Coffee has been a part of my life sense I was quite young. As a child my parents were very particular about the coffee they would drink. At least once a month my parents would hop in the car and drive for 1 hour to their favorite coffee shop. They would generally buy enough coffee to last them about a month and then we would come back home. At a young age I often thought to myself how crazy this was. Why would someone spend that much time and energy on getting a good cup of Joe?
What I did not realize at the time is how much coffee matters. Looking back it was a way for my parents to connect and spend some time with each other. The few hours together on going to get something enjoyed was really the point.
I personally tried to stay away from coffee for as long as possible, but once I joined the work force those early mornings won the battle between being tired and having to get stuff done. Once I started drinking coffee I generally enjoyed a strong cup.
Over the least two years my personal relationship with coffee has changed. It was always a time management issue for me. I would gage if I had enough time to stop at a coffee chain on the way to work and still make it on time. Depending on this I would either grab it or have to drink the coffee at work. One of the things that I did not expect with Covid is how my experience with Coffee would change.
Early after things shut down many people (myself included) made a thoughtless Covid purchase. My thoughtless purchase turned into something so much more that I could have anticipated. I bought an espresso machine. I had always been interested in them but never wanted to spend the time or energy in learning how to get the most of my coffee experience. It was not a top of the line machine but a good starter machine. It was the Breville BES870XL. The reason I settled on this machine is because of the reviews but also the fact that it had a built in grinder.
When this machine was purchased I see that I had no idea on how to make a great shot of espresso. I just had more time to focus on making good Coffee everyday. Learning how to dial in a shot of espresso took me some time. The difference in quality when the shot is pulled properly truly made my mornings that much better. My wife quickly came around as the coffee got better and better.
What I did not anticipate is how quickly this hobby would progress for myself. before I knew it I was watching video's and looking at other machines that would be able to make even better quality espresso's. I ended up finding a second machine that needed work but at a very good price. This was an upgrade I was not planning on at the time, but presented itself and I jumped at the opportunity. This machine is definitely more along the lines of a prosumer machine opposed to a entry level machine. This machine did need quite a bit of work. This will be shown in another post.
The point of this post was really more of my introduction and reflection on my coffee consumption. I never really thought that I would end up enjoying my coffee as much as I do every day. It amazes me because my daughters look for ways to help with making the espresso by pouring milk into the cup or stirring it up for mom. Looking back I see how the morning cup of coffee has the ability to bring people closer and help with drawings people closer by providing a little comfort.
How has your relationship with coffee changed over the years?