Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven.
Coffee Quotes – Jessi Lane Adams
As I jotted down ideas over the last couple of weeks to facilitate posting through the AtoZChallenge (26 posts in April for 26 days except Sundays), I was giving the tip of my pen a hard time. While contemplating “C”, I got my Creative Cells working overtime – and decided to get me a Cup of Coffee to fuel my consciousness and moved on to other stuff.
Then it hit me this morning. C for Coffee. Obviously. And the post for Day 3 into the A to Z Challenge became…
Coffee Quotes, Notes and Memories
My favorite cup of coffee used to be the one (or two, or three) I enjoyed with my Mom (who is the Best Coffee Maker of all time.)every day. The first one was the best. Precious moments that involved making lists, discussing wishlists, and sharing dreams and fantasies. And sometimes a song or two. The early rays of the sun bathing our balcony with a gentle light, ushering in yet another brand new day. The aroma of the coffee mixed with other fragrances – flowers, incense, and perhaps cooking.
Coffee Quotes – Authors Unknown
I had my first coffee when I was fifteen – it was exam preparation time and one day, I was busy reading something and just picked up the first cup on the table and sipped. My glass of milk is never hot. It is cold. I yelped in shock and burnt my tongue. That was my first ever experience with coffee – strange coming from a tambram – we are renowned for our affinity to pure coffee.
So anyway, you’d think I’d be totally put off, right? Wrong! Later, my Mom added just a few drops of the coffee decoction in my milk and I had my taste of cold coffee. I was hooked. Thus began my love for coffee. (Don’t believe anyone who says you should go by your first experience with anything!)
Coffee brings happy memories of times with family and friends – long afternoons punctuated with piping hot fresh filter coffee and music and conversation. And then we would wonder why we didn’t feel hungry at all. Ha!
I orchestrate my mornings to the tune of coffee.
Coffee Quotes – Harry Mahtar
South Indians are known for being coffee addicts. And we’re oh-so-finicky about it. We are suspicious with every coffee that has not been made in our own kitchen. My first cup of coffee is my favorite. (I say cup loosely. What I mean is a thug of a steel glass that takes an easy 400 ml). Pure filter coffee. With froth on top.
I start my morning with it. After I light the lamp, it is prayer time. The day begins. The milk boils. The water boils in another pan. I add pure coffee powder to the top half of my filter and pour boiling water over it. As I watch the milk steadily rise, my senses are aware of the “tik, tik, tik” sounds of the drops of coffee decoction settling in the lower half of the filter, and the rising aroma of the coffee. I switch off the stove just in time to avoid the milk overflowing.
And now, the moment of truth. (or lies, it really doesn’t matter, because this is a sacred moment between me and my coffee). Into my steel glass, I add a half teaspoon of sugar. Never more. I like to savor the bitter taste of this pure fresh coffee. I fill my glass with the just-boiled milk until it is just a little short of the brim. Then, carefully dismantling the top half of the filter, wincing at the heat, I pour the aromatic decoction from the bottom half into my glass of milk, until it is just right in color.
Important to note: NOT milk to decoction, but decoction to milk. I stir it in with a spoon. (Stirred, not shaken !) Then, it is time for my first sip of the day. A small one. The coffee trickles down my tongue, which reluctantly allows it to move on, into my throat, energizing my system. I take sip after blissful sip. And all is right with the world.
So, is coffee good for you?
Coffee tastes great and motivates you to start the day on a happy note, but what about its health benefits? A growing body of research shows that coffee drinkers, compared to nondrinkers, are:
- less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia
- have fewer cases of certain cancers, heart rhythm problems, and strokes
However, they are not saying that coffee can prevent those conditions. As with anything, moderation is key.
And now…
Everybody should believe in something. I believe I’ll have another coffee.
~Coffee Quotes – Author Unknown
So, are you a coffee drinker? When was the first time you tasted it?
If you’re not a coffee drinker, what do you prefer instead?
Grab your favorite beverage and watch this enchanting video with me!
I used to enjoy my cold coffee each day until I discovered I was caffeine sensitive and coffee gave me irregular heartbeats. But after reading your post, I can actually smell the aroma of coffee!
Right now cold coffee sounds divine, Suzy! Apparently coffee has health benefits, but the jury is still out on that one! Thanks for visiting.!
Even I like my coffee bitter and frothy . The aroma of filter coffee as the starins of MS Subbalakshmi waft through the air is something else 🙂 Right now I think I badly need a cup 🙂
Ah, you’re absolutely right, Sridevi. Your mention of MS instantly took me back to the time we had the suprabhatam playing on Saturday morning, as we leisurely savored our coffees. Come over, let’s have one!
I generally associate coffee with exam stress or work stress. I used to have cups and cups of coffee when I was studying late into the nights during my University days.
I now limit myself to one cup of coffee per day which I usually take in the late afternoon. There is no denying that there is a certain aroma to coffee that makes me crave for one.
Me too, Evelyn! Sometimes I’d stay up to study just to enjoy the coffee! 🙂 I cut down drastically to three mugs a day – I can’t imagine my day beginning without that large mug! 😀
I know coffee is good for me, because without a strong cup every morning, I’d be complete wreck the rest of the day! Fantastic pictures and quotes and video is truly awesome.
PS: Appreciate the shout out.
Same here, Corinne! Sometimes I think that more than the actual coffee, the thoughts associated with it make for the whole experience. Thanks for your comment – oh, I love that video – the accompanying music seemed perfect too!. Loved your Coonoor post!
I love the quotes ! I am a coffee lover too but not as passionate as you For some reason I associate it with cafe and reading – that’s because I have spent endless hours in a cafe with a book sipping my cup of coffee and reading !
🙂 Coffee and books – what a combination, Ruchira. There was a time I fantasized about carrying around a coffee tank like an oxygen cylinder. 😀
Read Ruchira’s tea and now ur coffee
Am literlly waiting for clock to tick 5 now …. as I WANT A coffee . jst had lunch . Hence want to wait
Am more of a tea lover but any time for A GOOD FILTER COFFEE. Actually more coffee gives me migraine hence reduced the frequency 🙁
Its so soothing and u gave actual recipe for coffee;)
video is good tooo ! Loved reading
😀 It is beverage day at the A to Z Challenge, Afshan! These days I love a tea as much as a coffee. Thank you for visiting, Afshan. Yup – gorgeous video!
Enjoyed reading this coffee post especially the quotes! I am more of tea person and occasionally a coffee drinker! Though I have 2-3 cups of tea in a day, but I prefer to have it with my own rules… it is made as per the exact measures and no disturbance, no talks, just me and my tea with a book or a newspaper or the laptop…
Sounds like a plan, Shilpa. Coffee is such a great companion! 😀 Thanks for coming by!
Vidya, I’m having my second cup as we speak…couldn’t live without it!
Me neither, Julie! Ah, one day, you and I, our coffee, the bakery and the watermelons. See how our list is growing?
I loved the coffee quotes and especially your writing. In fact you made me feel I should be a coffee person instead of the tea one I am 🙂
The last time I had coffee? Just the other day. I got a coconut coffee powder from Bali that I liked.
Shail, I am enthralled with your Bali photo-post! Coconut coffee powder sounds exotic. Yum! Thanks for the kind words!
My favourite coffee quote of all is: “A cup of coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent.”
I seem to flop back and forth between tea and coffee, and it seems to be a seasonal thing. In the winter I usually will take tea over coffee, but in the summer, I just want my coffee. Either way, I definitely need at least one big mug of one or the other to get me going in the morning. Don’t bother trying to talk to me until I’m properly caffeinated… LOL! 😉
Nathalie, I almost included that quote, it is one of my favorites too! I love Tea in winter too – especially with a dash of ginger. My day looks brighter with my first mug too! I enjoyed your post about Affirmations! Thank you for visiting today!
I absolutely loved your letter C post, and even though I love coffee and there’s nothing better than coffee in my world, your post was so much more.
It was lovely reading about coffee with your “mi” and the traditions and how you started your love for coffee. What a truly wonderful post.
I’m so glad I came today to visit you! 🙂 (I almost picked coffee as my letter C too, but there is coffee in my recipe! haha)
Nicole, I am still drooling thinking of your chocolate mousse! I appreciate you visiting Coffee with Mi. Loved your blog – I’ve visited it before looking for a recipe and look forward to being a regular there! Thanks for coming by today!
I loved this post. My favorite coffee is a decaf Americano from one of two coffee shops here in our little town. There is nothing like sitting for hours sipping coffee with a good friend.
Thank you, Pam! I haven’t tried decaf at all – and from what I’ve read about it….wonder whether I’ll like it? Ah, the joy of the friend + coffee combination is unparalleled! Loved your post today!
No one else but you can make a cup of coffee sound like such an enchanting experience Vidya! It feels like your entire life is a ritual – you convey that in your writing. Do you think it is this way because of the awareness blogging brings to it or does blogging merely report what already is?
Thanks for putting my book on your widget! <3
Lori
I confess I just write on the fly, Lori. Somehow, with blogging, planning doesn’t seem to work very well for me. I know about the editorial calendar and all that – and I am cajoling myself to at least make notes for blog post ideas these days. Thing is, I am never at a loss for things to say. 😀
I thought about what you said – about the rituals – it is probably because I enjoy my routine so much.
Your book is beautiful and it has adorned my sidebar for a long time now. 😉 More to come soon! Hugs to you!
Coffee, You don’t want to talk to me in the morning until I have had my cup of coffee. Once i have that I am good to go, even though I do have a few more cups.
I don’t need anything in it or with it, just a nice cup of black coffee.
As for the first time I had coffee. I was about 10 and when we would go visit my Aunt she would let us have a 3/4 cup of milk with a 1/4 cup of coffee poured into the milk. Love to go to her house. I thought I was really big!
Thanks for sharing your story(love them) and the video. That was cool!
Debbie
Debbie! I used to be like that…but when my son came along, I could no longer afford to be tough about the coffee. You know I wouldn’t speak before I had my first cup. Then I settled down to cool coffee – any cup would do! 😀 But now, I have the pleasure of my son being older and making sure I enjoy my second cup! I can imagine you as a little girl feeling excited about visiting your aunt! 🙂
vidya, i can so relate to this post. Coffee is my cuppa salvation, the fuel that keeps me ticking 🙂 loved reading it 🙂
Me too, Priya! It is my savoir! 😀
Oh I love coffee. It’s funny because my first coffee was when I was studying for a nursing exam. And it was INSTANT coffee. So disgusting. I can’t drink it anymore because it triggers mania. Sick joke universe. But I do love me some tea 🙂
Kim 😀 You always make me smile! We’ll have tea when we meet. I occasionally have instant coffee. When we were kids we used to think it was very special 😀 Until we tasted the real thing.
Too funny! My dad is an instant coffee drinker. It’s all he drinks, and it was my first introduction to coffee, too!
You know there was a time in India when we would get instant coffee as little thin rectangular shaped pieces. I used to be desperate to taste them. I did, of course.:D I wonder how I suddenly remembered this!
Such a lovely post – your tantalizing description makes me want another cup of coffee! Coffee is such a sacred element of one’s day – you captured the essence of it perfectly:) I am spoiled with our local “Biltmore Coffee Traders” (you can find a link to them on my “About Sam” page) shade-grown, organic, delicately roasted sumptuous flavor!
Cheers!
Sam
Thank you, Sam! Loved your post, too – the excerpt was intriguing. Your coffee flavor also sounds amazing! 🙂 I look forward to meeting you tomorrow! 😀
I loved the description of your morning coffee ritual! We too are big coffee addicts!
Thanks, Roshni. 🙂
I can relate a lot to this.
Coffee is my go-to drink. Headache -> Espresso 3 shots
Feeling tired -> Espresso 1 shot. I buy beans and grind them myself to my liking, I like my coffee black. No milk no sugar.
Having said that, I never say no to good filter coffee, I am a proper South Indian like that 😉
Love your prescription, Nandana! We used to roast and grind our own beans, but not any more. I get them roasted and freshly ground! Nothing beats the smell of fresh coffee powder and freshly brewed coffee! Thank you for visiting!
I must have been 15 or 16 when I first had coffee. Ya, I am more of a tea person. Always have been, always will be. Maybe the Indian in me fails to let go off the love of tea.
Hajra! Long time no see! 🙂 But I read your post and know why!. I enjoy the cup that cheers, too! I especially enjoy flavors like lemon, ginger, mint and tulsi. Makes me want to have one right now!
Good to see you!
I am a tea addict..but, being a South Indian, I love coffee too…any form.
Thank you, Janu! Cheers!
I also posted “Coffee” today as part of the challenge. Love it. And love your post. Looking forward to the rest of your A – Z’s.
I absolutely loved your photo to go with your post, Enid! Thanks! I look forward to meeting you often, too!
I am addicted to coffee. Even when i am commenting I am having one. 😉 Ju coz loved this post coz of Coffee! 🙂
– A fellow blogger from A to Z!
That is lovely, Sheethal! Coffee simply rules! I am having one as I am replying to you, too! 😀 Cheers!
I enjoyed your bucket list!
What an aromatic post! I never knew that a steel filter is available to make filter coffee the traditional way until I got married to a South Indian 🙂 Frankly, i never read the benefits, thank you for sharing those!
🙂 How interesting, Anuradha!Yes, there’s lots of research to prove the benefits of coffee. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I am a crazy person till I have my first cup of tea 🙂 love your coffee making ritual, could taste the coffee.
I love the ritual too, Sulekha. The fun part is, when we have family visiting, it is still the same, with the happiness multiplied! 😀
Great post Vidya
I really like this quote “I love days when my problem only is tea or coffe”
thank you
Thank you, Rachid! I loved the poster the moment I saw it! And the great thing is, I do have days like that!
I loved Coffeeology! 🙂
Yes! Damyanti! It sort of sums up my feelings 😀
Well, I start my day in a very similar fashion to yours. An expresso machine, a 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, and frothy milk. Couldn’t do it any other way!
Love your quotes and pictures.
Ah, I know, Betsy! 😀 One day we’ll enjoy a coffee together for real! Hugs!
I <3 coffee. Great post. Thanks for dropping by my blog.
Happy A-Zing!! 😀
Thank you, Sania!
I am amazed how you have spun the li’l details of your life around coffee. You even remember the age when you had coffee for the first time!!!
As i read your post, the aroma of the coffee spread around me.
Can I have the recipe of your perfect filter coffee?? 🙂
Coffee is significant for me, Preetilata! Not sure if I remember other details so clearly 😀
My filter coffee is simple. I buy Coffee Day’s PB Pure. Fill half the top of the steel filter with the coffee powder. Pour boiling water on it. Boil milk. Take glass. Add the desired sugar. Pour milk. Then add coffee decoction from the bottom half of the steel filter. As easy as that.! The important thing is – add the same level of boiling water as the coffee powder for thick decoction. 😀
I loved your post vidya ! i normally enjoy coffee in winter, and coffee with good books is a wonderful combination. You have written beautifully, thanks for sharing !
Yes, Angela. Coffee + Books is pure bliss. Thanks for your kind words.
I love coffee! And I am so glad to read those health benefits.
Vidya,
You are so creative. I don’t drink much coffee. I did for a while and I was consuming mostly sugar and cream because this is what made it so good!But I love all your quote and such! I ant to have a cuppa with you sometime! I will come to India! <3 Jodi
I’m a coffee-holic. I go through a 12-cup pot almost every morning. In the afternoon I switch to instant decaf coffee. Regular coffee I almost always drink black except for the dash of cinnamon I put into the pot while the coffee is brewing. The instant decaf needs creamer, one teaspoon.
I got started on coffee when I was pregnant with my son. It was my one and only craving during the whole 9 months. 🙂
If you didn’t already know I am an absolute coffee lover especially our filter kaapi. My day is incomplete without coffee. Loved this post!
That calls for a coffee together, Rachna! 🙂 Let’s do it!
This post made me smile coffee “addict” : P. I don’t drink coffee anymore. I drink green tea instead : D. Still has the caffeine. Cute little post.