Coffee Break

A lot of things make me happy, but two of my favorite things are coffee and the time to drink it.  Starbucks is my favorite coffee place.  I love the smell of the coffee brewing and the coziness of the place.  The time, however, to sit down and enjoy a tall iced coffee, strong, laced with Splenda, is hard to come by. 

Several years ago I began substituting instant coffee, trying to achieve that rich flavor of Starbucks over ice.  It soon became a ritual every morning:  2 teaspoons of some weak-tasting instant crystals that never fully dissolved in a glass of water, sweetened, with ice added.  While it provided close to the same effect, that robust flavor I craved was missing.

Eventually, I began brewing coffee double- or triple-strength, having to let it cool, and then pouring that over ice.  Close but no cigar.  It took too long.  My life is too busy to play that game.

So you can imagine my total delight when Starbucks, just a few weeks ago, introduced their instant coffee.  I wandered into a store in Phoenix and warily asked the clerk if their new line was actually something I could make my cherished iced beverage with, quickly, every morning, or if it was going to just float on top of the water and make my teeth black.  She assured me that she, too, had the same habit as I and took absolute joy in explaining to me that the Starbucks instant is a powder that dissolves oh so wonderfully in cold water.  I swear, our eyes glazed over as we discussed it, and she made the sale.  I left with a 12-pack of the awesome powdered nectar in my purse.

It seems hard to imagine that there is any city in America where a Starbucks does not exist, but I live in one of those cities, and I have now taken to ordering the Via! online and having that little delicious pleasure delivered right to my front door.  Everyone needs a vice.

http://www.starbucks.com/via

Now, when life throws me a curve ball, I make myself a tall, cold Colombian or Italian Blend iced coffee, which is why I am totally wired most of the time.  I sit in front of a warm, sunny window and watch the world go by.  The only thing that would make it better would be if my friends were sitting next to me!  Clink.  A cool Fall day toast to you!