Java's Got A Hold On Me

I never liked coffee until I turned 40. I didn't even own a coffee maker. I think it had a lot to do with the fact my parents only ever drank instant coffee made from those horrid crystals, and I found nothing appealing about the swill it was my job to make and serve them each evening after dinner. It was made even more unpalatable with the addition of the powdered skim milk which they both added to their cups.

But about the time I turned 40, I landed a job where my office was right next to the coffee room and someone brewed the most delicious-smelling coffee there every morning. I threw some money in the coffee collection can and gave it a try. It was as good as the aroma and I've been drinking coffee ever since.

I've learned it's probably no coincidence that coffee started smelling good to me right around the time my hormones took the long dive into peri-menopause. When our adrenal gland starts to flag or fail, we can crave caffeine which essentially "kicks" the already exhausted gland further (which is about as smart and effective as flogging a dead horse).

So, I try to be responsible and mindful about my coffee consumption, knowing full well it is probably interfering with my other goals (like restoring my adrenal function, losing 20 lbs and sorting out my insulin resistance issues etc.). But I have already given up all alcohol and eliminated all simple/refined carbs from my diet; I'm just not ready or able to give up my cuppa joe.

I make a good cup of coffee - well, to my way of thinking and tasting. People who come to visit us in Mexico, or at our cottage, usually ask what our coffee is and where they can get it. It's a two part process, and the second part is the key.



For the past couple of winters we've been spending a lot of time in Mexico as we bought a small condo outside of Puerto Vallarta. Mexico is a coffee producing country, but finding good coffee in the local supermarket there is almost impossible. So, I stock up and bring coffee with me from Canada.

My favourite is an Italian brand--Lavazza Crema e Gusto --that comes in little 1/4 lb bricks of ground coffee that are really easy to pack. Once in Mexico, for the second part of my process, I buy packages of "Coffee De Olla" which is a ground coffee flavoured with raw cane sugar and spices like cinnamon. I add just one scoop of Coffee de Olla to my Lavazza and magic happens. It adds a deeper, richer, most delicious dimension. Add some Xylitol (a "safe" natural sweetener that I bring from Canada) and cream, and it's a great start to any day.

I brought two packages of Coffee de Olla home with me from Mexico in April - one for home and one for the cottage - and both are almost gone. I am now looking at a long stretch of no "C de O" until December when we head south again.

Oh well, it will make me appreciate it all the more when I get up that first sunny morning and brew a pot of my "Mexican coffee" to drink on the deck looking out at the palm trees and ocean.

Todo bien. (it's all good.)