Coffee Anonymous

I had my first interaction with cold brewed coffee today and I was confused. If it was cold brewed should I drink it as ice coffee or can I warm it up? Drinking ice coffee in December is odd though in line with science that says we should drink cold drinks in the winter because that turns our body's thermostat up and we should drink hot drinks in the summer to turn our thermostat down. Makes me understand why I can drink a cold Cherry Vanilla Diet Dr. Pepper and still be sweating in the AC. As usual, our habits and science or rather God's design for our bodies do not synch up.

I was not really impressed with the cold brewed and tasted no real difference. Of course, I am not a coffee connoisseur like some, which is why Starbucks never got me excited. A triple caff, half latte with a lemon slice, Egyptian ginseng covered with whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and a cherry makes me think dessert not coffee. Besides they are way overpriced and the just plain coffee is too bitter which may explain the need for the other hoo-ha to make it drinkable. They do not like me politically so I will be happy with a coffee or Cappuccino at QT. They are cheaper and tastier without massive additives.

I did not drink much coffee as a kid. When I was four or five whenever we went to visit my great-grandmother I did get to drink coffee because her well was so full of Sulphur that you had to boil it to make it drinkable. So coffee was on my menu to dip her crazy awesome sugar cookies into which makes my mouth water to this day. Coffee and cookies made me want to live with great-grandma Jenny! Talk about wired! Small amounts of sugar is like rocket fuel to my youngest granddaughter. I cannot imagine what all that was doing to me as caffeine and sugar should bring a person out of a coma.

After my Dad was killed in a car wreck when I was near seven I did not see her again until I was sixteen. Sadly, dementia was setting in so she thought I was my Dad. Never had any more of her cookies.

I never really did much coffee after that. Hot chocolate was the drink of winter and I was a colaholic in the summer. Never really liked the taste of coffee unless I loaded it with sugar and milk to make it taste like when I was dipping cookies.

Then I joined the military. An army may fight best on an empty stomach, but it will not be good to fight without coffee. I wonder how many heroic acts were by men with three cups of coffee that was so strong the cup walked away from you daring you to drink it versus the tea or milk drinkers. We cola drinkers may have come in somewhere in the middle since cola has caffeine and once had cocaine in it. That might explain how soldiers in that timeframe could be shot six times and still fight on.

Indeed, without coffee I may have died of thirst because there may not be a coke machine or water fountain around, but there was always a coffee pot and often two or more of those that made fifty cups at a time depending on the size of the unit.

There were some who used powered cream and sugar, but there were also those who were purists who would call you a wimp if you used any additives. At some point, I decided it was not worth the harassment. I was in when things were not at all PC. When someone was pouring you a cup they would ask how you like it and you responded, "Like I like my women" to which you would choose an answer appropriate for the coffee. I have a feeling that is no longer the traditional response. It was a simpler day and age when people were not easily offended or had some kind of agenda. It was GIs being GIs and it is a common trait among soldiers of most armies. Just look at the groups on Facebook for GIs of any country and you will find things like that. It's a Hooah or Hoorah thang.

Anyway, to avoid dehydration and to maintain my mental alertness, especially during some long sessions of training by folks who were good soldiers but not necessary good speakers or trainers. Even with the strong coffee there were times I had to move to the back of the room and stand or else wake up from my head banging the desk. I had many of those so coffee became a habit.

Jump ahead to college and late night study sessions with peers. Krispy Kreme and strong coffee certainly helped my grades though they did not help my A1C or adrenals. Many jobs supplied coffee so taste was no longer in the equation. I do not sniff for the aroma or bouquet. It was all about the caffeine.