Coffee

As I've mentioned before, I'm really more of a tea girl. Coffee used to make my stomach upset (most things used to make my stomach upset; I've realized now, belatedly of course, that stress was the real stomach-ache-causing culprit.)

I have, however, learned to a) manage my stress and b) really enjoy coffee. And not just the frou-frou lattes and cappuccinos and caramel macchiatos of my past, oh no. I like regular coffee.

Every morning (give or take) my husband wakes up before me and prepares our daily coffee. He grinds the beans, preps the french press, pours just the right amount of cream and sugar into two mugs. He's got this down to a fine art by now, and it's one, for all my efforts, I just can't seem to reproduce. I can make a killer pot of tea--perfectly steeped, without the bitterness most people claim is attendant to tea, and the reason why they 'don't really like it'. I just can't get a handle on the coffee thing. I grind the beans too much (or not enough), leave the brew too long, never quite know the correct ratio of coffee to cream to sugar.

This is the reason, I suppose, why lifelong partnerships evolve. One has to know how to make the coffee for the morning, and the other has to know how to make the before-bed-relaxation tea.

Or the before-bed cocktail. I'm good at those, too.