She Drink Coffee, She Drink Tea

I've always been a tea drinker. I love tea. All different kinds. 

I lean more towards green, fruity, chamomile, calm teas. We have a nice collection of teas at our apartment, and one of the things I was most excited about this Christmas was receiving a box of assorted green teas. Getting a new teapot was something I was thinking about for at least 6 months before we actually got one. So, I could go on about tea some more, or you can just trust me that I'm crazy about it. 

With all this waking up early business, I have been zombie-like most days. I was getting into the terrible habit of buying tea, sometimes two every day. Now, that's only $1-$1.50, which is not bad, but that had me spending between $5-$8 a week on tea! I realized it simply couldn't go on like this any longer, especially since I have quite the collection of teas - it just seemed silly. So, I bought a box of tea to keep in my car for $5, and just snag a free cup of hot water wherever I can. And let me tell you, you can get hot water easily at most places (sometimes at the cost of a sassy look), but it's easy & free.

In contrast, I've never been a coffee drinker. I've always loved the smell, but not the taste. I've tried it several times, but didn't enjoy it, plus I hate the thought of being dependent on caffeine. 

Now, tea is nice, but has little to no effect on how awake I feel. I tried a latte the other day, but the espresso was very bitter and I didn't enjoy it. However, it helped my productivity tremendously.

So here's where I have a change of heart and decide I should give coffee another try.

I mentioned this before, but I'm a barista, and I love it. Steaming milk is so fun, and I feel like I get to hone my skill more and more with every drink I make. I've been closing a lot recently, and at the end of the night we dump the coffee that's left. I always love dumping the hazelnut and cinnanut (basically anything nutty), because they smell so good. 

Talking through my predicament with my boss I had an epiphany. I want coffee without the bitter, strong taste. A café au lait would be the perfect solution! I can choose the coffee I want, and control the coffee to steamed milk ratio! So I had a couple days to think about it and get excited, and here I am - sipping on my hazelnut café au lait with a little raw sugar and steamed soy milk. 

My first reaction was that it was very bitter, but about halfway through I'm really enjoying it. I'm definitely feeling recharged, and productive. This may not be as exciting to you, but I felt completely compelled to write about my coffee epiphany, or coffeepiphany if you will.