How this ‘coffee’ loving thing started…

Have you noticed when your colleague gets into the office and their first task is to make a cup of coffee? I mean some make tea or just get a glass of water but a hot cup of coffee in the morning whilst you check your emails is a common daily theme. Now I love coffee, but I don’t make a mad dash in the kitchen, weaving in between people and waiting for the kettle to be free to get my fix. I always give it 45 mins to an hour when the kitchen will be empty and really build up to having my daily treat without the interference. However, the main reason is so I can take my time to brew a delicious cup of coffee and switch off for a moment from my environment. 

I remember as a kid I would walk into my father’s restaurant at noon and smell that intriguing aroma coming from the coffee brewing in the moccamaster. But back then, I would walk straight passed it, into the kitchen where the ice cream was! Coffee always felt like an adult drink but I was not restricted in trying it sometime in late middle school. Even with lots of cream and brown sugar to mask that strong dark flavour, it was still delicious and fulfilling. 

The problem with drinking coffee is many start to rely on the caffeine instead of appreciating the taste. This was apparent for me during my uni days where I would have dreaded sitting through a lecture without a cappuccino. It also didn’t matter when I drank coffee especially when pulling an all nighter to complete an assignment. But because of the quantity I was drinking, I began to dislike instant coffee and really cut down on my drinking. I started to make frequent visits to coffee shops as I was experiencing more tastier beverages. Yes, I loved drinking a Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks although I realized later the name did not really match the original cup. 

Now this is the bit where I tell you how this coffee hobby thing came about. I think I was in Starbucks with my partner and I ordered a Toffee Nut Latee on a winters day and it tasted horrible. The milk texture was watery and more importantly the coffee taste was just bitter. That’s when I proclaimed to my wife, I can make better coffee than this! 

So began my journey off making coffee at home but I was not willing to fork out money on a coffee machine, plus reviews for cheap ones were not too appealing. Then I started watching YouTube videos and came across the French Press or the cafetiere as it’s referred to. This inexpensive coffee device blew my mind because not only did it make really delicious brewed coffee but you were also able to froth milk. I bought two cafetieres and would make cappucino or latte for the family. Yes, I even bought some toffee nut syrup and recreated Starbuck’s Toffee Nut Latte which tasted delicious!

But as I was making these cappucinos, lattes and even mochas, I was constantly trying to improve the taste. After endless research and watching videos I realised there was a difference in the coffee from the shops to what coffee the experts advised to drink. I needed coffee that was recently roasted and was freshly ground. So I went to a small independent coffee shop in Bournemouth and brought a 250G of their house coffee. I will probably do a separate review of this shop and it’s coffee in another post but in summary when I bought a cappuccino from this cafe, it was the best cup of coffee I ever tasted at the time. 

You would assume at this point that I now drink special and expensive coffee only and avoid all the cheap stuff. That’s a little bit true I guess, but what I love about coffee is the different tastes you can acquire from different brewing methods which you don’t need shell out money for. This is the experience I want to capture in my blogs and I hope you can enjoy my journey into the world of coffee.