After Dinner Coffee

January is International Gourmet Coffee Month. Is that an annual thing or what? I searched Google but didn’t find anything. Doesn’t matter much to me because I celebrate each day with coffee.

The curious thing is what this animal called “gourmet” coffee is. If you read the Blogher article, you’d see that there is a perception that the ability (guts) to try and appreciate civet coffee is the test of the ultimate coffee connoisseur. And I go What? Residents of Indang, Cavite, and Batangas who had been collecting civet droppings and drinking civet coffee for decades as part of their daily diet would be amused.

And that got me thinking. When does coffee become “gourmet” coffee? Is it the price? The rarity? Or is it the flavor — which, at best, is subjective since what tastes good or bad is a matter of personal preference? Or, is it the hype surrounding a particular variety of coffee? I’ve tried civet (aramid) coffee, I liked it although I didn’t find it spectacular.

Whatever. I like my coffee, period. I like it plain, I like it fancy, I like it spiced, I even like it cold sometimes. I like it with chocolate and I like coffee in my dessert too. And, yes, I like to spike my coffee with alcohol at times. Measure your ground coffee. It’s usually one tablespoonful per cup of water but I suggest you make it a little stronger than usual this time.

Brew your coffee. I use a stovetop percolator and I let the coffee boil for about five minutes before I turn the heat off. If you use another kind of percolator or a coffee press or if you use the drip-type coffee maker, just make your coffee the usual way. Take your tequila and Kahlua and measure the required amounts. It is quite alright to mix them.