Coffee talk
2004-04-24, 8:14 a.m.

I am a coffee snob, in my own small way. I buy good beans, grind them myself, use filtered water, and a thermal carafe .

But in my own defense, I confess that I :

a. Grind a week�s worth of beans at a time (stored in an airtight jar)

b. Use an automatic drip coffeemaker

c. Set up my coffeepot at night, before going to bed (the pot is on a timer)

d. Am not opposed to a nice cup of vanilla-almond blend

These are all major sins to a true coffee snob, but guess what? All I want is a decent cup of coffee. A tasty caffeine delivery system that goes down easy in the morning. I don�t want to spend my very limited �free time� getting it. Hell, I resent the time it takes everyday to wash up the pot and my two mugs (home and travel), and set it up for the next day! Not very likely, then, that I will get involved in the whole cappo/espresso/latte/French press level of coffee-snobbery.

I am only willing to spend a reasonable amount on good coffee, anyway. If I can go to Trader Joe�s and get a 13 oz package of excellent Sumatran for $4.99, why should I spend $50.00 per pound on Blue Mountain from Jamaica. There is no doubt in my mind that it is a very fine coffee, but come on--fifty freakin� dollars a pound? I can�t conscience that one. My well-embedded protestant guilt starts figuring how much that will buy for the local food pantry, and sparks fly out of my brain.

Speaking of limited free time, (Yes, I was!) Today is my �day off�. So I�m off to do� about five loads of wash, 3 days worth of dirty dishes, vac, dust, sweep, scrub, etc. Before I run all my errands and do my shopping. I just love those days off.