These days I do not start the day without a cup of coffee. I pour just a little half and half into it, and I'm good to go. It wasn't always that way. I used to prefer tea. It's clear and warm and I drank gallons of it per week before I discovered that coffee was a much better waker-upper in the morning.
There was a time when I thought I didn't like the taste of coffee. I'd always loved the aroma of it, but the taste just seemed bitter to me. Then I went to work in an insurance/realty office where the coffee pot was on all day long, and it was easier to drink the ready-made brew than it was to fuss with making a cup of tea. I discovered that coffee wasn't half-bad. Maybe it was the brand that was used at work, I don't know, but I got hooked.
In other work places over the years, there were choices in 'additions' to the cup of brew. Some offices offered half and half. Others bought non-dairy creamers, either plain or flavored. Other places had the choice of any of the above-listed items. Sugar, artificial sweetners, and no sugar at all made their way into my mug at various times. I've weaned myself of the sugar addition, and the half and half is no where near the amount that I first used. I can use the non-dairy stuff, but don't care much for it. However, when I stay in a motel, that's usually all there is to use, and it'll suffice until I can get a true cup of java.
I'm really not a coffee addict, as some are, though. One large mug of hot coffee upon rising is all I have throughout the day. It's the equivalent of two cups. I don't drink it later in the day because I have enough trouble sleeping through the night as it is. Rarely, in the heat of summer, I have yielded to a desire for a frappe, but as I say, it's not often.
I don't go to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts to obtain a cup of their stuff. Believe me, they will never get rich on my purchases! Though the flavor certainly is better than what we have at home, I cannnot justify the cost! What we have is convenient, and gets my engine reved in the morning, so I'm content!
