Anyway, a morning cuppa java never appealed to me . . . until I discovered lattes. Now there was something I could drink and enjoy. So much so that several years ago I purchased a cheap, espresso machine that faithfully turns out my morning drink nearly every day of the year.
So as I was whipping up my latte this morning, I was wondering what each of you have for your morning beverage of choice. Black coffee, coffee with cream and/or sugar? A double shot of espresso? Are you a tea drinker? Black or herbal . . . or green? How many cups of what start your day? Do you continue to drink coffee or tea all day long?Come on, nobody's gonna lecture you on too much caffeine intake if you admit to mainlining the stuff. And do your preferences differ from season to season? Iced drinks in the summer, but only the hot stuff in the winter? Or doesn't it matter? (I drink iced black tea all year round.)
How about the industrial strength coffee versus decaffeinated? Do caffeinated drinks perk you up or stimulate your system or are you like me and feel absolutely no effect from them?
I'm just curious. And let's face it. It's always interesting to hear what someone elses preferences are that they consider absolutely normal but may seem quite exotic to you.
42 comments:
Hello. I have been sneakily following your blog for a while, never posted before.
I NEED coffee every morning. I have one or two cups each morning,strong, black, no sugar. We brew our coffee in a stove top perculator. If I am in town I sometimes buy myself an espresso.
If I don't have my morning coffee, I get an excrutiating headache by 2pm which is only remedied by a cup of coffee.
On the flipside of that, having coffee after midday affects my ability to sleep at night.
If I want a hot drink in the afternoon or evening I will have a cup of herbal tea.
I am a strong black tea drinker. I brew a pot of loose tea first thing in the am and drink until gone. No milk, sugar, lemon or flavors for me. I buy a really good tea once a year in bulk. Then just water the rest of the day or I can't sleep. I only drink iced tea in the summer. Come to think of it, except a little spirits now and again, I don't drink anything but tea and water. Call me plain Jane.
Oh, I absolutely MUST have a cup of coffee, cream and sugar, first thing in the morning! Never -ever- can I drink from a pot that has been sitting. A half an hour, and in my book it is old and nasty! Blech! Which is why hubby bought me a Keurig last Christmas :0) Now I can have a freakishly fresh cup in an instant! And I do, at least twice a day. 2pm finds me sluggish...so I hit the button and Voila! Mmmmm...Daybreak Morning Blend to be exact! It never bothers me that late in the day either.
If I am out and about, there is no replacing Dunkin' Donuts. I have often said they put drugs in it. Good stuff!
Iced Tea all day, alongside my coffee, in the summer. With sugar of course. Or Sweet Tea to many.
Gee...another trip to the denist today can't even deter the sweet!
Hello
My name is Nancy
I drink my coffee black and hot, even warm. I drink it all my waking hours. My veins flourish with rich coffee to kick start the flow and keep it going. I make our coffee weak...two tblsp per 12 cup coffee maker. Yes some say what? Even the doctors, but never fails to get compliments. Less is more! There, I said it. I feel better ;-)
Not a coffee drinker but love tea and hot chocolate. I drink tea all day ( hot and cold) all kinds of tea. Never met a tea I didn't like. Drink it with a little honey. I usually have a cup of hot chocolate mornings. Made with goats milk of course. I sneak french vanilla creamer or sometimes hazelnut creamer to add a little variety. I do have to just drink water after 6pm or I am up all night. Unless its hot chocolate. For some reason chocolate makes me sleepy.
I'm a green tea-wanna-be drinker. Still working on that. Otherwise I drink coffee 4/5th decaf, 1/5 regular only until noon. (caffeine in diet coke doesn't count right??)
Coffee, please, fresh ground, french press with sugar free hazelnut syrup and fat free half and half. I need that first cup in the morning to be able to read the paper! I have another cup later in the morning and a third in the afternoon. I drink it iced in the summer. I love it - it brightens my world! It smells like a party or shopping in some wonderful kitchen shop.
I love coffee with flavored cream and I like to try different creams whenever I find them in the store. I buy the coffee that's called 1/2 caff. I'd prefer full caffeine but hubby has to have decafe which we cheat and use 1/2 caff.
For special treats I sometimes buy from those fancy coffee shops usually Caribou Coffee. I like flavored iced coffee.
In the afternoon, sometimes I make iced coffee out of the coffee left over from the morning brew.
The first thing I drink in the morning is a bit of juice. That mainstreams some sugar to my brain to help me wake up.
My husband is the coffee nut in our house. He grinds his own special beans and drinks about a pot a day. If there is any leftover in the pot we toss it into the insulated carafe that keeps it warm and relatively fresh all day. That's what I drink around lunch time with a healthy dash of milk and a half tbsp of hot powdered hot chocolate mix.
I can take coffee or leave it but when it's cold I tend to drink a cup or two a day.
There now you know.
Frankie - Welcome and thanks for commenting. Now I can check out your blog! (Love the white eyelet skirt!!) Kinda curious that it takes until 2 in the afternoon for your lack of caffeine to kick in. I think if most people miss their morning coffee, they have a hard time even waking up!
Jane - Plain Jane = Smart Jane! We probably don't really NEED any drink except water!
APG - Ya know, I've heard Dunkin' Donuts has fantastic coffee. Next time we're in the big city I should have my hubby give it a try.
I have to confess to making my iced tea "sweet" tea, too. But not overly so.
Nancy - Oh, Girl, I had to laugh at your way with words! But we must have a talk about your ratio of coffee grounds to water. OMG, if my husband reads this he will come to your house and try to straighten you out!! ;o}
Peggy - Boy, I could use something some nights to make me sleepy. Wish hot chocolate did that to me, but no matter 'cause I'm not a fan of it anyway. Do you like green tea, too? That's a horse of a different color in my book!
dr momi - Yeah, I have the same problem with green tea. It's supposed to be SO good for us, but it just tastes like grass in water to me.
2 Tramps - I absolutely LOVED your reply! Such rapture, such joy!
kayceebeebee - Yup. If my mom found a half cup of coffee she had forgotten from earlier in the day, she'd drop an ice cube in it and call it iced coffee!
Sparkless - I think you're making yourself a nice cup of mocha by mixing in that bit of hot chocolate mix! A "specialty" drink at home for pennies compared to dollars! (Got a little whipped cream to put on top?)
nice be glass of very cold milk. Coffee, nope can't stand the stuff
We've got a coffee maker with at timer so it starts brewing about 15 minutes before my alarm goes off. We drink half-caff. I have one mug (with skim) while I'm getting ready and I've got a travel mug that I take with me on the bus. That is the extent of my coffee for the day. I used to drink my coffee black- and still can- but my stomach doesn't like it much. Vernon drinks his coffee with sugar- ewww....
If I decide I need more caffeine at work, I have tea. Chai is my favorite- with a little raw sugar. I switch to herbal blends later in the afternoon and evening because caffeine interferes with my sleep. I have enough trouble sleeping that I don't dare do caffeine.
Judy
I drink a large thermal mug of half real and half decaf with half and half. It's strong---like 1/4 cup grounds strong. Then I do it again right after lunch. It makes me happy.
My favorite morning beverage is at least two cups of black 1/2 reg and 1/2 decaf coffee... can't live without my coffee. Besides, I get horrible caffeine headaches if I don't have a little caffeine every day... preferably in the morning.
Coffee with cream (REAL!) and sugar. At least 6 cups a day. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my coffee, and despite the constant lectures from the doctor, I REFUSE to give it up. I gave up beer. I gave up cigarettes. I WILL NEVER (!!!!!!!) give up coffee (or chocolate!!!)
Lots of exclamation points there--I guess you can tell I love it???
:D
And APG--I love Dunkin Donuts, and the LAST one up here closed. The nearest one is over 150 miles away. Sigh.........
Black caffeinated coffee all day long, all year long. I prefer it hot, but if someone has left the coffee pot off and the coffee has cooled considerably, I will still drink it. Like my father, I can drink caffeinated until two minutes before I go to bed and it doesn't affect me. My mother, on the other hand, can't have caffeine after 12 noon or she can't sleep at night.
On occasion I will have a mocha latte. Drank too many of them in college though. :) I do enjoy a nice french press coffee when I'm needing something special.
Not a coffee drinker - unless it is diluted heavily with milk, sugar, and cocoa and then what's the point??? I might as well just drink hot chocolate!
I do love the smell of fresh coffee though - which is convenient because my hubby is a coffee drinker and he's quite picky about his coffee :)
I myself drink tea. I have a huge mug of very strong black tea in the morning, with sugar. Once in a while I'll have another cup in the afternoon in the winter, and maybe a cup of herb tea in the evening. Otherwise, I too, mostly stick to water.
I try coffee just for a jolt but my word there are a lot of variety drinkers out there,I'm still waiting for the jolt so i may as well stick to my tea,if the doters allowed it ,my hubby would drink coffee till the cows comes home
I forgot to comment on your header-love LOVE ----LOVING IT
I've tried several times to get to liking coffee, but I just can't. Even with a 1/2 cup of sugar and a quart of cream. I still taste the "bitter" in it. Same reason I don't like beer or even wine. I'm a sweets kind'a gal.
DH drinks at least a cup every day, sometimes one after work if it's cold outside. Fresh ground using the coffee press. Although I don't like the taste of coffee, I LOVE the smell!
I drink Iced Tea all summer long and when it gets colder outside, I start drinking hot tea. Black tea, green tea, purple tea, whatever. Plain, with honey, with sugar and milk.
Right now I'm drinking a Vanilla Chai with sugar and milk. Mmmmmmmm!!!
Absolutely must have super strong coffee each day. I have a 4cup coffee maker (that actually only makes 3 cups), and I use 6 heaping tablespoons of grounds to a pot. I drink less coffee than I did a few years ago, simply because the the doc says it messes with my nerve disorder.
But even with cutting back, I average 6 cups a day. When I am not drinking coffee (with 3 level spoonfuls of sugar, and some milk), I am drinking Classic Coke or white grape flavored carbonated water. More of the Coke than the water....which may explain why my liver numbers were a bit "off" in my blood work last week lol.
And it doesn't matter if it is cold or hot, hot coffee is a must in the a.m. During the summer I will drink iced coffee sometimes.
I tried coffee once but never could acquire a taste for it ... although it does smell wonderful in the AM. I am a hot and cold tea drinker. Used to drink one mug of hot green tea in the AM but recently found Bigelow (can I mention specific names? oh, I just did.) French Vanilla tea bags and that, with a small piece of ginger in it, is what I brew. (I actually open up the tea bag and use half the loose tea in my Mrs. Tea unit. Is that weird? Maybe.)The rest of the day it's iced tea all year around. I make it with one large black tea bag and one large green tea bag with about a table spoon of sugar in 2 quarts of water. Southern sweet tea, blech!!! It's all around me but I can't drink it. I don't drink between meals ... not sure why, just don't think to do it ... so I drink a lot at meals. I never walk around with a drink like a lot of people do. Perhaps that is because I am a "spiller"! If I miss the cold tea at lunch when I am out (how can they charge $2.00 or more for a glass of iced tea at a restaurant???), I get a bit of a headache and feel lethargic in the afternoon. Took me a long time to realize it was probably due to the lack of tea. In the winter I may have a cup of hot chocolate in the late evening if I am chilled. So, not a very exciting drinker here but it works for me.
I remember my mother placing a big cup of black coffee on my highchair tray. That was a long time ago and it led me to a 2+ pot per day strong coffee addiction by the time I was 30. I had a heck of a time cutting back and really got sick in the process with headaches, shattered nerves etc. After admitting that I will never live without a little caffeine flowing through my veins, I am proud to say that I am down to one mug of black tea in the morning TOPS. It took a while but I did it! The rest is water, mostly our well water--because I know where that came from and trust my own container.
Most definitely STRONG, stand your oar in it coffee - with cream. Not milk. Cream. Pfft. During winter, I am a sucker for Pumpkin Pie Spice coffee. I have to stop with the coffee-drinking by noon or I'm up all night. I can always tell if I'm coming down with some ailment when I don't want a cuppa coffee in the morning. I drink lattes on weekends!
Coffee has never passed these lips, and never will! Except a couple times when I got some coffee-flavored ice cream or something. Blech! I like tea, but usually only black tea. I drink peppermint occasionaly. I don't like any fruity stuff in my tea. Blech! I like my tea sugared, but nothing else. I love good iced tea in the summer; and actually peppermint makes great ice tea - so refreshing! I love hot cocoa in the winter.
The caffeine doesn't matter though because for some reason it has no affect on me. A hot cup of tea in the morning does not wake me up. And a hot cup of tea right before bed does not stop me from falling asleep. It's a blessing and a curse, I suppose. =)
Well we all know who the mainliner is... but no more! I am proud to say that I have gone from my 12-15 shots of espresso a day to just having a hot chocolate! My blood pressure is thanking me, too. As far as actual brewed coffee goes, don't really even like it anymore, as I don't like hot coffee, but when I was in the Navy I had to develop an affinity for thick, burnt coffee LOL
In the winter I want very strong black tea for my morning wake-up. Spring through Fall, it's coffee with cream. I'm trying to learn to like coffee without sweetener, but no luck so far.
I'm as coffee drinker. Always have been, since my grandma used to make me a cup of "cowboy coffee"(about an inch of coffee filled with warm milk and sugar) to sip as we sat on her porch together.
I drink fresh ground Sumatran beans, ONLY. I like it with half and half and a bit of sugar. I drink a good sized mug, and may have some cold or iced later. Normally, I never drink more than 2 cups , in the morning. It started interfering with my sleep about 10 years ago, so I try not to drink any after about 3 PM...
Sumatran. YUM. :)
COFFEE, Black, no sugar, but I put couple of shakes of ground cinnamon in with my coffee grounds before hitting the start button. Have to have 2 cups in the morning, but trip to town occasionally will find me at Starbucks ... about once a month. Supposed to drink lemonade every day on doctors advice due to kidney stone issues year ago, but hey it's winter right now. Sometimes tea in the afternoon, just polished off a cup of hot cocoa, my winter favorite. Coffee will not keep me awake but too much and stomach reacts so that's why just 2 cups in the morning.
I look forward to my coffee every morning! :o) I like mine kind of strong with no sugar and lots of cream. I also like it hot but I do not like it re-heated.
Fun question! Enjoy your latte. :o)
I enjoyed all the answers - but was puzzled by one - "fat free" half and half ? What's the sense in that LOL - the fun of half and half is the creaminess.
I drink iced decaf tea all day - all year.
Qwaynt - A big glass of milk? What a good, healthy girl you are!
Judy - You and me both on the non-sleeping thing, Kiddo. But my problem isn't due to caffeine. If it was, I'd just stop it.
JJ - Wow, you like your coffee STRONG! But I say we need all the things we can get that make us happy!
Linda - I'm a little surprised at how many people say coffee in their life is a necessity. Not saying that's bad, I just find it curious. I guess caffeine is a smidge bit habit forming, eh?
Sue - If you kicked the cigarette habit I say you should go with as much coffee as you want! That's MUCHO better than the other way around, Sweetie!
Mama Tea - So strange that coffee affects one person and not the other. My hubby, who is a real coffee lover, can't drink it after 4 p.m. or he won't sleep. Me? I'm with you. Doesn't affect me a bit. Which is a bummer 'cause there are times I sure would like to use it as a pick-me-up!
Jen - Do you sip on water constantly through the day? Chicken Mama does but that doesn't work real well for me 'cause I can't stand water that isn't cold. Well, I guess I could keep putting ice cubes in my always glass, couldn't I?
judy - Your hubby has so few joys right now, why the heck can't he have his coffee? Thanks for saying you like the new header!
Carolyn Renee - It's so strange that the smell of coffee appeals to so many who don't even like the taste. Why doesn't it taste more like it smells? Would that be possible? Mmmm, Vanilla Chai! That sounds so goooood!
Stephanie - You be one coffee lovin' gal! You make your coffee about the same strength my hubby does.
Karen L. - I think your different tea drinking sounds anything but boring. I've never tried mixing regular black tea with green tea. Maybe I should try that since I can't find a green tea I like.
Anonymous - Your mother actually gave you that much coffee when you were a wee tot?? Gosh.
I agree with you on the water thing. We have our own well, too, and really feel fortunate because all the chemicals dumped into "city" water are not good for us!
Susan - My husband would say milk instead of real cream in coffee is a sacrilege! Pumpkin Spice Coffee? Sounds good. What brand coffee puts that out?
Aimee - Since I'm not a fan of peppermint, the only time I drink peppermint tea is on the rare occasion I have a tummy ache. It never fails to soothe my tum-tum. On the other hand, hubby drinks at least one mug of hot peppermint tea every day.
Erin - Wait. I can't believe this. You have given up your espresso? And are only drinking hot chocolate? Who are you and what have you done with my friend Erin???
Grace - Now that's very interesting! Tea in winter but coffee all the rest of the year. Why give up sweetener in your coffee? A titch of sugar in a cup of coffee is nothing compared to the sugar in, say, a can of soda!
Akannie - My hubby was started on coffee at a very young age made just like yours by an aunt of his.
Tombstone Livestock - Hey, tomorrow morning I'm putting a little cinnamon in with the grounds for my latte!
In the winter for your lemonade, have you tried the juice of a half a lemon in a cup of warm water? Actually kinda tasty.
Mooberry Farmwife - Reheated coffee doesn't even have a good aroma. I agree with you. Coffee must be fresh in any form or strength! Thanks for entering into the fun!
Jo (Pieceful Afternoon - I avoid anything "fat free". I don't even think 1/2 and 1/2 in coffee is as good as whole cream. Mmmm-mm! Glad to meet another year-round iced tea lover!
It's coffee for me--- set up the night before so that when I wake at 4:30am it's already hot in the pot, waiting for me. But should I forget to set it up or should I need another cup around 3pm just to get through homework and dinner time I am also a GASP reheater! Just like your parents. Trust me, sitting in the pot all day gives the caffeine the extra concentration it needs to get you through the evening :)
Stevie @ ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com
Hi, Stevie - Yep. Coffee sitting in the pot all day makes it stout stuff. But when strength is called for . . . reheat it and drink!
Re drinking water - I usually just feel thirsty then go and drink a big glass in one go! I'll do that several times a day. I keep a glass by the sink and frequently will just drink a glass when I am at the sink washing my hands, etc. Otherwise I have been drinking carbonated water and like it quite a lot too!
Hi Mama Pea! - I'm a little late, but would like to join in the fun!
I'm with your husband....the fresher the better, and ONLY fresh, though I like mine with cream and sugar. Actually I use dry milk as my 'cream'...don't want to dilute my coffee here, (and lots of it) with our bold, dark roast coffee brewed strong. Our coffeepot is on a timer to kick in before my husband gets up and, be still my heart, he brings me my first cup of coffee all fixed just right before my feet even hits the floor for the day! What's funny, is that I just 'sip', then 'refresh' my cup, or pour out to fix a fresh cup, then 'sip'... not sure I ever drink a whole cup at one sitting come to think of it. Don't drink coffee much past 10 am...switch to water....rarely drink sodas anymore, or even iced tea, except the evenings where I like a glass of iced tea (sweet ~ I do live in the South, ya' know!) with lemon. In the winter I like to drink unsweetened hot tea in the afternoons and may be right before bedtime.
My husband, on the other hand, may be more like your parents in that he drinks his coffee, black, hot, cold, fresh, old all day long, even if it's the 'sludge' out of the pot....and...'gasp'.... he will even drink it if it's a day or so old...simply warms it up in the microwave and calls it good. He does like hot tea in the evening some times too.
I do like lattes too and my sweet mother-in-law is addicted to Cafe Mochas, of which every. single. one. of her days is structured around her Cafe Mocha from her local coffeeshop but she will tolerate other cafe mochas as long as they are from a coffeeshop... i.e. get in the car and drive to, then sit and visit while drinking... it is a part of a total daily social event that is very important to her. Last year, when she was visiting here and we were, believe-it-or-not 'snowed' in and could not get out to get her Cafe Mocha, as she was beginning to go through withdrawal symptoms... I googled a stovetop method and made what I thought was a decent homemade/stovetop Cafe Mocha, if I do say so myself. At least it 'saved' us all from Granny not getting her Cafe Mocha for the day!! Let me say here I love my mother-in-law so much and she is much fun to be with but all of us are very aware of her Cafe Mocha needs!
Thanks so much Mama Pea! This was such fun!
Lisa - Thanks so much for your enjoyable (if late!) addition to this post. When you stop to analyze it, we humans are truly creatures of habit probably more than we acknowledge. And our physical bodies (although in most cases I'm sure it's partly emotional) certainly do rebel in one way or the other when those "habits" are altered or changed. We are funny beings!
I started my coffee addiction with homemade lattes, too. I was just telling my husband that we have 6 different coffee makers...coffee pot, espresso machine, Kerig, 2 French Presses (one small, one large) and a Moka pot. We use them all depending on mood and situation.
wayside wanderer - All I touch is my espresso machine for my lattes, but my husband (the coffee maniac) probably has more coffee makers/presses than you listed. But, heck, if that's his worst vice . . . and I'm happy to say it is so I shall not rag on him about it!
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