The Perfect Cup of Coffee

Waking up in the morning is, to me, like being reborn. Somewhere along the line, it's become socially unacceptable for me to scream and cry until spanked (most mornings) in this process of rebirth, so a perfect cup of coffee is truly called for. My tastes seem to change every few months, so I have to continually reinvent my morning delight. Right now, I've found a flavor combination that is so good that I find myself actually looking forward to my morning balm as I drift off to sleep at night.

The cup of life-giving magic currently starts with a cheap Mexican espresso that I brew in the coffee maker. It's got the great smell and robust full flavor of say, Starbucks French Roast, without the burnt, acrid aftertaste that seems to be Starbucks' trademark flavor. Since it's cold as hell right now, I stick a coffee mug in the sink and run it under hot water while the coffee brews. This keeps my coffee hothothot so that I can pour in some refrigerated Bolthouse Farms Vanilla Chai Perfectly Protein.

Man, this is the stuff. This accidental flavor combination came one morning when I discovered the soy milk container had only a few drops left. So I dumped in some of the Bolthouse Farms mix, which had previously been the secret smoothie ingredient, and VOILA! Since the mix isn't sweet, the coffee flavor comes through, but there are subtle touches of cinnamon, nutmeg....oh hell, it's just good.

I'm not sure that my palate will continue to accept this cold weather pick me up once the temperature rises outside, but for now, it makes re-entering the world each morning much more worthwhile.