Friday, 24 February 2012

• Coffee Addict, Not Embarrassed.

  

  Ahh, coffee. Just writing that word makes me feel a paradoxical combination of calmer and more alert at the same time.  Either way, I am definitely happier.

  I used to be one of those people who loved the smell of coffee but couldn’t tolerate the bitter taste of it, spending hours in a coffeehouse but ordering tea or hot chocolate.  Whenever my dad took me to Starbucks, I would force myself to take a sip of his coffee-with-cream-and-sugar, and nothing about my repulsed reaction ever changed.  Now, it appalls me to even think of that dark time of my life.

  I was determined to like coffee.  I thought it would make me seem more mature (it did not) and I thought I would be more productive with the extra caffeine in my system (I am not).  So I gradually manipulated myself into what is now a full-blown addiction.

  It started with those sugary little devils known as Frappuccinos at Starbucks.   I went from ordering the Double Chocolate Chip or Vanilla Bean Frappuccinos to trying a sip of my roommate’s Mocha Frappuccino.  My first sip deemed it passable, but my next was a gulp of pure heaven. 

  Of course, if you’ve spent any amount of time in a Starbucks, you know that the frappuccino is no cheap thing.  My wallet ached every time I “wanted coffee” and soon I realized that if I wanted to eat or buy textbooks, I had to find a new, cheaper drink for my developing “coffee” habit.

  By this time, my roommate and I had been spending inordinate amounts of time at Barnes and Noble to read and do work.  One of our favorite baristas suggested a strange combination that she was particularly fond of: an iced coffee with white mocha syrup. 

  I think it goes without saying that this drink was revolutionary for me.  The iced coffee was strong, but the white mocha syrup was even stronger.  None of my friends liked it, of course, because the sweetness alone was enough to skyrocket one’s blood sugar.  If you ever try it, please consider eliminating sweets from the rest of your day.  Or week.  The drink was, of course, perfect for me.

  Realistically, I wasn’t spending any less money because I somehow convinced myself that because the iced coffee was cheaper than the frappuccino, I could buy even more of them.  I ordered this drink essentially every day for the next few weeks.  At this point, I believe my wallet was flat-out crying.

  Finally, I came to my senses.  Somewhere between no one wanting to share my iced coffee and crashing a couple hours after drinking one, I think the sugar became too much, even for me.  I began ordering my iced coffee with vanilla syrup, and eventually just sweetened by the syrup behind the bar.  Add in a little half & half, and my coffee no longer breaks my wallet (cheaper without the added syrup).  Nor do I feel a little like I’m going to die from a sugar overdose. 

  I love coffee.  In any and every form.

  What is your favorite coffee drink?

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