Coffee. It beckons with the sound of brewing. The smoky, rich scent fills the nostrils, and that endless liquid darkness or stunning swirl of cream invites us to come closer.

The grinding beans can jar sleepy senses.  However, the purity of the clean, filtered water quickly follows.  The fine grounds scoop gently and that whir and gurgle of the brewing promises that soon, all will be right.  Once poured, the dark scent hints of stolen moments and sleepless nights; it has always been there in the remembered moments.  Smoky, earthy, real aromas fill the room.  

Many rush into the first sip, accepting the harsh bite of a black cup of coffee.   However, a hastily received sip while looking somewhere else ignores a gaudy, but innocent spectacle.  Take this moment.  Watch as the cream is delicately poured in.  Notice as it dives directly to the bottom of the cup and disappears for an instant before slowly reaching for the surface.  It draws itself up and up, tendrils flirting and dancing in patterns and choreographed moves.  Swirling together, the fine whisps join into one mass as it explodes into an even color that quiets itself out, uniformly becoming the soon-to-be first sip.  Enjoy this artistic moment. Now it is time for the tongue to curl around the smooth flavor and hold it there, finally awake, and alive.  

Coffee welcomes newspapers, stacks of e-mails, ideas, old friends, and strange addictions in the same familiar manner.  Don’t take this dear friend for granted.  It might be the first sip of the morning, enjoyed in a mid-afternoon break, or perfectly tempers the lingering sweetness of dessert.  The ritual could require a well-rehearsed home routine, frivolous spending for the white sleeved cup, or merely a dollar left on the counter.  It asks nothing more than to match the personality of its drinker yet demands to be reached for in a thousand different ways.  

Would you like a cup of coffee?