I really love coffee. I started drinking it when I was 13, and I have never looked back.
If coffee didn’t exist…
1. I would have a lot more money.
2. I would be a significantly less pleasant person to interact with.
I drink ridiculous amounts of coffee and have been told on multiple occasions that I might have just a smidge of a problem. In high school, to try and prove this claim wrong I wrote a Buzz Feed Esque article about my experience giving up caffeine for a week. I have yet to admit this to anyone, but the week I gave it up turned out to be incredibly busy and on the fourth day, I broke. I downed a venti cold brew on my 15-minute break at work. It was a low point in my early journalism career, but it was too late to pitch a new story, so I falsely documented my caffeine-free week in my high school paper. If anyone from Fairport High School is reading this, please do not tell Mr. Hogan. In contemplating my article for this week, I considered attempting another caffeine-free week. Then I looked at my schedule for the week and decided it was not the week for a caffeine-free Elizabeth.
I realized there is a lot I could write about coffee that would not involve my roommate having to deal with a Mr. Hyde (Gothic novella) situation. I contemplated ranking my top ten favorite coffees, but in doing so I realized that the coffee I want in a given day correlates almost directly to my overall mood/stress level and that that might be an interesting subject to explore. So, here I give you a ranking of my top five favorite coffees and when/why I like to drink them.
- Black coffee: I love black coffee. I love fancy espresso based drinks but I actually really dislike the taste of regular brewed or drip coffee with anything in it. I realize it is boring, but this is my go to coffee. It is cheap, not loaded with fat and sugar, it gets the caffeinating job done and once you get used to it, has a very pleasent taste. Taking 15 minutes to sit and sip on a cup of coffee is, to me, one of the most pleasent of the human experiences.
- Iced coffee: Again, I do not like iced coffee or cold brew with anything in it. if I am going for this, it means my stress levels are slightly elevated, and I want a coffee I can chug rather than sip. It also might be becuase I will not be able to drink it right away and do not want to have to worry about a hot coffee getting cold.
- Caramel macchiato with an extra shot of espresso: I love caramel macchiatos. With an extra shot of espresso, they are the perfect combination of sweet and creamy mixed with rich espresso. This is my good mood/relaxation drink. It was actually the first coffee beverage I ever tried. It was at an adorable little coffee shop in a beach town in Delaware. Taking a sip always brings me back to that vacation and fills me with a warm happy feeling.
- Cappachino: This makes me feel like a ridiculous coffee snob to say, but I only get this drink at high quality coffee shops. A Starbucks cappachino just doesnt do it for me. And those vanilla cappachino machines they have in the dining hall…it is a crime to call that coffee. A cappachino made well creates the perfect way to show off the deep flavors of a quality espresso while cutting the bitterness with the foamy steamed milk. If you find yourself walking into a little hole in the wall coffee shop that’s grinding their own beans and hand tampering the espresso, or you’re at any non-chain coffee shop in Europe, go for the capacchino.
- Iced chocolate almond milk shaken espresso. I highely recommend this drink. It’s refreshing, delicious and higly caffeinated. It is my go-to rough day drink. With the perfect blend of caffeine and sugar, there is no amount of work or sleepless nights I’m unable to get through with a shaken espresso in hand.