At the altar of Caffeina

As I have previously mentioned,I have a reputation when it comes to cooking, specifically that I'm not good at it. I am not going to be featured on "Worst Chefs in America" or anything like that, but I do have a limited repertoire of dishes, that mostly serve to cover the nights my husband, who is a superb chef, doesn't feel like cooking.

I do have one great culinary skill, however: I make an incredible pot of coffee. I take my coffee seriously. To me it represents comfort and hospitality, and maybe a little indulgence. After all, you don't need to live, but I wouldn't want to live without it. In fact I consider myself to be a priestess of the Goddess Caffeina. I used to have a little plaster office goddess figurine of her, holding forth a cup of coffee to the world. I no longer have it, but a friend recently drew this for me:

Caffeina by Tanglewood

I joined the cult of the Goddess Caffeina at an early age. My gateway was the cups of instant Sanka I used to make for my grandmother, who lived with us. In that age before microwaves, i used to run water till it got hot, stir in the Sanka then we would drop the little fizzy saccharine tablets in and drink our coffee. When I was 12 my grandmother moved to California to live with an aunt and I started drinking coffee with my parents, who were not drinking decaf. In those heedless days I could go into my high school cafeteria in the am and buy a Reese's cup and a cup of coffee every morning (it cost a grand total of 30¢). By the time I got to college I was a confirmed consumer of coffee and, when it wasn't available, Diet Coke.
When I got my first apartment a full size coffee pot was my first appliance purchase.

I also became a connoisseur of the coffee bean itself. When I was a kid my mom and dad had a wonderful coffee grinder that held a full pound of coffee bins. We would grind directly into the coffee scoop. The coffee was amazingly delicious and I acquired an abiding affection for Eight O'clock coffee. When I was first married I owned several coffee grinders, all of which were eventually hijacked by my household chef to serve as a spice grinder. So these days I bring it home in a ready to use format.

I am not the only devote of Caffeina. The amazing Mod Mom Beyond Indiedom created this video in her honor. Recently I took a great step forward in coffee decadence. I bought a Keurig.

I have wanted one for several years ever since I sampled the coffee at a friend's house, but couldn't justify the expense. Recently though they have become far more reasonable. There is no at coffee experience to compare, and I have a cappuccino maker. We have a nice Mr Coffee, which a timer (much appreciated at 4am on work days) but sometimes I want just one cup. And I want that cup to be awesome. Sometimes its about the quality more than the sheer effort of getting caffeinated to face the day. Also, once in awhile I deserve a treat. I believe Caffeina would approve.