"It's All About The Beans..."

Coffee has been my defining fuel of choice for as long as I can remember. It got me through early morning classes in college and late nights of grading papers when I was teaching. It gave me the energy to stay awake after sleepless nights with young kids, and fueled my 5 AM workouts. When I taught high school, my students used to say I had a cup of coffee surgically attached to my hand since I was never without one.

My first screen name on aol was gabbyjava and one of my blogs is Fitness Barista; so, you get the picture.

I used to settle for anything with caffeine just to get going, but over the years, I've come to appreciate the complexities in the brews that different coffee shops and roasters can offer. But, as much as I love coffee, my son takes it to another level. He and his family live in an area surrounded by incredible coffee shops, so they have developed a taste for amazing roasts.

When the quarantine all but stopped everyone's daily coffee runs, I figured my Keurig would have to suffice. I still wanted to support local stores, especially my neighbohood favorites like Kaldis and Northwest Coffee, so I sent my son and his family some of Kaldi's Gratitude blend. He sent back a picture of it being brewed in a French Press. With the full bodied beans, a pourover kettle at the perfect temperature, and the patience to wait for the brew, it looked better than anything I'd had in a while!

A few days later, a French Press arrived, and he ( my son) told us exactly how to brew our own perfect cup. And seriously, what a difference!

It was like sitting and watching the baristas make our order. If I though the K-cups were giving me bursts of energy, this took it to another level! We more than double our workout distance and pace on the days we make coffee in the French Press. Since we are still social distancing, we actually have the time to grind the beans, "wake" them up, let the coffee brew another 5 minutes and enjoy!

My daughter-in-law also introduced me to oat milk, which makes for an extra creamy taste in a latte.

It's a far cry from the vending machine sludge in my college dorm and the stale pots of coffee in the teacher's lounge.

I know places are opening up, and there's always curbside or drive through, but it's kind of fun and almost meditative to take the time to make it yourself. And you can use your own wi-fi!!

I'm partial to my local roasters and have tried a number of blends these past few months. And we need to support our neighbors.

The proceeds from Kaldi's gratitude Blend went to the Gateway Resilience Fund which provided short-term relief for independent restaurant and bar owners.

And you can support Black owned business by trying Northwest Coffee in the Central West End. Jason Wilson is unique in that he is a coffee roaster as well as a retailer. Plus, their Roaster's Choice and Rocky Bay  blends are outstanding!