The Coffee Promise

Reading and responding to Liz's tweet yesterday morning prompted me to contemplate my own coffee habit.

It's big. And it has a routine.

Ironically, it all begins minutes before I retire for the night: I prep the coffee maker. Cleaning the pot and catching a whiff of fresh grounds as I pour them into the filter is a promise of good things for the morning. 

I rise at six so I can enjoy an hour of quiet before waking the kids. As I walk to the shower,  I stop by the coffee machine and tap the "on" button. By the time I'm cleaned up, there is a full pot waiting.

Poured into a favorite mug and doused with a healthy splash of half and half (no sugar!) I return to my bedroom, dress and relax with my coffee while catching up on facebook, twitter and emails from the night before. It's my favorite part of the day.

Throughout the morning I drink coffee - while making breakfast for the kids, in my travel thermos on the way to school, a final cup when I get back before starting work.

Coffee Ice "Cubes" 

Around four in the afternoon I start jonesing for another cup. There are several different ways of going about this. The first, and least glamorous, is to simply reheat the morning's coffee. Alternatively, if it's a hot day I pour myself an iced coffee using what's left in the pot and coffee ice cubes made the day before. (That's right, the last thing I do with the puddle at the bottom of my pot is pour it into trays and pop them in the freezer. Coffee cubes mean I don't have to worry about a weak and watery drink.) Finally, I might get my afternoon coffee by brewing myself a single cup (using pour-over method) or taking myself out to a cafe.

Sadly, this entire routine is being somewhat thwarted by Invisalign, but I'm managing... Coffee is more than a drink for me - it's a symbol of renewal that promises a fresh start.

Of course, it also keeps me awake.