I absolutely love coffee.
I am fully dependent on it as well, mind you, but it is as much a great pleasure as a physical need to have a large cup every morning. No frothy espresso beverages are necessary, just a strong, brewed coffee with the tiniest splash of whole milk, and then the day can begin properly.
Given how much interest and energy I expend on food and wine, it is somewhat curious even to me how little I put into selecting coffee. I couldn't tell you difference between Ethiopian vs Costa Rican, and though I've been to a cupping, I found it completely impossible to get past two tastes without losing all sense of palate.
I know people who swear by specific brands and spend insane amounts on the machines, but I've never bothered with any of it. I am not claiming to be low maintenance - its not like I buy the stuff in cans, and I really hate bad coffee, but I am uncharacteristically unexperimental in this area. I determined my preference for French Roast long ago, and at the risk of losing all credibility with some of you, I admit that I regularly buy Starbucks, pre-ground, at the grocery store.
I know, I know. All the Bay Area Peet's loyalists are appalled, but I find their roasts bitter. (There, I said it!) And while I have made many a well-intentioned purchase of brands promoted as organic and fair-trade, I have yet to find one whose flavors I appreciate as much as its practices. And to those of you who insist on grinding your own, all I can say is you must be made of something stronger than I am if you can tolerate that sound in the morning, especially before coffee.
A few months back, I was invited to a fundraiser for Tel-Hi, an amazing community center that has been running health, food, education and art programs for the people of this San Francisco neighborhood since the days when Charles Bundschu lived just a few blocks away. I won a gourmet basket in the silent auction full of local treats , including a pound of dark roast coffee from Graffeo Coffee Roasting Company.
Graffeo is a family-run company, founded in San Francisco in 1935. They still roast small batches of beans in a sparse, old storefront on the north end of Columbus Avenue. They don't sell cups of coffee and they only sell three blends: dark roast, light roast and decaf.
After a night of lots of great food and GB Merlot at that fundraiser, I woke the next morning in desperate need of coffee. I made that first pot of Graffeo and it spun my head around.
I am now a total convert. I still don't experiment, but you won't catch me buying Starbucks, or anything else, anytime soon. I've bought bags for everyone in my family, and highly recommend paying them a visit. Even if you can't make it to North Beach, they offer mail order on their website.
