My Dunkin’ Donuts coffee has been tasting particularly good these days, and while I sit on a couch between sippy cups, Cheerios and Pop-tarts waiting for my eyelids to pry apart with every sip, I have been thinking about my personal coffee history, as well as the history of coffee itself.
Among other things, I discovered that I have something in common with Pope Vincent III, and I think he deserves a shout-out. Evidently when Christians dubbed coffee the “devil’s drink,” Vincent III took one swig and decided to have it baptized instead of banished saying, “coffee is so delicious it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it.”
Whew.
Coffee was most likely discovered by a sheep herder in Caffa, Ethiopia. He tried a few red “cherries” to see if he would become as hyperactive as his sheep after eating them, and he did. The story goes on to say that monks told him not to eat this “devil’s fruit” until they realized the beans could also help them stay awake for prayers. It is an interesting history worth reading.
My parents were not coffee drinkers, sheep herders, or monks, so I didn’t have my first sip of the so-called “devil’s” java goodness until I was 18. It was a Frappaccino and I probably would not categorize that as coffee today. I drank a little coffee in college, but it wasn’t until grad school that my dependancy went from decaf to double shot espresso.
I lived with my aunt and uncle for a few months before moving into grad housing; they made coffee every morning and they were the first die hard coffee drinkers I had ever met. I quickly learned that they took coffee very seriously and I had to drink it the “right way” or not at all. It was a black Starbucks French Roast and my sensitive little taste-buds were screaming for sugar, milk, cream..anything. But when I saw the looks of horror as I asked for something to calm down my cup, I realized I would either adapt to the brew or fall asleep driving to school.
I have been a black coffee drinker ever since.
For me, there is nothing better than drinking coffee that someone else has made for me. When the honeymoon was over and I realized that this was not going to happen on a daily basis, we invested in the next best thing. A Cuisinart with programmable timer. Now when I wake up to the smell of Dunkin’ Donuts in the morning, I imagine that tiny little bean-shaped elves--as opposed to technology I don’t understand--were busy at work in my kitchen preparing a perfect brew just for me. If only they would unload the dishwasher.
I wouldn’t be a true Coffee enthusiast if I didn’t briefly attempt to drag Coffee’s mortal enemy–herbal tea–through the leafy mud. With all the bad press lately about coffee, it is surprising that I haven’t noticed a decline in Starbucks or the millions of other little Java Huts on every corner. So, tea has half the caffeine and more than just anti-oxidants as a positive selling point. There are lots of great things about tea.
(http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Lbattleofbrews.htm)
But come on, tea? This is America Have we forgotten what happened in Boston, Stephen Sinatra, M.D.? I don’t want a Chai-ppuccino thank you very much...
I know there are many tea drinkers who prefer the taste, and I suppose you are entitled to that. But I have become somewhat of a coffee snob. I have noticed that many coffee drinkers are very particular about their brew, their mug, etc. And I am always impressed by my 75 year old Grandma. I will never forget when we went to dinner at 8pm and she ordered caffeinated coffee, and if it is anything less than scalding hot she has them refill it.
In case anyone reading this has forgotten that even I like two lumps of sarcasm with my black coffee, please don’t be too offended, especially if you simply prefer the taste of leaves to the taste of beans. And if you have something in common with Pope Vincent III as well, you might want to do some additional fun reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_coffee
