Coffee Strategery

I know I am a complex person; it's evidenced in my coffee snobbery. When I go on trips, like the one I'm taking this weekend, regular McDonald's coffee won't do it for me. (a Starbucks drive-thru is hard to find in rural North Carolina!). I know I've written about this before, but as I prepare for the trek to North Carolina this evening with my brother, I have to think about coffee as seriously as my other travel items. Underwear: check. Socks: check. Medicine: check. Shaving kit: check. Cuban coffee, sweetener, creamer, Melitta cone filter coffeemaker: check!

This summer, as I traveled back and forth to help my dad with his surgeries, I took my Keurig "rig" with me in a cooler that was the perfect caddy to pack all of my coffee supplies. It was a breeze to roll everything from the car to the hotel room. None of that stale hotel room coffee for me, no sir! I didn't miss a great coffee opportunity if I could help it.

On this weekend's trip, it's no exception. Instead of carrying my cafe on wheels, though, I've decided to pare down a bit and simply bring an old-school drip coffee maker. No, not the Mr. Coffee variety, but a drip-system that goes back to the middle ages: hot, boiling water poured over fresh, dark-roasted coffee into a simple, 10-cup glass carafe.

Melitta drip coffee: boil water, pour over fresh coffee, enjoy!

My friend Debra Sadler showed me this process, and when we make coffee for more than one person, especially in the morning, and to save $$$ on K cups, this method of brewing creates the best coffee I've ever had outside of Europe and, closer to home, New Orleans.

Don't ask me why I complicate my life so much. I can only shrug my shoulders and roll my eyes--mostly because I don't want to explain myself. And, as a warning, please wait until I've had my coffee before spewing forth your criticism. You'!l regret it!