My aunt has a knack for giving interesting and unique gifts. A few years back she sent me a cool little book called the Coffee Shop Companion.
This perfect gift hit two of my loves with one shot. First, I love journals of all shapes and sizes. Second, I am basically obsessed with fancy coffee. In particular, I love a good Cafe Mocha (it’s my muse juice, after all!).
Whenever I travel, I make it a point to find coffee shops so I can try different varieties of my favorite drink. It’s interesting to explore the local flavor or interpretation of a Cafe Mocha because each place leaves a distinctive mark on the drink.
Throughout my travels, I dutifully made notations in my journals about all the Cafe Mochas I drank. For example, I maintain the best Cafe Mocha to be had in Europe is in Killarney, Ireland courtesy of the Lir Cafe. It’s been five years and I still haven’t found a better cup of coffee. As much as I love Starbucks’ version of the mocha, this place takes the top spot!
Clearly, I enjoy a Cafe Mocha more than most! Hence, the perfection of a journal dedicated to nothing but recording every delicious cup of coffee. Not only are there blank pages to record details, but the journal is peppered with coffee quotations and factoids.
- Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world, following only petroleum, and it is the most consumed beverage in the world besides water.
- As soon as coffee is in your stomach, there is a general commotion. Ideas begin to move . . . similes arise, the paper is covered. Coffee is your ally, and writing ceases to be a struggle. – Honoré de Balzac
On my recent trip to Northern Wisconsin, I was delighted to discover that most small towns in the region have finally jumped onto the coffee cafe bandwagon. In the week I was there, I visited five different coffee shops and ordered my coveted Cafe Mocha. Some were positively divine, while others made my face scrunch up like a sour patch kid. All experiences were recorded in my coffee companion:
I swear I never drink more than one cup a day!
Notes of a very picky coffee drinker!
Memories of a Cafe Mocha at Horhay’s Java Saloon still linger on the palette. Mmmmm . . . .
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What is your favorite thing this week?
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c.b.w. 2013
C.B. Wentworth 