Confessions of a Coffee Addict

I need coffee. Tons and tons of coffee. Today especially. Stayed up too late; woke up way too early. And since my husband woke up before me, he made the coffee.

Now I love my husband, but his coffee is too weak for my tastes. Me? I need sludge. When we first got married, my usual strength of coffee floored the poor man. His usual strength made me wonder if he just whispered the word coffee over a cup of brown water. We found a balance (read as: I toned it down some), but on days like today, I need to add instant coffee to my coffee just to stay alive.

I credit it to too many years as a road warrior, when sludge in the morning was the only way to survive rush hour traffic between Flint and Detroit (or Flint and Ann Arbor, depending on where my sales calls were that day). A gal has to be alert in order to stay alive amongst drivers who are distracted making phone calls, applying makeup, doing their nails, and... yes... READING. Not traffic jam reading, but 75 miles an hour reading. Not maps and single sheet memos, but novels. (I saw it more than more once, and the thought of it still shocks me.)

Every morning, sludge at home, then gas station cappucino for the ride. In the afternoons, I'd switch over to Surge (which they don't make any more, but it was like Dew with attitude). If you've ever almost fallen asleep driving, you understand why I did this. When the road is scrolling underneath your car, and the trees are blurring by, and you've been looking at the back of the same semi for what feels like hours... zzzzzzzzz. Hence, the coffee.

I first started drinking it when I was in high school. It wasn't peer pressure. I just needed a boost to get me through first period. (I don't remember what the class was now, but I remember it was boring.) In college, I didn't have a coffee maker of my own, so I switched to Dew, but I never forgot the lure of the java. I'd still sneak it when I could slip away - the cafeteria made something that was hot and brownish, but it never passed for coffee in my opinion, so my coffee intake was limited to when I could afford to buy it off campus.

I'm not particularly picky about brands. Folgers and Maxwell House for daily use. Fresh ground beans for special occasions. (Yes, I broke down and bought my own grinder.) During the cheap times, I've been known to buy off brand just to feed my addiction. I don't really care, as long as it tastes like coffee and it's strong. (Okay, amend that. The really really cheap coffee that tastes like the bottom of a factory worker's shoe? That's just gross. Even on my worst days, I can't stoop that low.)

To treat myself, I drive down to the gas station and get me some French Vanilla capp or some English Toffee. Hot, frothy goodness. Mmmmm. I can't make that stuff at home. I've bought instant capp, and it's just not the same.

What say you on the wonders of the coffee bean? Do you crave it? Do you need it? Can you live without it? Or should you be standing in front of a crowd saying...

"Hi. My name is... and I am a coffee addict." ;o)

(BTW, I just put a snipped scene from Spectacle over at Tabula Rasa, if any of you are interested.)