Coffee Snob

My wife says I am a coffee snob. Not the grande-double shot-chocolate-mocha-machiatto-with whip cream kind of snob, but the kind who likes strong coffee with real flavor. That doesn't mean I won't choke down a cup of Sanka if offered by a gracious parishoner, it's just that if I have a choice I would rather drink nothing at all rather than a weak cup of coffee.

While on the road I stay at the cheap places, like those your mom used to veto when you were on vacation, or the decrepit but probably something back-in-the-day kind of place. I find several consistencies in such places: the proprieters are friendly, they are usually a good value, and IF they offer any coffee in the morning it ain't very good.

The other night I stayed in a cabin in a camping & RV park. It is a fact that you get what you pay for and I did not pay enough to expect a cup of coffee upon my 5 AM rising. So I loaded the bike and hit the road, figuring I would find something somewhere down the road. After a couple of hours of beautiful early dawn riding it was time to find some coffee. I pulled into a little place, the kind with a hand lettered Coffee & Baked Goods sign and, given my location between nowhere and can't see nowhere from here, my expectations were not very high.

Man, was I mistaken.

The baked goods smelled wonderful so I ordered a croissant the size of Rhode Island and asked for a cup of coffee. Imagine my surpise when asked "What kind would you like?"

Huh? What do you mean, "What kind?"

To which she responded that they had two Italian blends, one light & mild and one dark & strong. Needless to say I opted for the latter and with my first sip I knew I had made a very good decision. With my coffee & croissant I could have been sitting in a bistro in Paris or a backerei in Berlin ... but I was sitting in Backwater, USA with a satisfied smile on my face.


Just a good reminder of how dumb pre-conceived notions (prejudices) are.