If you listened to my “This I Believe” podcast, you would know that I believe in Coffee Houses. I have an unhealthy obsession and possible addiction to coffee houses and coffee.
At this point, my brain is wired to believe that if I do not get coffee, I do not have a good day.
Coffee is such a simple pleasure that makes my day and makes sure I step off on the right foot.
First, I love the taste of coffee. It can be a rich black coffee with strong flavor or a sweet caramel latte overflowing with milk and syrup. Other times it can be the added oat milk that creates another layer to the taste of coffee. Regardless of what coffee or occasional dirty chai latte I get, I always enjoy the unique taste.
Second, it energizes me. I can recall a few times when I was literally shaking from caffeine intake and crashing from caffeine overload. However, these are extreme examples. Most of the time, coffee gives me just enough energy to engage with others, feel like my personality is not completely boring, and be a little more up-beat. Other times, I do not even feel the effects of a coffee with four espresso shots. Regardless, I still enjoy the coffee, and this leads me to my third point.
Third, coffee brainwashes me. It is like a ritual. Maybe I am exactly the same before and after coffee. Maybe my personality is exactly the same. Maybe my energy levels are exactly the same. Regardless, there is power in the act of getting and drinking coffee. At least there is to me.
I enjoy almost nothing more than going to grab a coffee. (Yes, this is an exaggeration, but I really do enjoy going to a coffee shop and getting a coffee.) It is so simple yet so pleasant.
I can go with my friends or by myself. I can go to Starbucks or a random Coffee House. I can get an oat milk latte, black coffee, or dirty iced chai latte. It can be as long or short of an ordeal as I want it to be. I can just be grabbing an iced coffee before going out for a day of shopping. Or it can be a three-hour long “gossip” session with my friends, catching up on everything and recapping our night.
My Go-To Drinks:
- Iced Black Coffee: This is when I want to feed my desire to taste coffee. When I am sick of sweet coffee. When I want something plain, simple, and classic. When I want to feed my more mature taste buds.
- Iced (Flavored) Latte: This is a classic. Most coffee shops can make a good latte (depending on their milk to espresso ratio). If I want a little extra, I will add a flavor (usually caramel, vanilla, or hazelnut)
Expressing my love for dirty iced chai lattes - Dirty Iced Chai Latte: I honestly got into these drinks because I didn’t think an iced chai latte was strong enough. It’s a good drink when I want something that tastes a little different from a standard latte.
- Oat milk Shaken Espresso: “Packs a punch” (supposedly). Some of these have four shots of espresso so be cautious, but I love the taste of oat milk in my coffees because of this drink. Again, it just adds an extra layer of flavor.
I’m not sure if I successfully conveyed my love for coffee and coffee-houses, but I really do love them. If you need a push to try a new drink or coffee shop out, you really should. It could end up being your new favorite drink or go-to coffee shop.
I definitely believe that you love coffee! You would get along very well with my friend who feels the exact same way about coffee. I never used to like coffee, and am still not the biggest fan, though when I used to work at a café, my co-workers forced me to start drinking it because they thought it was crazy that I didn’t like it. This actually helped me enjoy coffee a little bit–depending on the occasion. My go-to is a dirty chai, or an almond milk latte. Thank you for sharing your love for coffee, I always love to read about things that people are passionate about.
You’ve definitely conveyed how much you love coffee – this passion is clear throughout your writing, and I like the creativity of your descriptions. I personally do not drink coffee, but found your recommendations to be incredibly interesting. Perhaps in the future I may be inclined to try out coffee due to your promotion: the oat milk shaken espresso does sound quite good.
Rocky, I loved this post of yours! Your passion for all things coffee is exuding from the post. I have mentioned before, that I do not drink coffee but I respect this love of yours. You have such a great way of describing the importance of this innocent interaction between humans and coffee. I appreciate your anecdotal messages throughout this, especially the line “makes sure I step off on the right foot” as I know so many people that are also very dependent on coffee. I love how you have made your coffee runs into a full debrief, as I am a huge advocate for a good long debrief with friends after any sort of event or time away. Although I do not drink coffee I appreciate the thought and effort you put into all aspects of this post, especially with the drink recommendations at the end. If I ever end up drinking, I will consider them. Great post as always Rocky, I look forward to your future ones!
I agree with what everyone else said, you definitely showed how much you enjoy coffee. As someone who has almost entirely kicked caffeine, your post made miss coffee so much. It’s interesting to me how you have so many “go-to” drinks, as I always get the same thing whenever I drink coffee.
It’s crazy the impact that coffee has on our culture. And though I’m not much of a coffee drinker myself, I get your obsession with coffee houses. They’re truly romantic places where you can go to unwind or get work done, meet new people, and exchange ideas. I think the power of coffee lies in the culture/reliance that we’ve built around it. When I do drink coffee I hardly feel any different, like it doesn’t do much for my energy levels, but being physically present in a place that sells coffee, where people buy coffee, is kind of revitalizing in itself.