Aroma

I made the transition from instant coffee to real coffee during my PhD. The difference is so dramatic, that they're essentially different drinks, and should be treated as such. I used to drink copious amounts of instant coffee, with milk and at least two teaspoons of sugar -- a PhD does strange things to a person!

These days I enjoy so much about coffee. Its preparation. The smell after beans are freshly ground and roasted. The aroma of a freshly poured, strong, black coffee.

Coffee

Coffee │ NEX-7 & Canon FDn 50mm F1.4 │ 50mm, 1/200, ISO 100, f/4, Lightroom 4.2 I don't think a day goes by without caffeine entering my bloodstream. In fact, my blood is probably about 85% espresso. I love the stuff. Latte, blend, black, Café au lait... if it contains coffee beans, then it probably has my attention.

I've never been a tea drinker, though the stereotype of the British is certainly that of a nation of tea drinkers. However, fellow (though fictitious) countryman James Bond, described tea as "that flat, soft, time-wasting opium of the masses", and I am inclined to agree. A good strong coffee has character, taste, and purpose. I find tea to be somewhat bland (though perhaps I just make bad tea), though fruit tea and green teas are much more palatable.

My obsession with coffee started during my Ph.D - and understandably peaked during the writing of my doctoral thesis. It's a trend I've continued with, and I usually only feel that a morning has really started (i.e. my brain has engaged) after a good cup or two, of hot, strong, coffee.

Fancy a brew?