Morning coffee - ahhhh

There is nothing like the aroma of fresh coffee, especially in the morning. My morning coffee memories go back to the days of childhood, when my grandmother was visiting us. She would get up ridiculously early (6 am) and have her coffee percolating while the rest of us were still sleeping - I remember lying in bed and enjoying the delicious smell, knowing my grandmother was down in the living room.

My grandmother continued to percolate her coffee long after many people moved on to Taster's Choice instant, or drip coffee makers. She insisted on grinding her own beans at the grocery store. She drank it black, and strong, like syrup, and she drank it all day long.

I'm probably not a true coffee lover - I take mine with heaps of sugar and lots of milk (cream if we have it). My coffee is diluted into some other sweetened coffee-flavored drink, and if I can't have it like that, I'd rather not have it at all. It takes me a long time to drink my coffee; it's usually lukewarm by the time I get to the bottom (but that's where the sugar has sunk and those last swigs are soooo yummy!).

Coffee is one of our cherished routines here - one cup in the morning around the ridiculously early time of 6 am (funny how that works - as one gets older, the mornings get earlier), and another cup in the evening. We never use instant coffee, it's dripped coffee, a particular brand that seems smooth and does not create havoc inside my stomach. Our local tienda has started stocking our coffee for us - but it's not on the shelf, we have to request it, and they bring it out from the back. Just one thing to love about Mexico - the personal touch.

Miguel takes his coffee unsweetened, with or without milk. Although he prefers his coffee fresh and hot, he will even drink it cold, pouring the leftovers into a glass and drinking it like coke. More than once I've been thirsty and reached for his glass of 'coke', looking to quench my thirst so I wouldn't have to get up and get my own refreshment - luckily, the smell hits my nostrils before the cold, bitter liquid hits my lips. Blech!

During Hurricane Wilma, when we were without power for 15 days, we still found a way to make our drip coffee. We boiled water on the gas stove, and then ladled the water over the coffee grounds that we put into the drip-coffee maker's filter tray . In order for the water to drip out of the tray, we had to push the lever - taking care not to burn our fingers. Although we had sugar, we did not have milk - so I drank my coffee black and because we were without so many other things during that time (lights being one of them), I felt like we were living in the lap of luxury with that black coffee.

I was hoping I might learn to drink black coffee after Wilma, but no - as soon as we had milk, I was back to my pale sweetened drink. Some routines are just too enjoyable to give up - my sweet coffee is one of them.