A while ago I wrote a post about the perfect food pairings for a writing life. But I’d like to expand on that and talk about something near and dear to my little heart: the brown gold otherwise known as coffee.
To my mind, coffee is the perfect desk accessory when you’re writing. Allow me to make my case? (Or, indulge me as I wax about my love…)
Coffee is warm, cozy, and comforting. Which is important when you’re spending a lot of time alone at a desk, living in your own head.
Coffee is stimulating. A very, very good thing, especially if you’re writing at 5 a.m. like me.
And, in case you didn’t know, there are a great many health benefits to coffee. True story, people.
Writing in coffee shops is a tradition with a long, illustrious history–many writers, from Hemingway to J.K. Rowling, have famously penned their words in a steamy cafe. And it’s a wonderful thing. Unless you were born to be a secret agent. Then the distractions may work against you. My friend and fellow blogger/writer/mom is a case in point.
Also, coffee is beautiful. If you don’t believe me, see my my Pinterest page on coffee. I’ll wait right here.
Back? Good. Now, if you’re anything like me, you’ve got a wee craving right now. So–how best to make said cup of coffee? Well, a sparkling new machine recently appeared in my kitchen: Starbuck’s Verismo system. It’s something my mom bought me for a *cough* landmark birthday I recently celebrated. I love it. Except…I can’t use it at 5 am, because it’s actually quite loud and I’m terrified it will wake my children, thus unravelling all my plans for uninterrupted writing (and coffee-drinking) time.
So I use my Verismo for my 2nd cup, after my kids are awake. For my first, I often use Starbucks VIA. For instant coffee, it’s surprisingly good. And, frankly, couldn’t be faster or easier. (By the way, I’m not being compensated by Starbucks for this, I’m just a fan. Perhaps a rabid fan, but there it is.) Admittedly, I love coffee made with a French Press (like Bodum) but I loathe the messy cleanup after. I’d like someone to invent a self-cleaning French Press. Anyone know of such a thing?
So how about you: do you like coffee? What’s your favorite concoction? And…an age old question: is it even possible to write without a cup of coffee on your desk?
Kim Foster writes YA and adult books about thieves, spies, and assassins. (Read More)
Dec 07, 2012 
Not sure I trust people who don’t like coffee. I’d need strong evidence they were otherwise sane. That said I’ve replaced my afternoon cup with green tea. Which is not at all because of my advancing years. Nope.
Ha–I’m drinking green tea right now (busted!). Yes, I like tea also. My family is British, after all. As for advancing years? Bite your tongue.
I was raised in a family of generations of beloved German and Scottish tea drinkers. Thank goodness for my Dad who adores coffee. Two of my sisters drink neither tea or coffee, and I’m not sure how they live! Coffee is a happy place for me: – anytime or anywhere. I don’t have a favourite brand but became fond of the Middle East’s love of Nescafe when living in Istanbul. Turkish coffee ranks high for me as does my Moroccan family’s “amore” for Cafe Creme: – think rich espresso and pure cream in a cappuccino-like beverage. Not for the faint of heart or those watching their waist line but well worth the one/day when I’m suffocated from the 40+C temperatures in Casablanca. I’ve actually had it served to me by the beach servers while sitting in my bathing suit on the beach….love.
Omg you are my kind of people. Your love for coffee is deep and layered. I hear you about people who drink neither tea nor coffee…my husband was like that for a long time, and it was almost a deal breaker.
The Italians know how to do it. Cafe Creme (which I must admit, I’ve never actually tried!) sounds fabulous. Waistline be damned. Sounds similar to Affogato (hot espresso poured over vanilla gelato), a miraculous thing. I’d love to hear more about your adventures in exotic Istanbul and Casablanca sometime!
I am in complete agreement..my hand is empty and alone without coffee, the slate coaster cries without its warm companion….coffee is a beautiful thing 🙂
I feel that pain! The empty hand…the lonely coaster…oh, the humanity!
[…] at the same intersection downtown, diagonally across from one another. Vancouver is a serious coffee-loving city. But don’t take my word for it. About Vancouver, Bette Midler was quoted as saying: […]
[…] on travel sites, will tell you not to bother. But it’s a pilgrimage thing. If you’re a coffee lover like me, you get […]
[…] Now. Who’s ready for another cup of coffee? […]