Perk Up!

By Colleen Walsh Fong

Coffee is right up there with chocolate as a sinfully irresistible treat to me. Aside from loving the robust flavor of a deep brown espresso, I have to confess to getting a big burst of energy with every sip I take. The best description of my favorite drink is Dolly Parton’s “a cup of ambition” from her song, 9-to-5.

I fell in love with espresso while studying in Rome for a semester in a year I prefer not to disclose here. Let’s just say it was before you could find a Starbucks on every corner. Or any corner. So I bought a tiny, stainless steel, stove top espresso pot, and brewed my own jolt every day.

Things got really easy in the jove department after Starbucks and Caribou came along, but when I found myself deep in suburbia with 2 little ones tugging on my hems the gift of an electric espresso/cappuccino machine made my Christmas especially merry. This original system has worked well with occasional upgrades in java technology every few years and I’ve been satisfied with the status quo. Until … I found out about the Keurig.

At first I was skeptical that anything coming from a little, pre-packaged capsule could taste authentic. So I went to a gourmet products shop to check them out. The espresso I tasted was the real deal, robust, aromatic, and complete with crema—the little layer of foam that tops off a good espresso. The single-cup capsules cost about 61 cents each, which is pretty reasonable considering how easy they make the brewing process. But the per-cup cost can be kept even lower with a refillable coffee filter made to fit the machine. You can find them for as low as $8.00 on the internet.

National Coffee Day is September 29th and I’m celebrating with a cappuccino from my trusty old DeLonghi machine. But I’m making out my Christmas list!

Have a perky National Coffee Day. And when you take your coffee break stop by Easy Weekly Meals on Facebook for free coffee deals throughout the day today.

Photo Courtesy of Sura Nualpradid / Free Digital Photos