The Taste of the Past

I have indulged in coffee since I was a child. It was as much a part of my daily routine as brushing my teeth. Each morning before school, I would be treated to a cup of strong coffee heavily laced with milk and sugar. Cafe au lait for the knee-pants crowd...but only that morning cup. After the breakfast mug, I would take my caffeine in soda form. That post-dawn serving, though, was a carved-in-stone necessity to start my day off on the right foot.

The bean of choice was the Louisiana classic - Community Dark Roast. Most people associate Louisiana with coffee and chicory, but that was not as widespread a brew as cliche indicates. We drank straight dark roast - rich, strong, hair-tingling...no weak-sister-sissy-pants beverage. The bag itself gave indication of the potency of the potion - red, with black and a touch of gold. Bold, eye-opening, rich with old-world style. Aahhh....a big steaming mug, saccharin sweet with swirls of milk from happy southern cows.

When I moved to Massachusetts, I was deprived of my cafe au choice. At that time, ironically, was the dawn of the coffee revolution. The roasted wonder bean had moved from subsistence status to gourmet level and the varieties and flavors exploded in number. Coffee could be had from all points of the globe and in as many flavors as one could dream. Grocery store shelves bulged with bags and cans...most offered whole-bean dispensers so that customers could grind to their own specifications. Nowhere, though, was Community to be found. It was easier to find beans from Zimbabwe than Louisiana. Nothing I tried compared to the full flavor of Community and I was continually disappointed in my search for an appealing substitute.

Then, Community began to look to a larger market. Not geographically, necessarily, but they entered the coffee house club. CC's began to open around Louisiana, operating much like the average Staryucks. With this move came the establishment of a website with online ordering. Praise the Force...Community could now be procured by those removed from Dixieland. I regularly order Community Dark Roast and, yes, their blend with chicory. What a welcome delight is that morning cup. I organize the coffee pot at night and set the timer to have it brewed and waiting when I wake. Facing the New England winter is much easier when fortified with a hot cup of memory. Yummmmmmm.....and I have to admit to sneaking the occasional afternoon mug on especially cold day. Leftovers make the most spendicious iced coffee. This is a pleasant surprise as iced coffee is nothing one ever considered during my youth.

Once again, online shopping has brought joy to my life. It has delivered to me a staple of my younger days, one that has a very special place in my heart. Let others pay the sun and the moon for some wanko variety or flavor. I'll take my plain perfection anyday....