A Gift of Coffee

My Coffee from Veracruz
(I still need to buy an opaque jar or can.)

On more than one occasion, I have received gifts of coffee from various parts of the world.  On every occasion, I have been delighted!

Today was another such occasion.  A neighbor who had been visiting his family in Veracruz in December, suddenly remembered that he had brought a little packet of fresh coffee back for me.  I have wonderful friends and neighbours; he knows that  I love coffee. I often show up outside on the front lawn while the kids and the dogs are playing with a coffee in my hand, and I talk about it often enough.  But I was very pleasantly surprised that he was thoughtful enough to pick up a

package of coffee for me!

Tonight, while browsing posts on Facebook and other blogs, and waiting for my baby to wake up to give him the bottle, I tried out a cup.

First I smelt it.  Wonderful, rich and strong aroma!

Then I looked at it.  A moderately dark roast, and a just-below-medium grind, and very clean - very little of that powder that sifts through all but the best paper filters.  Perfect for my moka pot coffee maker! (See this post for a picture: Coffee, Wonderful Coffee!)

(I took my time for all of this; you will see why the process of selecting coffee in a store could take so long - see "How Many Germans Does it Take To ....)

Then I prepared my little moka pot, and enjoyed a very rich, strong coffee that in no way left me disappointed.  For the past week or so, I've found myself preferring my coffee black.  It was wonderful.

I love coffee, and I'm always excited to receive a gift of coffee!  Notable mentions include a package of Canadian maple coffee my brother once gave me, a very large bag of very dark and delicious coffee brought from Merida, but originally from an unknown destination, the coffee my mother-in-law brings from Mexico City every time she visits - again, I don't know the origin, but the roasters in Mexico City and the surrounding area know what they're doing - and a bag of green coffee beans my wife's grandpa was going to send with us once, but we choose not to take because of transportation difficulties.

Again, thanks to my neighbour for this gift of coffee!  One of the few things better than good coffee is having good friends!

(For a recipe on how to make a delicious traditional kind of Mexican coffee, read Cafe de Olla - One of my Favorites!)