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Published: March 25th 2015
European coffee...I say YES!!!
Helllllooooo ......Loving this Tia Maria!!We awoke this morning to the comforts of our own bed, always a genuine spirit lift after one has been away....there's nothing like it---the sounds, the smell, the feeling. Our mornings at the abbey were very, very comparable with the exception of the child and dog parade we receive daily here, sometimes arriving under secret silent protest. I feel pretty well today and allowed myself minimal sleep during our crazy adventure homeward...three hour drive to the airport, 2.5 hour flight from Scotland to Germany, five hour layover, Germany to Denver in 10 hours, three hour layover and then a quick 50 minute flight back into the arms of our clinging daughters. Clayton, on the other hand, had his immune system fail the last day in Scotland and came down with a cold. He slept most of the day yesterday and all night sleeping when we got home...and is sleeping again. His jet lag is certainly being the captain of his ship currently.
As I listened to our familiar world in our bed this morning....the deep breaths of our snoozing husky curled up at our feet, the neighbor kid trying to nurse his half dead car to life so he could
German espresso!!!
The world changed for me after one sip of this genius and seemingly simple bevie! go to school, the shower bringing our teen Keira to an upright position...I reflected on the reality---no cozy peat smell here AND coffee doesn't exist here in South Dakota. Yes, you read that correctly. I used to consider myself a true coffee bean extraordinaire. I've owned two espresso machines at once, savored beans from all over the world. My in home espresso station is stacked with two to three bean varieties, minimum of three syrups...I used to marvel at this love and at my passion for coffee. I've had friends over to truly enjoy my passion for coffee and all agree I brew a very exceptional cup. "It's all about the love of it!" I used to hear myself say. Oh, how truly American I was...
It happened the morning of March 19, 2015, quite by accident at the U-Bahn main station, Hauptbahnhof, in downtown Frankfurt, Germany. We decided to go light for breakfast and enjoy the gifts of the multitudes of venders there. Anything you could want for a quick snack was in our line of vision. Clayton ordered up a genuine German pretzel and a coke? and I said something that changed my world forever, "espresso and
muffin? Blueberry?" We gathered up our snacks and stood at a standing table while we prepared to take our U-Bahn experience in. One sip and KAPOW....the aromas, the absolute flavor, the pure taste! Clayton is not a coffee lover, but I basically forced his hand and was he was even hooked! The entire trip he was on board with espresso as well. On a side note, the muffin was also the best muffin I've ever enjoyed. My conclusion with that was the type and style of butter. But back to the coffee...oh the lovely dark, sleek, un-American coffee! I joked before our trip with the baker of the Firehouse Brewing Company, Nick, that I could run into a problem with my excess of the coffee if it was good and we had a good hardy laugh Thinking about it....incidentally Nick, I called that spot on? I will never again tell a visiting European tourist that our coffee is good. I will now say,"we have very good American coffee." (That says it all.)?
Over the course of the days in Scotland, I drank and sabored espressos, Tia Maria coffees, and more espresso. For the visiting Americans, you do have the
option of an Americano. That is watered down espresso with a hearty helping of steamed milk. We American coffee enthusiasts have no idea what coffee or espresso is until you go to Europe....American coffees are not brewed at the same temperatures that release the wondrous oils, our water is treated, the equipment brews differently, the cream. We Americans down our coffee to oblivion and even if you want a stiff cup, it bites back hard! I spent the better part of my morning today trying to duplicate the process (while abroad I assembled a shopping list, watched, took notes, researched on how to truly tackle this problem when I returned home.) and about all I got was bitter...bitter tasting and a bitter disposition. But I'm not a quitter...this just opened the door for my inner coffee barista to seek perfection.
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