I am always the one to supply the coffee for family gatherings.
Even more than loving coffee, I love my coffee. I love my coffee so much that I seldom drink any other kind.
For so many years I have been buying, what is for me, a perfect blend. I get it from Jim's Organic Coffee. Not only does it taste fabulous, but is it organic, fair trade, and from a New England vendor based in West Wareham, Massachusetts. I buy it in bulk, pre-ground (which may horrify some purists). My order is always shipped out immediately, the quality never wavers, and they are just very nice people with whom to deal.
P. Gordon Special Blend is a custom blend currently only available in five pound bags, and must be ordered either by phone or my mail.
My daily ritual around coffee seldom varies. We only have it first thing in the morning. I brew it strong, and the moment it is done, I transfer it to a carafe. I heat the Half and Half, from The Organic Cow, in the microwave.
In the winter, my husband and I drink it by the fire, and in the summer, we have it out on the front porch, where I sit in the wicker chair and my husband on the porch swing. Sampson is always at our feet.
It is the small moments during each day that I love getting just right.
At large gatherings, I never brew it early, and make smaller batches at a time to keep it fresh.
31 comments:
T's family is very particular about their coffee, and how they brew it. I will have to pass this along!
(And, by the way, Jim's coffee is "fair trade" not "free trade"--or, "socially responsible free trade" if you prefer!).
@ACH - Thanks for catching the typo! Fixed.
I do love coffee but I'm pretty curious about your polo! I'm assuming it's Ralph but I thought I'd ask just to be sure :)
Where was that last picture taken? What an AMAZING view!!! I need more of that to pull me through Monday afternoon!
I love good, fresh coffee! When I order it in a restaurant, I always request "fresh" coffee. My tip is their reward for getting it just right ;-) xoxo
Terrific rugby shirt!
Good coffee is truly and art, and a necessity!
Love coffee and love reading your blog... I never miss a post! Where is the last photo taken? Looks like such a peaceful, relaxing location!
Oh I just want to be on that porch. I'd drink tea, but still.
Should have read "Where was the last photo taken"... oops!
I'm also very fussy about my coffee. If there's one good thing about life in Melbourne, we have thousands of venues that make great coffee.
That view on the porch is just stunning in a 'the grass is always greener' kind of way. (Please advise where you were.) I'm not averse to sunshine but I do not like excessive heat and look forward to our relatively mild winter.
What a great polo!!
You look like you're preparing for a large gathering with that much coffee. You've got the family size bags I think.
I don't drink coffee at all(decaf or otherwise), but I LOVE the smell. I've never tasted coffee, but I like Oregon Chai tea.
I imagine coffee to be one of those things that I would have had to start drinking a long time ago to appreciate.
LOVE that porch!
Coffee is a mystery to me, but I can wax rhapsodic re tea.
Another quality I look for is "shade grown," aka
'bird friendly" coffee, grown without clear-cutting the rainforest growing fields. Audubon sells through the Rogers Family, who also fund social programs for their S. American growers. Certified organic, and also supports the Audubon Society.
And thanks for the regular moments of mental vacation I get on your blog; work tore me from Cape Ann, MA long ago, but coastal NE is still home!
You look wonderful in the pink and green. A perfect High Priestess for the Coffee Cult. I don.t know how I could have lived so long with out my morning cup of Joe.
I, too, will join in the praise of your rugby shirt! The colors are crisp and cheerful, and I could almost smell the cold, crisp air from your last picture. Visiting your blog is like going home.
I sincerely hope you're an avid tea drinker as well, and will post about your favorite teas in the future. I am partial to the Scottish breakfast tea my Mum sends me, milk and honey, please. :)
We order Kona from one of our favorite shops on Maui where it's roasted on site. Just a little reminder of island paradise to start each day....as I'm not a morning person, I'm a fan of whatever it takes to get me rolling! The picture is gorgeous--beautiful spot for sipping coffee!
Wonderful article that brings up a significant point, that appears to go beyond a particular brand of coffee.
The experts continually warn of the dangers of communications breakdowns in the family unit.
Here, it would seem that one family has a communication ritual, built around the consumption of coffee. Probably no agenda, and no Blackberries. It is easy to guess that what really happens is that two people use the time to be sure they are on the same page.
The experts warn us about what happens if "family time" together really involves family members on their Blackberrys, and virtually unaware of other family members present.
Coffee has become as integral part of our society, as "tea time" seems to be with our British cousins.
Here is a family who apparently uses that time to communicate.
A wag once said that "Very strong coffee is one of the sacraments in the Episcopal Church". How many people look carefully at the cup holders in evaluating a new car? Got to be a theme here somewhere.
"Coffee" is a part of our culture, and there seems to be a good message here,that transcends the brand of coffee.
Thanks!
@Sheena. G - You are correct!
@Cambron - It's just one of our beaches here in town. Residents can use the building year round for larger gatherings.
@Preppy 101 - I agree! There is about a ten minute window.
@John - Back at you...
@LoneStarPrep - Thank you! It's peaceful this time of year. I should put up a summer picture!
@LPC - I'd make you tea!
@Ian - I agree with you about the heat, and the notion of a mild winter is just so foreign right now!
@Susan - I always over-shoot. We only used half a bag. (You should see how I pack.)
@Carole - Tea is my afternoon ritual.
@Ken - You make a good point and I should have mentioned it. Cape Ann, in my mind, is one the most quintessential New England spots. Use to go birding there as a child.
@James - I was in desperate need of a shot of color.
@Christina - I must confess that each time I wear this shirt my dominate thought is "Why didn't I get two?"
@Mom on the Run - That's why I brew it strong!
@Wharf Rat - It is comments like this that put the "Daily" in The Daily Prep. It is its own post with deeper meaning than I could have added.
Beautiful place in that last photo.
Wow, I didn't know that organic half and half existed! Normally I use organic milk or even organic cream (not much). I haven't seen The Organic Cow here in D.C., but I googled it and saw that it is part of Horizon, so maybe I will be able to find it soon! Fingers crossed and thanks for the info!
Funny how we can get so picky with our A.M. drinking rituals. Love coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon and wine with dinner. Add me to the fans of your rugby!
great post! by the way, I love your rugby shirt!
Making coffee has been a symbol of love since meeting my husband of four years. Every morning he brews a fresh pot (Peet's coffee as of late)...just enough for two cups each. On the weekends, he'll grind fresh beans and use the french press. I love the ritual..enough to let him leave our warm winter bed! In the afternoon, tea time takes over. Since returning from our trip to Ireland, we've turned to the hard stuff. There is now no substitute for Barry's Irish Tea and it's my turn to take care of us and put the kettle on. Taste and memory are so closely tied!
I love coffee as well, but I must admit that I'm not very picky. I'll drink coffee left over from the previous day, but admittedly prefer fresh. The only coffee I have found that I don't like is coffee that has been left on the warmer for hours. I had a restaurant serve me coffee that had obviously been sitting on the warmer for HOURS. It was the worst coffee I have ever had. I couldn't even get past the first sip.
The use of the carafe is really clever. Thank you for the tip.
In the spirit of "one good turn", I keep my whole beans in the freezer, grind as I go along, and use distilled water.
I have a special problem with coffee, everywhere we travel we can never find coffee strong enough as what we brew ourselves at home. It's become a joke, in Paris we switched to espresso, I'm Mexico we mixed espresso in with our cafe. Even that famous coffee Mecca Seattle failed to deliver strong coffee to match our tastes.
Here we buy Cubano from Costco. Grind it fresh every morning...
I have been a heavy coffee drinker since living in Kentucky as a twenty-something when We were all into the "back to the land" movement.
I've a saying about coffee: A day without coffee is called..... Night!
@Chens - You came close...
@whattokeep - I am sure I drove my dairy manager crazy with my endless requests for organic half and half.
@mary anne - Thank you. And it's so true!
@Patti - Thank you and thank you!
@itztru - It all sounds so lovely. And thank you for highlighting Barry's Irish Tea. I'll now look for it at our local tea shop.
@Pink One - Wow... :)
@Rob - Yours is the superior intellect!
@Wayne - All I can do is smile!
Muffy,
"Wow" because I can drink left over coffee, or "Wow" because of the horrid restaurant coffee? :D
Don't worry, I serve fresh coffee to guests. :)
I have to agree with Ian that the coffee down under is amazing. As a coffee purist and avid fan I have been more than impressed with the coffee in New Zealand.
On my last visit home to the States I was served Starbucks coffee in my friend's home, so needless to say I think I need to send her some Jim's coffee. Definitely no later than my next visit.
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