When I met Tim, I didn’t drink coffee or tea. When we were dating, I started drinking sweet tea (it has to have sweetener in it, I can’t drink it unsweetened). I learned to drink the occasional hot tea over the years, mostly in the winter to warm up, or if I wanted something for a sore throat. I went about nine long years before I ever ventured into the coffee world. I remember it clearly – we were on vacation in Texas and for some reason, Tim kept badgering me to try coffee. I have learned to drink it over the years – again, like tea, it has to be highly sweetened and it must have a lot of creamer in it. Tim jokingly calls it “hot cocoa” because he said it doesn’t resemble coffee by the time I’m finished with mixing stuff in it. I call it “beige” or “khaki” because it has to look a very light color and not smell much like coffee for me to be able to knock it back 😀 Tim, on the other hand, only drinks it black.
When Tim started working part-time from home, we started making more coffee on a regular basis. When he proceeded to working full-time from home, our coffeemaker went into overdrive. We make, on average, 12 cups a day, 7 days a week, in our trusty little Cuisinart coffee pot. In case you’re math-challenged, that’s 84 cups a week. Needless to say, we go through a lot of coffee! And not just any coffee. Tim is very particular about his beans. He likes them dark and rich, a very good roast. We started out with Community Coffee and he was okay with that for a while. Somewhere along the way, he decided that wasn’t what he wanted, and we progressed to other beans and brands. We settled, surprisingly enough, on a whole bean from Sam’s Club – their Marques de Pavia brand (however you spell it!). We’ve been buying beans there, faithfully, for several years. The main thing I liked about buying our coffee there, was that it was in larger quantities, which we so desperately needed. Not to mention that it was cheaper than other brands. When our Fresh Market opened a year ago, we started buying beans occasionally in there, just to try. So far, Tim has liked all of them (no flavored beans, no decaf beans, please). But, they’re pricey, 9.99 a pound.
Then, around Christmas, I started having trouble finding our whole beans at Sam’s Club. I thought, it’s Christmas, they’ll get them back in soon. We bought beans at other places and “made do.” Then weeks turned into months, and we could never find our favorite beans. We had to even go so far as to start buying Starbucks at Sam’s Club. Much more costly, and honestly, I don’t like their coffee as much. I think the beans themselves smell bitter and too strong and I was not fond of the final product either (although Tim liked it). We were both so tickled to go into our Sam’s this past weekend, and find that they were once again carrying the Marques brand of bean. They had a breakfast blend, a medium blend, a French Roast blend, and Tim’s favorite – the dark roast. I tried to talk him into trying a different one, but he was happy to go back to his old standard. We “only” bought two bags. I’m hoping we didn’t make a mistake and they stop carrying them again, or they run out. We were both so happy to find them again – we’ve both mentioned it several times to each other since shopping there that “oh, I’m so glad to have our coffee back”. 😀 Yes, we’re nerds on a much grander scale than you know!
So, how about you? Are you a coffee drinker? A tea drinker? Both? Neither? Vote in the poll and leave me a comment if you want. I’m sure none of you are as avid about your drinks as we are (don’t get me started on the obscene amount of Coke Zero we purchase, that’s a whole ‘nother post!!!) 😀
Cheers!
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Oh gosh, i’ve been drinking coffee since I was like 16. I remember my sister accusing me of only doing it to look grown-up! (To this day she hates the stuff!) My first date with Mike was out for coffee – Starbucks was closed so we went to Eat & Park . . . a true twist of fate, for had Starbucks been open, he may have assumed I was a coffee snob (I am) and thought I was not the girl for him!
He doesn’t drink it so I struggle making it for myself at home. Coffee made in smaller quantities does not taste as good, IMHO. So I actually prefer to buy it at Starbucks. But the cheapo in me prevails and I’ve been trying to make french press at home more often and limiting myself to coffee just 3-4 days/week. Of course I only drink decaf so no huge withdrawal but still takes some effort – it’s just a comfort food for me, really.
I have never tried those beans you mentioned from Sam’s but they sound good. Mike makes up in pop what I drink in coffee! And we both love ice tea!
Fun post, Stace!
My husband does not drink coffee or tea, but I love both. The Keurig, K-Cup coffee Maker is the perfect coffee maker for me. The coffee is super hot, and the sell all sorts of varieties of coffees, teas and hot chocolate.
http://www.keurig.com/b70.asp
I drink both, regularly! I have a Keurig and love the selection of K-Cups I can get! I do like their Breakfast Blend the best, but the flavored coffees are amazing! Huge selection and I have only made a dent in trying them all! LOL As for teas, I absolutely love tea whether hot or cold. Again, I buy a lot of K-Cup teas, big selection and so easy to make but I also shop The Republic of Tea, and they have some amazing teas also. And nothing beats a hot toddy when you don’t feel good! 😉
I LOVE hot beverages! I’ve been drinking coffee since I was twelve;-) I am definitely a coffee snob. We have a Bunn coffeepot, a very nice cuisinart grinder and a French press.
Unfortunately, we can’t always afford to buy good coffee, so we have to settle a lot. When we can though, we buy a good whole bean dark roast. Haven’t tried Sam’s Club, we aren’t members, but I think I’ve seen that brand at Walmart. I may have to investigate;-)
I also love hot tea (and cocoa) but I’m not as picky about brand. I do like Teavana a lot though.
Hey, that’s my coffee maker:) I’ve been drinking tea as long as I can remember — with milk and sugar. I started drinking coffee in college and now a day doesn’t go by that I don’t have a cup or two. My favorite these days is Dunkin’ Donuts, with half&half and just a tad of sugar. I love Starbucks specialty drinks, but don’t care for their regular coffee at all. I would rather go to Einstein Bros and have a cup of theirs. Oh, a bagel while I’m there:P
only tea here! coffee = nasty
I drink water and Diet Sundrop. That’s it for me!
i did vote…i chose neither…i do love hot chocolate though!
I like both but your description of your husband describes my husband as well. Coffee SNOB. He won’t drink Starbucks (calls it Charbucks) and prefers Gevalia (pricy) or Peets. I like Gevalia and Dunkin Donuts.
SO…just bought some tea that I LOVE. It’s Stash brand ginger and peach green tea. It is SO good.
I love coffee and tea. Coffee in the mornings and tea in the afternoons.
There is so many great coffee blends to choose from. My favourite is Kona Coffee.
http://www.coffee-blend.net
Wow, 84 cups is a LOT of coffee!! I drink two cups a day, dh drinks two or three. I’m with you on the beige coffee!! Mine is like a candy bar. I drink only Dunkin’ Donuts french vanilla, brewed at home. I put a lot of fat free cream and two Splenda in mine.
I used to drink tea occasionally but I don’t any more. When my cousin visits from MD, I have it with her at night (gasp) to wind down before bed. Then I remember that it makes me hyper and I cannot sleep!! She drinks it all day. Maybe that’s why she’s thin and I’m not.
I like my coffee “tan”! And I drink it a couple of times a week only, usually decaf. I like my hot tea with milk and sugar unless I’m sick and then I want honey and lemon in it. You should talk to Jeremy about coffee! He only likes it in a french press if I remember right, he thinks the drip kind tastes watery or like something else you wouldn’t want to know about but I can’t remember right now! He does like espresso and I showed you his site. I think he told me over the weekend that a darker roast has less caffeine in it. Apparently I’m not too particular about mine!
My coffee pot looks JUST like yours, surprise!
Hello! I work at Café Bom Dia in Brazil, the producer of Marques de Paiva coffee. We really appreciate your loyalty to our brand, and we are very proud to deliver a high quality gourmet coffee at a very competitive price. That is only possible because of our unique supply chain. Our roasting facility is located near thousands of certified coffee farms, where we can find the best Brazilian beans. That is how we are able to take good care of our beans from the coffe trees to the retailers shelves, and we know exactly where they come from and how they were produced. If you are having a hard time finding our coffee at Sam’s Club, please you are invited to visit us at http://www.marquesdepaiva.com, where you will be able to find further information and buy our coffee online. Thank you very much! Bom Dia! (that’s how we say “good day” in Portuguese)
I’ve always been a tea-drinker, fascinated with all things tea. Now I’ve come across this curious coffee-flavored tea http://tinyurl.com/coffeeT and wonder what pure coffee drinkers think of it. Or is there such a thing as tea-flavored coffee?
We are big coffee fans here in my household and always start the day with a pot of fresh ground coffee. We’ve become more of a fan of herb tea later in the day or evening. As we’ve gotten older the caffiene keeps us up so no more coffeeing all day long.
My husband and I are both addicted to coffee! I voted “other” because I have to have coffee every morning and I drink tea on occasion (mostly in the winter). If we run out of coffee for some reason, my hubby goes to the donut shop and gets us a cup. We have gone through so many coffee makers in our marriage! I like mine with just a touch of milk–no flavored creamers, no sugar. I enjoyed your post!
I was so worried for you there for a minute – I thought you were going to have to find a new place to get coffee! There is nothing worse than finding something you like and having it discontinued. Fortunately Sam’s came through for you!
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