Looking back at how much of a fad coffee–particularly espresso–has become over the past several years really fascinates me. The regular coffee, whether black or mixed with a bit of cream and sugar, that folks have brewed for centuries has sort of become passe. In its place are lattes, mochas, frappes, americanos, cappuccinos, and a host of other drinks that I can’t name, let alone tell you how they are made.
Before we became parents, Mr. Handsome and I were not big coffee drinkers. We would occasionally pick up a latte or mocha on car trips, but that was it. Enter Little Buddy, and everything changed. It was Mr. Handsome who started the trend, claiming that he needed it to function at work.
I somehow survived the newborn days without coffee, but it just made the house smell so good that I eventually got into it. I usually don’t drink it in the morning, but it makes a great mid-afternoon pick-me-up. In fact, I’m drinking a cup as I write this.
When we’re at home, we drink black coffee, made in our $20 French press, with a good amount of milk and a tiny bit of cream (the real stuff, not creamer). But when we’re out and about and feel like treating ourselves, we love to stop by coffee shops and pick up one drink to share. Over the summer, we did mostly iced lattes, but now we’re into hot lattes. While we enjoy the more sugary drinks, we usually ask the barista to hold off on any sweetener or flavoring. But every once in a while, we’ll try one of the advertised seasonal lattes, like lavender or pumpkin spice.
I still remember the day I told Mr. Handsome how delicious the fancy coffee drinks from Starbucks were and that he should try them. He laughed and told me that he would never get into that. Fast-forward about three years, and he is quickly becoming a coffee connoisseur. We haven’t been to Starbucks in months because we both agree that the coffee sold at independent coffee shops is much more delicious.
Are you a coffee drinker? What are your favorite ways to drink it?
Anonymous
I like black coffee, decaf. That’s it. Nothing else. Try finding that anywhere these days, especially after 3pm. They look at you like you’re from the 1820’s. Sometimes I have to stop and wait while they brew a pot. It’s almost impossible to find iced decaf black coffee.
Usually I carry some herb tea bags or decaf green tea in my purse. I don’t do caffeine at all. Heart problem.
Ellie
Haha, I agree that people seem to have forgotten what black coffee is. When I’m in a certain mood, I’ll drink it black. Mr. Handsome can’t stand it though.
Ellie
Eileen
No, don’t drink coffee or any other caffeinated drink. But I do like the smell of brewing coffee! Eileen
Ellie
I love the smell, as well. But I know a lot of people who like the smell and don’t like to drink it.
Ellie
Anonymous
Love my morning coffee! We were in our thirties when we started to drink hot coffee, with cream and sugar. In our sixties, now we drink hot coffee with French vanilla and splenda. Our son and daughter also drink coffee daily.
Ellie
Do your son and daughter like regular coffee like you and your husband, or do they prefer the fancy espresso drinks?
Ellie
Anonymous
Forgot to mention, I mostly drink decaf coffee and my husband caffeinated, caffeine helps with his headaches.My children both drink regular coffee at their homes. My son sometimes will pick up a espresso from a coffee shop near his house. My daughter loves her Starbuck’s latte,heard recently that she also gets them from Dunkin Donuts.
Regina
I’m a coffee drinker and I like mine with sugar and cream. I gave up creamer a long time ago.
Our Ninja coffee maker is able to make fancy coffee but like you when we are out and about my husband and I like to treat ourselves to a fancy coffee. I really like hot white mochas. Those are my favorites. There is a new coffee shop around the corner called Scooters Drive Thru that’s bad for us because it’s so tempting to go all the time.
We also enjoy a place called Dutch Brothers. The workers there are really nice and make really good mochas.
Ellie
I haven’t tried a hot white mocha. How is it made?
Ellie
Regina
It’s made with white chocolate, espresso and milk. Very delicious!
Ellie
Sounds delicious! I must give it a try this winter.
Ellie
anon
i cant stand the smell of coffee, especially as its brewing, and like the taste even less but i absolutely love coffee syrup (which is actually made from coffee) and coffee nips candies. i love my hot tea and sweet or flavored iced tea instead. my husband was a coffee drinker and all the kids are too as well as my parents and brother. i’m the only one in my family like this.
coffee syrup is the state drink of rhode island and can only be gotten in the new england area
Ellie
Never had coffee syrup! I’ll have to try it someday.
Ellie
Jessica
I’m mostly a tea drinker but I do like to get a mocha iced coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts sometimes. I also like frozen coffee drinks as a treat.
Ellie
Frozen coffee drinks are great on a hot summer day! Have you tried my homemade mocha smoothie? https://nashvillewife.com/homemade-mocha-smoothie-recipe/
Ellie
Lisa Ovitt
Love my Keurig. I’m a Dunkin Donuts fan when out and about. Starbucks is too strong and over rated for me.
Ellie
I love that Dunkin is cheaper than Starbucks. Sometimes I bring lattes to my husband’s coworkers, and Dunkin makes that possible. Several drinks from Starbucks would be exorbitantly expensive.
Ellie
Lily
My favorite way to drink coffee is iced with a small spoon of sugar and milk. I particularly like the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew from Starbucks. For some reason I just can’t do hot coffee. You should try an iced chai latte, those taste great and are caffeinated as well.
Ellie
I love the taste of cold brew, but it’s too much caffeine for me on a regular day. LOL. I really enjoy iced chai lattes. Wonder if they have more or less caffeine than a regular iced latte.
Ellie
Diana
I love your blog, Ellie! Great post!
I grew up as a tea drinker but have also turned into a coffee drinker, like you and Mr. Handsome. Not so much because I have a 10-month old, but because it is so delicious. I became extra snobby when I started to grind my own beans, and drip brew my single cup in the mornings. My husband doesn’t drink coffee so it became a bit of a ritual for myself. I order Italian Roast beans from Peet’s Coffee online.
Few places can actually brew a tasty decaf (Starbucks being one of them), and I, like you, love to treat myself to latte once in a while. And here here to using real cream! I personally use HEAVY cream…dang that stuff is delicious. My weakness is also sugar, so you deserve credit for omitting the sweetener 🙂
As of recently I have cut back on drinking coffee because I was told that the caffeine isn’t so great for me. This is from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective as I sort out some health issues.
Keep drinking and enjoying!
Ellie
Hi Diana,
I have heard wonderful things about Italian Roast beans. Do you think it is a lot better than “regular” coffee? How fun that our children are about the same age! Is yours a girl or a boy? What are his or her latest milestones?
Ellie
Fuzzyferet
I like iced coffee from the gas stations. I will make cappuccino at home, sometimes, using hot water and a powdered cappuccino mix purchased from the grocery store.
Ellie
Fuzzyferet, are there as many coffee shops in the UK as there are in the US? I’m curious.
Ellie
Anja from Germany
I don’t use plastic cups due to think about the environment. And I don’t like plastic on my lips.
Ellie
That’s very commendable, Anja. 🙂
Ellie
Anonymous
Anja: Their’s nothing wrong with Plastic. Their just people making up lies about it to get people scared.
Anon
It’s styrofoam that’s so bad for the health. I hate anything hot in a styrofoam cup, it taints it, and you know you’re ingesting something bad into your body…
Anonymous
I’m from Seattle, so a big coffee drinker. I’m one of 10, so as you can imagine my parents are big on coffee and got me hooked-not meaning too-when I was 13. I love strong americanos when at home, and strong cappuccinos when out and about. 🙂 I personally hate Starbucks-don’t like the taste (too sweet, to weak), their values, or prices!! But it’s pretty popular around here as it was started in Seattle. Thankfully their are many other smaller coffee shops that are very good. 🙂
Jane
Ellie
Hi Jane,
How do you make your americanos at home? Do you have a certain machine that you use?
Ellie
Anonymous
My dad bought a Rocket Espresso machine for a good price and in good shape off of craigslist a year ago. It’s pretty nice lol. Before that we went through several Juras. So a nice strong shot then filled to the top with hot water always hits the spot. 🙃
Jane
Ellie
Haven’t heard of that type of machine, but I might have to look into it. 🙂
Ellie
Kanadiangirl
I don’t consume any caffeine and I’m still not sure how I’m surviving having 16 children…youngest is 2. Perpetual tiredness, for sure.
Ellie
Wow, 16 kids and no caffeine. I don’t think I could do that, LOL. How old is your oldest? Do you homeschool?
Ellie
Kanadiangirl
Yep, I homeschool. 2-30 age spread. Ugh, I get tired just thinking about it!
Ellie
That’s great! We plan to homeschool, too.
jenny
My husband drinks 1 cup of decaf black coffee each morning. My 14 year old son, who is diabetic, drinks decaf breakfast tea with no sugar vanilla almond milk. My oldest son and I love the smell, but not the taste. 😊 My mom is from Rhode Island so we always had coffee syrup on hand.
Ellie
I haven to admit, I have never had decaf coffee. Some people say it tastes the same, others say it is very different. What do you think?
Ellie
Anonymous
We think it tastes the same. We call it “unleaded.” You can get some excellent decaf coffees at specialty grocers. Mocha Java Decaf is wonderful. Unlike what its name might lead you to believe, it is not a flavored coffee. The name comes from the blend of two different coffee beans, Yemen mocha and Indonesian java.
Ellie
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll have to give that a try. I suppose that I will have to get into decaf coffee when I get pregnant with another child.
Ellie
Anonymous
Remember, decaf coffee is not entirely free from caffeine, just much lower than regular coffee.
Anonymous
I don’t like coffee at all I drink tea. I also don’t like the smell of coffee I can’t even go down the coffee isle with out thrown out.
anonymous
Does this belong in thebad habits topic? Maybe, I’m a long time habitual coffee drinker, because I have settled for a good freeze dried jar of coffee for about the last year. I sold my electric coffee grinder and cappuccino plus steamed milk maker machine over a year ago. Its easier and cleaner just to put a few spoons of freeze dried in a clean mug and pour hot water over it. For a satisfying cup of hot coffee first thing in the morning. Coffee hits me just right to give me a puck me up, but tea has a slowing down effect I find annoying. I don’t like living without coffee since it is been for a long time now in my life….. But the best I can do to not make a lot of it, is keep it very simple by using a good instant. You are honest to talk about your coffee consumption!
Ellie
I am very familiar with instant coffee. My mom drank it every day when I was growing up. She now uses a French press, but instant coffee was a staple for her for many years.
Ellie
Anonymous
My nagging question is how can you drink coffee and b feed?
MartiedUK
Because it doesn’t cause any harm to the baby.
Alicia Mae
I’m not a coffee person, and I’m not a fan of the smell. I used to not be able to walk into coffee shops with friends because the smell would make me feel so sick! (My brother on the other hand chugs it by the gallon) I’ll take some tea or a hot chocolate any day though! 😊
Ellie
I do love hot chocolate, especially homemade. Do you have a favorite type?
Ellie
Stacey
I love ice tea but once in awhile I like to have a ice coffee with a little cream and sugar. Not a big fan of hot coffee.
Ellie
My in-laws are huge iced tea fans. I’ve gotten into it a little big, and I’ll even drink it unsweetened, but I definitely prefer coffee.
Ellie
Justine kessner
Ellie I love tea the most, and I drink Ex-strong Tetley Tea. I sometime crave coffee, so I use organic med roast, from President’s Choice, I grind the beans, and I use a French-Press!!! 10 min later, I am enjoying it, with sugar+homo milk, and I love that U get the coffee oil when U used a French-Press!!!!!! I love COFFEE!!!!!!
Ellie
Your description is making my mouth water. 🙂 Sounds tasty!
Ellie
Rachel
HA! My husband and I were not big coffee drinkers before we had kids either. Our fancy coffeemaker from our wedding registry was barely used. Four kids later and I could not make it through a morning without it! That coffeemaker broke and now we also use a $20 French Press every day and we love it. We don’t go to Starbucks very often but we love the Starbucks coffee to brew at home. I always get the Pike Place but just tried the Holiday Blend and it’s also very good. I can’t picture going back to not being a non- coffee drinker!
Ellie
How old are your kiddos, Rachel?
Ellie
Rachel
10 year old girl and three boys are 8, 6 and 5:)
Ellie
Sounds like a lovely family!
Andrea
I refer to myself as a “social” coffee drinker because I don’t drink coffee unless I’m out with friends 🙂 My favorite, going into the Christmas season, are eggnog lattes. When my husband and I were dating he told me he would never get into coffee. But in the past year, we’ve had several coffee shop appointments to share with others about our ministry and now he’s starting to like coffee!
Ellie
I haven’t tried an eggnog latte. Sounds intriguing. I agree that coffee shops are a great place for conversations about Jesus. 🙂
Ellile
Marcia
I enjoy your blog. You are being adventurous and problem solving being a new parent. My family were big gourmet coffee drinkers, the bigger and stronger the better…until our 36 yr old niece completely blitzed her adrenal glands. The cure for migraine headaches was another popular way we used strong coffee drinks in our family, until spray magnesium completely stopped the migraines. Now we all drink a more sane serving of coffee and we all use oil based spray magnesium. Since the magnesium is also a mood enhancer, we are all happier as well. Hope this helps Mr Handsome.
Ellie
That’s very interesting. Thanks for sharing! I take magnesium daily for migraines. Haven’t done the spray though.
Elie
Marcia
The magnesium spray bypasses the digestive track, which greatly enhances the absorption. A few quick sprays on the inside of lower arm, then rub it in and you are good to go. Your body will take only what it needs. This was life changing, especially for my sister.
Jen
Do you have Nespresso machines in the USA? Nice coffee and very easy to make at home. I’m not sure what “creamer” is? In Australia we have a huge coffee culture. Cafes everywhere serving quality coffee (espresso, latte, Cappuccino etc). Starbucks coffee is not highly rated here (sorry).
Ellie
I’m not sure, but one of my friends in Canada told me about it. Creamer is the little packets of cream or the powder that you can put in coffee. Neither have to be refrigerated because they contain preservatives. Cream means refrigerated cream.
Ellie