The True Comfort Foods

In case you ever wondered chocolate and coffee are the true comfort foods.  In fact, coffee and chocolate consumption is up over all, while consumers have chosen to deny themselves the other pleasures of life in the economical slump which seems to be occurring.

I say seems to be because I haven’t seen it.  The stores were packed all week and shoppers seemed to be carrying a fair number of bags.  Marc and I live very simply for the most part so what others tend to see as economic slow down is just business as usual for us.

Anyway, according to this article people are continuing to buy coffee.  The main difference seems to be in where that coffee is consumed.  Rather than spending the money at Starbucks the consumer is making their own brew at home.

Now, the article said that it is more likely to be a can of Maxwell House that they are brewing and I am wondering about that.  Surely people who have learned to cup Yemen Mokha Mattari can’t ever go back to slurping Maxwell House?

I am curious.  has anyone thought about buying a roaster and roasting your own beans now that finances are a bit on the tight side? Let’s face it, even really EXPENSIVE green coffee beans are usually under ten dollars a pound, while the roasted varieties can get rather pricey.

Then there is the whole deal of having to locate the coffees and order them..but only in small batches because once they are roasted they go rancid pretty quick.

If you live in Seattle or New York you might get away with being able to find what you want at the store but here in the coffee wasteland of the universe it is not so easy.  Arabica rules.

I have always wanted to roast my own but I just haven’t gotten up the nerve, or the cash, to make the jump.

image:marye audet