“C” is for Coffee

Writers of Kern Blogging Challenge (A-Z)

The warm steam emanating from the dark looking liquid sitting in my white mug gently finds its way to the surface of my face as I bring my nose to smell the coffee’s bold flavor.

I blow on the hot steam a little to cool the brew down a little and then take a sip of the richly roasted concoction with a little bit of added soy milk and sugar. The world around me becomes a thing of the past as the troubles of the day melt away with that first sip. Like clockwork, however, that moment begins to pass when I realize again that I have way too much work to do.

For me I’ve found that coffee tends to create a sense of community around the many establishments where it is served for consumption. Everyone has their favorite coffee house with their favorite barista (because they’re wonderful people that are fun to talk to, and every now and then they give you a free beverage), and they run into other regulars in the larger community.

Whenever I sit down with friends at our usual café I feel as though we are in our own home away from home where we can talk for hours until they let us know (on almost every occasion) that they have been closed for a few minutes now and they would like to finish cleaning up shop. I’ve gotten to sit down with more grad students and professors over coffee to study and start conversations about the best coffee places in the area, and I feel as though I’m more in the know when I show up to small local shops around town.

I love the comradery found in the smaller hole in the wall cafes where the locals gather to talk about their day and what is taking place around town for the evening. Coffee is the glue that holds the many interesting personalities that wonders up to espresso bars and order a bagel alongside flavored lattes.

And then, of course, when I make it home after a long day, curling up to a nice hot cup of Joe while I sit down to write is one of my favorite pastimes that I look forward to, whenever I get the time.