The first sip and beyond...

My first experience with coffee occurred in a McDonald's drive thru in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee with my mother. Yes, I said McDonald's.

"Hi, yes I'd like a small coffee to go please. Two packs of sugar and a stirring sick, thank you." The blonde sweet voiced woman said projecting into the golden arched speaker. As we approached the window, a heavy set Hispanic woman handed my mother a Styrofoam cup, which read "CAUTION" around the edges. we drove away from the McDonald's drive thru, and my mother placed her coffee onto the dashboard of her Dodge mini van. I watched as the rising heat send a small ring of steam onto the windshield. She used exactly two sugar packets, no cream, and stirred until the sugar was completely dissolved. 

"Can I try a sip?" I asked preparing my taste buds for pure delight. The sweet aroma of this profound liquid filled the mini van and I couldn't wait any longer. I snatched the coffee and took a colossal gulp.

"AHHHHHH" I screamed with unexpected terror and handed the coffee back to my mother. 

"Yeah its hot." She exclaimed offering to buy me a coke instead. 

What I really wanted was coffee, but this watered down brown liquid, calling itself coffee did not appeal to me. As I grew older and could drive out into the world on my own, I would discover my true addictive love for coffee. After school I would drive over to my favorite coffee shop, The Frothy Monkey . This was the downtown Nashville  hangout of artists, musicians, and students. Artwork from local artists hung on the mint colored walls and conversation loomed in the air. I sipped on lattes, cappuccinos, and mochas. However, my all time favorite and cheapest beverage was simply a black, dark roast drip coffee. I preferred to sip on roasts from Latin America and South Africa. The nutty and sometimes fruity flavors would draw me into a world I had nut discovered until I tasted these magic beans. The lively flavors would fill my mouth and trickle onto the sides of my tongue, informing me that this is a bold coffee. Most people dump cream and sugar into their coffee to try and cover up what makes these roasts unique. This is a sinful act against the holy coffee gods! Sometimes I think that I could be a coffee god. My mother certainly is and after all, she did introduce me to drug. Thank the coffee gods for that!