My first thoughts: This is wrong. Terrible. Inhumane. Many synonyms for those words. But not really. But kinda.
I love coffee. Nothing excessive (anymore). My morning cuppa. Setting the water to boil, grinding the beans, choosing one of my handful of "favorite" mugs, stirring together the grounds and hot water with a chopstick, wrapping up the french press with a tea towel to hold in heat, the waiting, the gentle pushing down of the screen, then stirring in a spoonful of condensed milk or half and half and brown sugar... the body of the Trader Joe's Sumatra roast I use, the grittiness of the coffee (since I like to grind it a bit finer than is usual for a French press), the steamy aroma of it.
I haven't made my morning cuppa since that first visit back in March. How did I cope?
Ginger. Thinly sliced fresh ginger to Trader Joe's Chai Rooibos tea with a healthy dose of condensed milk. The tea bags were not quite chai-y enough for me, so I added allspice, cinnamon, and cardamom. The heat from the ginger and spices have each morning interesting. The ginger was the most key. Some people like some of the gastrointestinal effects that morning coffee can have-- well, ginger accomplishes that, too, and more gently. I found myself satisfied even with just ginger simmered for a while. The spiciness sometimes gave me as much of a jolt as coffee, which is notable considering how strong I brew my coffee.
I've been out of ginger for a week, and after spending a few mornings with Yogi Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy tea, I decided to take a nod from the French and made hot chocolate. Ghirardelli cocoa. Hot water. Condensed milk. An extra splash of whole milk because I'm like that. This morning I added cinnamon and cayenne. And it was good.
So I haven't dissolved into a sad puddle of caffeinelessness.
I still can't wait 'til I can make coffee in the morning again, but ginger and spice help keep mornings nice. Yeap, I really wrote that, and I'm not taking it back.
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