the perfect cup of coffee (lyn)

It used to be that most mornings I would go to the corner diner and buy my daily cup of coffee.  The waiters knew me there and without having to say a word, they would get me a medium coffee and pour in a small pre-packaged container of half and half. 

It wasn’t as if I hadn't tried making it myself.  I found the 8-cup coffee makers too much of a waste, and too much to clean up.  I then switched to an electric coffee maker, but that was also a pain to clean up, I never got the quantity right and, I wasted half the coffee.  I even tried those little plastic things you put over a single cup, line them, and pour boiling water right over the coffee.  I didn’t think the coffee tasted that great, and there were a few too many steps involved.

I am not a coffee connoisseur but I know I wouldn’t like instant.  Finally, In January of this year, I decided to get the Keurig coffee maker and my morning ritual changed.  I experimented with different coffees and found I most preferred Dierdrich K-cups French Roast and Van Houtte French Vanilla.   They were perfect and I was happy.

In September I made a commitment to lose weight, but  was reluctant to give up on my half and half.  Less than a month ago, I was talking to my size-zero friend Zelia.  She drinks skim milk in her coffee, but also uses the Nespresso Aerocinno Plus Milk Frother.  Based on her recommendation, I decided to buy one.  Once I got the foamer working correctly, I fell in love.

This chrome-plated mug is small, simple to use, easy to clean up, and produces a light, creamy, hot milk froth in about a minute.  I lose a half point each day (4 Tablespoons of 2% milk are .5 points vs. 1 point for 2 Tablespoons of half and half).  But that's not why I do it.  Adding the foam to the top of my coffee does something magical to it.  

My morning coffee is now a guilt-free pleasure.  It’s nice to find happiness in the mundane.