I am sensitive to caffeine, which is why I cannot enjoy coffee in peace. Whenever I have a coffee afternoon, I cannot fall asleep at night easily. Once, I had two cups of coffee in one day by mistake, then, my heart suddenly began to flutter, and I felt faint. Nevertheless, I can't give up coffee entirely. Instead, I made a compromise. I allow myself one cup of coffee in the morning. This way, there is plenty of time for the caffeine to work its way through my body before bedtime.
It has not been long since I was able to appreciate coffee. I used to prefer sweet coffee, such as caffè mocha, macchiato, and ice-blended coffee. I had a soft spot for the mixture of sweetness with syrups, caramel, whipped cream, and chocolate. To me, coffee beans were just one of the supporting players in that sweet harmony.
Now I am falling in love with black coffee and caffè Americano. Someone donated a decent espresso machine to my workplace. Thanks to the machine, I can get an espresso or Americano at the office. Before that, I used instant coffee when I needed to fight off sleepiness. However, a sip of coffee fresh from the machine awakens my taste buds. For me, an espresso was too bitter, but an Americano was perfect. I was able to enjoy the sweetness, bitterness, acidity, and aroma all together. Coffee is not just an anti-sleep drink anymore. Whether I am sleepy or not, I start my work with a coffee. I can try a few different simple recipes. When I have a craving for a creamier coffee, I add some milk to an espresso. On a hot day, I pour a shot of espresso in iced water.
I do not have an espresso machine at home, but recently I found some simple ways to enjoy coffee anywhere. I stumbled upon new freeze-dried instant coffee brands while grocery shopping. The freeze-drying method is not something new. I had tried a few freeze-dried coffees before, and they lacked the body and flavor of a quality coffee. Those were inferior alternatives to brewed coffee at most. However, I noticed that these new products were made from single-origin coffee beans. It means that the beans came from one place only, from a certain region or country. Single-origin coffees are the opposite of coffee blends. "Is it special?" I bought and tried them out of curiosity. Wow, the flavor was so intense! Also, the combination of sweetness, bitterness, acidity, and aroma differs according to where the beans came from. I thought it was better than the brewed coffee from the low-end coffee blends.
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I came across a much better alternative, drip bag coffees. They are portable coffee filter paper bags filled with single-origin ground coffee. To brew the coffee, you have to open a packet, tear open the filter bag, anchor it to a mug, and pour water into it. As it is a truly brewed coffee, I will say it is a perfect alternative to using an espresso machine. This ready-to-brew coffee is more affordable than buying and maintaining an espresso machine when you don't drink coffee often.
Trying a variety of coffee in different ways is so much fun. I don't need to use the classic ways that often require more time and money. Perhaps my coffee journey has only started now, taking the easy route. Who will know? Someday I may be a real coffee connoisseur who has a lot of coffee brewing equipment at home.
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