coffee!

i used to hate coffee. HATE it. but when i worked at a hotel, i got tired of hot chocolate and needed a warm-up on chilly mornings (i walked a few blocks from the trolley & i get chilled easily). i started out with a LOT of sugar and cream, with a bit of coffee thrown in.
now, i drink coffee pretty much daily (sometimes i take sunday off).
all the talk about coffee on other blogs made me think about what my favorite coffee is. i don’t swing out a lot – i drink what’s available. but two of the best coffees i’ve ever had were kona coffee and a coffee from puerto rico (my best friend gave it to me) – neither of which are easily available to me. the kona was REAL kona coffee, straight from the grower in hawaii. not the crap most grocery stores “claim” is kona.
i like medium and mild coffees and am beginning to enjoy stronger coffees as well. i’d much rather have strong coffee than something that looks like tea. and i still use cream & sugar – but more sparingly. i will take cream over sugar any day if there’s a shortage of one.
starbucks? i only go there if i’m desperate and it’s more convenient than something else. but i do enjoy their chai creme frap. mmmm.
i make two cups of coffee every day in my tiny coffeemaker at work. i keep flavored creamers in the fridge because they don’t spoil as quickly as half & half. i grind my own at home, but it’s too much of a pain at the office.
we have a starbucks coffee scoop (given to us by an aquaintance that worked there) and it actually does measure perfectly (it’s 1 1/3 Tbsp, if you’re curious – i measured it out). i’m a slightly rounded-scooper and hubby is more of a flat-scooper. he swears mine tastes better, but i just think he says that so he won’t have to make it.
i’m always open to recommendations if you know a good coffee to try.
that’s my coffee story. what’s yours?