coffee-o-clock

so i'm sitting here savoring a cup of coffee, and i got to thinking about how lucky i am to have such an amazing cup of coffee at 8:02 at night, long after the coffee shops around here are closed.
and then i got to thinking about how little this cup of coffee actually cost me compared to a cup that would have come from a coffee shop.
then  i got to thinking i should write a money saving segment in my blog about coffee.
so here it is, for your caffeinated (or decaffeinated) pleasure:

making coffee at home is WAY cheaper than ordering it out.
duh.
but it usually tastes better from the coffee shop. (though i've spent a hard earned fiver on some extremely cruddy coffee-shop coffee and stubbornly consumed every last drop with tears of defeat splashing on my plastic cup topper)

the coffee in my cup right now is awesome.
yours can be, too.

first, you'll be required to cough up an initial investment. (save up a weeks worth of coffee shop funds and you'll be set.)
i rely on a french press. it cost me a whopping $20 at shopko (actually, it was less, but seeing as i can't remember the exact price we'll estimate high). after using the french press i donated my auto-drip, filters required, digital clock included coffee pot to charity and never looked back.

i also splurged on a small espresso machine a decade ago, which worked great for years until i moved into the city.
apparently the chemicals in the city water react with aluminum, causing calcium buildup and a broken espresso machine. lovely.
something to think about...
that machine gave me coffee just as satisfying and often times MORE satisfying than the coffee shop stuff. the amount of work involved was comparable to the wait time in line. not too bad, i'd say...

you'll also want to throw down for a decent coffee grinder. it doesn't need to be fancy, it just needs to work.

a nice mug is always a bonus. splurge, baby, you're worth it.


then you'll need coffee.
BUY WHOLE BEAN. after coffee is ground it's freshness is measured in minutes, and those fresh minutes should be spent swimming around in your french press, not sitting on the shelf.

invest in a good bag of coffee.
i get the stuff from bikes-n-boards (nobody knows coffee better than your local bike mechanic, fyi).
it's fair trade, organic, and melt-your-face good. i get decaf because i got old and can't stomach caffeine or the tremors that accompany it. the decaf is water-bath decaffeinated, and identical in flavor to the full rattlin' deal.
no longer will i have to sacrifice taste for lack of nausea! hooray!
also, it's a good investment to buy in bulk. it's cheaper. split a bag with a buddy or freeze a portion.

so now you can be a snob and sip on your french press masterpiece any time, day or night.
i'd recommend whipping up a batch of whipped cream (and i mean whip it yourself, cool whip or that stuff in a can doesn't count, nasty pants) and have it in a container in the fridge at the ready for when you experience an unbearable luxury attack.
in my humble opinion, a cup of coffee with a little honey or real maple syrup, whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa....divine.

happy sipping!