An Ode to Coffee

Source: etsy.com via Tami on Pinterest

The absolute worst part about moving to this town is the fact that there is not a single coffee shop within an hours drive. It’s tragic really. We have a Keurig that we love and adore, but sometimes I just want to have the comfort of really, really yummy coffee that I didn’t have to make. Or a latte. The Keurig is not an espresso machine people. I even tried the iced coffee K-Cups, but I dunno…I’m not loving them. Too watery. Some things just can’t be substituted. Okay, so we do have a McDonald’s, and I have been known to stop there on occasion to get an iced coffee or even splurge and get a latte. And it’s pretty good. But it’s not the same. This morning we went to good old Mickey D’s so I could sample their new peppermint mocha, and it was indeed tasty.

 But here’s my criteria for a good premium coffee drink. It has to either A-Have so much caffeine in it that you instantly feel that tingly buzz in your head, a la Starbucks or B-be made with really good quality coffee. There were a few local coffee shops in Corpus that used amazing, sometimes organic, coffee, and it was so smooth and flavorful…something I’ve never been able to replicate. (If you are ever in Corpus Christi, check out Grounded on the Island, Aqua Java or Stingers.) Anyone can add a drop of coffee flavored something into some sweetened milk and call it a latte. (Ahem, BURGER KING! Gross.) But McDonald’s coffee drinks don’t satisfy either of the good coffee criteria.


So what’s a girl to do? Well, the gals over at Junk Gypsy led me to this amazing iced coffee recipe from the Pioneer Woman, and it’s pretty dang good. Half and half is a must…there’s no way I would ruin that concoction with 2%. It really does make a dang good iced coffee. The problem is, it’s a huge pain in the butt to make. But very very worth it.  I've been wondering lately if you could do virtually the same thing on a smaller scale with a French Press.  Google says yup, sure can.  I'll need to invest in one of those thing-a-ma-jabbers.

Yesterday I stumbled across this announcement on the Keurig website.

Starting in December, Starbucks will make K-Cups! So it still isn’t a latte, but maybe it will bring hope to my bleak existence on those mornings when all I really want in the world is to drive through a Starbucks on my way to work. Because a life without good coffee is no life to live.