning, regardless of where on the globe you will find me, there I am watching water boil, soon to be lovingly dispensed into the Italian-created, later refined by some Swiss guy, French Press (gotta love the French, fries and all), to sit silently as it coaxes out the bold aromatic flavors so carefully curated from fields far and wide.

Naturally, I opt for those beans bearing the fair trade logo. The precise formula grounds to water, steeping method, etc. I’ll leave it to your refined palate. While on the subject of beans, when possible I grind my own, can’t have them too fine or too coarse now can we?

So how then do I take my coffee? Black and strong... None of that latte crap peddled by those frothy, overhyped ‘meeting’ spots, although free Wifi is nice. One thing is for sure, it needs to be hot. If my upper mouth were to be inspected there’s no doubt I’d have many a scald mark, and bits of loose skin (is that skin inside our mouths?) left flapping.

To this end, I do, when I remember, schlep along my personal double-walled, insulated Yeti vessel, (it’s a really good one), and save a cup while I’m at it. Side note: I was surprised to learn, courtesy of a daughter, that light roast has the most bang for your caffeine buck.

I do enjoy local coffee shops, find them a great place to meet people, read, write, and sip. Most often it’s an Americano, a shot or two with hot water added. Filtered coffee is not high on my list, find it to be bitter. Like many things, it is an acquired taste. A thought - how much more would be sold if the taste could in any way mimic that of the incredible aroma?

Since I drink this concoction I do look into the health implications, and make sure I’m not killing myself. So many things out there contributing to our premature demise. Here are a few tidbits, truth be told I didn’t do much in the way of due diligence as to who was spilling the beans (sorry).

For those of us closer to medicare than college, bad news. No, not that coffee is bad, make sure to ingest the prescribed dosage and you’re good to go, problem is that aforementioned French Press. What a sad day when I was informed through my ever-so-reliable google feed that, given my advanced age, I was no longer a suitable candidate for the pleasures of the press. Fuck, what next? Seems, by avoiding the environmentally unfriendly filter, toxins are sneaking their way into the brew causing who knows what to our delicate internal balance.

For months I eschewed the press, were the French to blame? Just the word Toxin should put fear in us all. Well then, here’s another, DO NOT REBOIL WATER — why you ask? Toxins. This one I still pay attention to, somehow it makes some kind of sense to me since we mess with the chemical composition once we boil it. Another fun fact, don’t drink coffee, if you are looking for the jolt, till about an hour and a half after you arise, let your body get itself going first, the resultant kick will have a more sustained effect.

Well, I’m still going on the assumption that some, moderation as you know, is good, kinda like the wine guys have us believe. I do need to avoid it after late morning, the caffeine part anyway, fucks with my sleep more often than not.

So much more could be said on the topic but, as I’ve learned, I’m keeping this short(ish), easier to swallow, and yes I almost avoided throwing in ‘percolated’ as to how it related to the request for this topic.

Oh yes, tea is just lovely.