by Denise Dykstra

It was recently brought to my attention that you, dear reader, may not know my love of coffee.

Once upon a time, I was known by my blog, “Life With Four Boys… Coffee Please,” and it seemed everyone knew my love of coffee. But that was a long time ago now.

My husband says I am a coffee snob. I am.

I am not quite sure how to share my deep love of coffee, how could I fully even put this love to words?

“How do I love thee… let me count the ways.”

We were on a road trip recently and I went for coffee, knowing I would never want to drink that sadness of coffee at a truck stop. I chose instead to wait until we arrived home, where I immediately brewed a cup of coffee in my French press.

Life is too short for bad coffee.

At our home, we have two coffee pots and my French press. My husband brews whatever coffee is on sale, but it’s usually Maxwell House. He adds sugar and a mocha coffee mix, a splash of half and half — and that to him is a good cup of coffee.

Son Eli has his own coffee pot. He makes a very strong pot of Black Silk coffee from Folgers. He adds just a tiny bit of French vanilla creamer. He has two chocolate chip cookies every morning for breakfast that he dunks in that coffee.

Son Isaac drinks French press coffee, medium brew, only Black Rifle brand, with a good helping of French vanilla and a swirl of pure maple syrup.

Son Andrew does all the research on coffee. He is the one who got us started on Black Rifle coffee (via a recommendation from a podcast he listens to). He is the one who just may convince me to get a thermal insulated French press. He drinks his coffee with just the tiniest bit of maple syrup. I sometimes add just a bit of half and half because I can’t help myself.

Abe, our youngest, won’t touch coffee. He went into a coffee shop with me and asked for something not coffee.

I stumble to my coffee corner every morning, happy to have morning here because… coffee. I turn on my hot water kettle, grind my beans, add them to the French press and wait for the miracle that is coffee to brew. This next part is very important too…t he mug must be the right mug for the day. Do I know which mug it will be? I do not. But in the morning, the coffee mug is an important decision.

To the hot coffee, I add half and half. If I am feeling very fancy, I will warm up the half and half, add a good sprinkling of cinnamon, froth the half and half and pour into the mug, pouring the coffee over top. But that is usually my afternoon or evening coffee.

Yes, you read that right. I’ll drink coffee in the morning, afternoon and evening. But the morning coffee is the most magical. A mug of coffee at night by a camp fire comes really close to being just as magical, but not quite. That morning cup is, well, words are lost on me.

My older boys have me enjoying Black Rifle coffee as well (it supports our troops!). I also enjoy Five Lakes Coffee out of Sturgis, Waterstreet, Kalamazoo Coffee Company, and yes Biggby or Starbucks. I like finding coffee shops to sit with friends at. I breathe in deep when I walk into a coffee shop and close my eyes to inhale it all deeply.

Coffee is like a hug in a mug. When you wrap your hands around that specially chosen mug and take that first sip… there isn’t anything much more delicious than that.

Eli has even mastered the iced coffee drink for us. He whips instant coffee, sugar and hot water together to make a thick type of coffee cream. To this he adds iced coffee (coffee I have brewed and chilled or something we pick up from the store), chocolate, caramel, and a bit of half and half (or for him, French vanilla).

Coffee and friends, it just goes so well together. We recently brought his fluffy coffee over to friends having a garage sale.

Tell me, are you a coffee drinker? How do you take your coffee?