It’s 8:00 am, you missed the clock alarm, breakfast, even coffee, but oh as you drive by, the coffee shop Austin calls and your car turns, unasked, into a parking spot by the door. You look at your steering wheel and wonder if maybe your car needs a tune up.
Inside, the aroma wakes you with anticipation. Dark, you order a cup of the dark blend and, then hesitate, no, have the large double latte. You watch her press that black steaming liquid into a cup. The sound of milk steaming makes you want to reach over the counter even before the foam is poured into the cup with a feathery twirl.
People sit alone or in pairs, some with early day laughter, others still with half open eyes as they scan the morning paper. There’s sounds of sighs, yours too. It’s a good morning wake-up.
People rush in with large insulated mugs, getting their fill-up before heading for the door. You look at your watch and calculate the travel time to the office. You think, “I can probably squeeze in, well, at least 10 minutes. No one will notice if I’m late.” You try not to look smug when other customers don’t stop for a few moments. You watch their anxious faces as they rush to wherever people hurry off. Just a few minutes of luxury. It’s comfortable here.
At a smallish table you find an empty chair. The man just beside you is intensely involved with his laptop and you’re relieved that you’ve forgotten yours. No interruptions for just few minutes. Turn off the cell phone. There’s a prickly feeling on your upper lip, you realize it’s milk and check that everyone is too busy to notice you licking away the foam. These coffees around the shop are hot and strong, yours is far better than that bland brand at home. Maybe arriving here could be great on many mornings.
Coffee has been delicious for a long time. It’s recorded in history about three thousand years ago, supposedly discovered by goats. Around the 1920′s when alcohol was banned in the US coffee use increased dramatically. While some were growing illegal “home brew” others were enjoying coffees in their kitchens. Twenty years later North Americans consumed more than 50% of the entire world production. Now, there’s a pot in almost every kitchen and it’s grown on four continents.
Preferences are sometimes announced by connoisseurs. Some claim that African is the best, others prefer South American or Shade Grown Mexican. There’s no shortage. Fair trade coffees are now sold by many major brands. Entire organizations have formed to assure that profits feed back to the growers.
Unfortunately the last of your delicious Austin coffee shop coffee arrives sooner than you’d wished. You use your spoon to scrape out the remaining milk foam. You begin to think about the idea of an after work stop-in here. You’ll get a little caffeine perk before dinner. There’s a menu on the wall. As you scan the list you see “Fresh made brownies.” That’s it, you’ll have to return. You wonder if that automatically turn-in magic to coffee shop Austin will happen once more.
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