NO MATTER WHAT YOU CALL IT . . .

               Cartoon Bill Mauldin's World War II Up Front

      I can no longer drink the hard stuff. . .  regular or any other type coffee that has a caffeine kick.  Cardiologist said it is not good  for my health. But during Graduate School days (or more accurately, nights) strong coffee became a constant companion. An unnamed acquaintance had elevated blood pressure and his physician asked how many daily cups he drank.  "Six or eight.  That's too many, right ?"  For you, yes.  I don't know his consumption now but I hope that he drinks less.

  If it is for the  'taste' , I fare o.k. on the decaf types, sometimes called 'unleaded' rather than the 'leaded' or  caffeinated kinds. Hardly a purist or connoisseur of the many choices offered,  I apply the simple test:  "Do I like the taste?"  

   My former neighbor, Dick Rountree, has always been noted for his kindness and candor.  When I was imbibing a brand of 'Instant Coffee', I offered him a  cup. With one sip, he judged that "that is the worst cup of coffee that I have ever had!"

    Many names have been ascribed to the  beverage: Java, Mud, Elixir of Life, Cuppa,  Joe, ad infinitum. Among my favorite terms is Cuppa Joe.  Whether historically accurate or not, the term allegedly originate in 1914 when Josephus Daniel, a teetotaler, became Secretary of the Navy and prohibited any beverage stronger that  black coffee to be served on US vessels.

  Bob Bryant and I solved many 'world problems' drinking 5 cent coffee in the Student Commons when we were in Seminary at Duke. FIVE CENTS!!  Today a  small cup will equal the price of a nourishing meal in those long ago times.

  Baristas seem to be everywhere mixing their concoctions to a wide array of fees in excess of 5 cents.   Just a cursory scanning of 'coffee' entries on the internet led to a surfeit of information.  For example, I learned that one is not a "coffee addict" but rather a  "javaphile". And there  is a  website Fluentincoffee.com.  

  As the lowest ranking soldier at the 3d Army Flight Detachment in Atlanta in the early 1960's, it became my duty to make the large pot of morning coffee at the hanger.  'Awful' would be an accurate description and I was never considered a barista.

  We have found a few nearby shops that suit our tastes.  (The  following are not 'paid' nor requested advertisements.)  In nearby Sanford, NC, there is Kathy's Java Shop, an unpretentious gathering spot that  features a  wide array of concoctions.  A favorite is "Seduction", served either hot or cold.  The following is from the gallery of 'wall art':

               

                                                                                                                  

    

Nearer home, The Chatham Rabbit has been 

delighting customers with their array of brews for four years.  As this shot taken from the Facebook page shows, the CR has become an integral part of the local Arts Community.

                                                                                            

    According to my wife's finely honed taste buds, Jay at Cafe Root Cellar in nearby Pittsboro makes a world class Chai Latte.

    The single K-cup machine perhaps is not as ubiquitous as in times past. Today after my haircut, I noticed this set-up in the shop:

   

        Apparently there are lots of us like the soldier in the cartoon above.  Drink Up !

    Satchel