Coffee

I'm sitting at the computer, sipping on my morning coffee.  No, not instant - that's not real coffee.  Not sure what it is, but it isn't real.  Actually the term "instant" coffee is a bit of a misnomer, considering that you have to wait for water to boil to have that cup of sludge, thus rendering the "instant" wrong.  Unless the manufacturers are referring to the "brewing" time, in which case, since there is no brewing, it is indeed instant.  Not that instant coffee doesn't have its place - like on a camping trip where electric outlets are probably non-existant anywhere remotely close to where the tent/camper/van is (and you're not hauling one of those handy dandy Canadian Tire generators).  I'm also not talking about chain coffee either.  You know, coffee blended specifically for some coffee chain or other.  It too has a less than authentic ring to it, though it is a vast improvement over the instant variety.  It is real coffee - don't get me wrong, but it somehow loses something in translation when it becomes "specially blended".
In my travels, I have, for the most part, lived in countries that grow coffee.  In the middle east it was Arabic coffee which has a distinct full flavour that definitely cannot be confused with the softer, rich flavour of Hawaiian coffee.  India's coffee has a very different flavour, incredibly mellow, someplace between Hawaiian and Arabic.  Mexican coffee has a very robust flavour that, when cinamon is added, gives it a very upbeat snap.  My next stop is Colombia, in the heart of coffee bean country, where I'm quite sure their coffee will have yet another wonderful flavour all its own.  Can't wait.  I'll be able to sip my morning coffee on the balcony and watch the world go by, savouring both the coffee and the sights and sounds of my next new home.  Until next time.