Who loves Coffee?

I grew up with two coffee loving parents. In my early years I thought coffee was disgusting.  The smell grossed me out. I would take a sip every once and a while and confirm my disgust for the hot brown liquid.

Fast forward to age 20 or so and a time that I was travelling for work. One of the places that I would travel every other month or so was the Boston area.  Each morning I was there, my sales rep would pick me up from the hotel and our first stop would be a coffee shop on the coast.

I didn’t want to be rude so I would always order a coffee.  We would walk out of the store and take a few minutes enjoying the salt air.  I learned that Coffee wasn’t as horrible when it was part of an “Experience”.

After a couple of trips to this coastal coffee shop I actually started to enjoy the coffee part of the trip and not just the view/smells of the Ocean. (OK maybe it was the caffeine buzz).

Coffee “The Experience”

This is when I learned that coffee isn’t just about coffee.  Each time I would grab a cup of coffee somewhere, for a moment I would be transported back to that coffee shop on the coast.  I have a very strong sense of smell/taste and the faintest ordinary smell can trigger a vivid memory for me (Like a certain deodorant smell brings me back to PAL camp in Tustin MI – I’ll save that story for another blog post).

Through the years coffee has gotten to be more of a routine for me.  The morning (who’s kidding, noon and night as well) pick me up.  As the only coffee drinker in my house I never found the need to actually own a coffee pot.  I didn’t drink such massive quantities that it made sense.  I’d either stop on my way to work and grab a gas station coffee (Yuck) or just wait until I got to the office.  Than about 8 years ago this sweet little device entered into my life a Keurig.

The Keurig was amazing. Super quick. Single Serving. No waste. Cheaper than gas station coffee. The list of benefits go on and on an on.  But what was lacking was the “Experience”.  It’s the same coffee every single time. The process of the coffee making is also the same thing EVERY SINGLE TIME.  Lift, insert, close, push button.  It’s so robotic.  Not to mention not the best for the environment (www.killthekcup.org/).

Around the same time I was introduced to the Keurig, while on vacation in Canada (On a lake, I am beginning to see a pattern). Some great friends (who can speak french, coincidence??) introduced me to the “French Press”.  Each morning I would wander down to their cottage.  Coffee beans would be freshly ground. Water boiled than left to cool until the perfect 200 degrees.  Both would be put into a gorgeous glass and chrome apparatus called a “French Press”.  We would wait for about four minutes and than enjoy the most wonderful coffee I have ever tasted.  Even better than that coffee shop on the coast over 20 years ago.  Once again, coffee was part of an “Experience”.

Since that day in Canada I have owned a French Press but it has only come out and been used a few times a year.  I have relied on the quick and easy Keurig.

 

Bye Bye Keurig

So the other day I did it.  I was out of K-cups and faced with the decision to go it more or toss the Keurig I did it.  I tossed the Keurig.  Just unplugged it and tossed in into the trash.  I found the French Press that was stored away in the pantry and decided to get back to enjoying the “Experience” of coffee instead of the “Routine” of coffee.  Instead of a thirty second process, making coffee takes about ten minutes.  In that ten minutes you are creating some AMAZING coffee. Coffee that is good enough to bring back memories of past experiences you have had while enjoying a cup of coffee.

So your reading this on the Verlinde Insurance Agency website. What does this blog post about Coffee have to do with insurance? Well nothing really!  Although we do have a French Press in the office and I’d be happy to share some amazing coffee with anyone who wants to drop by and talk!

I’d love to hear about some of your favorite coffee Experiences.  Leave a comment and tell me a one or a few of the times coffee has been a part of something special in your life!