Rationing coffee consumption has taken effort. I became an enthusiast, if not an addict, early in college. The main cafeteria offered a Bottomless Cup with free refills for 10 cents. I would add a pastry, most often a bow tie, for another quarter. Frequently a friend from around campus would bring his breakfast, usually more substantial than mine, to my table. We would chat about any variety of topics until the clock nudged us to our first classes. Later, I bought an orange percolator, an electric one of questionable legality in the university dorm, where I would add some caffeine in preparation for intense study as key exams approached.
Coffee has taken many routes since then. An introduction to specialty coffee worthy of a premium at a unique shop within walking distance of my apartment. Free coffee provided by vendors or employers. Technology advanced. I still have a stovetop percolator, though my beloved orange electric one is no more. Technology brought us Mr. Coffee drip machines, Melitta cones, k-cups, and Starbucks. Instant coffee, the staple of my parents and my intro to coffee as a teen, still appears in my pantry though as an additive to baking, never as a beverage.
For sure, the many variations of coffee attracts me. It has for more than fifty years. It also has its physiological effects. Studying for an exam, a safe boost when needed, if not needed too often. Awake in the morning to perform the day's tasks, that's probably the reason for its global popularity. Conviviality, whether at the university cafeteria or at a lounge or a reception. Legitimate purpose. Adverse effects crop up too. Sleepless after those evening receptions concluded with dessert and coffee. Withdrawal symptoms when deprived on religious fast days or mornings when I need to leave in a harried way to get coffee when I arrive or en route. And that's without getting into the many reports of long-term benefits or harms. Despite the advancing sophistication of science, these observational studies seem to segregate into results that pitch the sponsor's fondness for or aversions to my preferred morning stimulant.
Incessant of injudicious consumption had to stop. I imposed some form of rationing, though a lenient one. On days at home, two k-cups worth, with the Keurig Machine set at 8 ounces. When I deserved a treat, I could go to a coffee shop at mid-morning. On mornings with OLLI classes, one cup of coffee from my k-cup plus some to take to OLLI in a thermal mug. One class mornings get 10 ounces made in a home Keurig machine poured into a 14 ounce cylinder with a sipable top. Two class mornings entitle me to a little more. I fill a 16 ounce thermal mug with water, then pour that into a French press prefilled with two coffee measures of specialty ground coffee. Wait four minutes, depress the plunger and pour into the now empty mug. Sip during and between classes.
While I've been faithful to this limitation, I've also used access to extra as a reward. A superlative effort at my laptop or enhancing my home in the morning entitles me to more coffee at late morning. This is usually fulfilled at a coffee shop, as the attention to details of brewing that the baristas offer enhances my entitlement for a job well done. Infrequently, the reward comes from the Keurig machine.
My good faith effort has its lapses. Rarely do I purchase WaWa or 7-Eleven coffee, though they offer tasty options of major variety and let me customize. Travel changes that. On occasion I go out for breakfast, maybe twice a month. Coffee and one refill become part of that experience. And that's added to the eye-opening cup I make for myself before leaving home. Fortunately, evening receptions where coffee is served have become infrequent. While suppliers indicated that decaffeinated coffee tastes similar to its raw prototype, it registers in my mind as deprived, adulterated coffee. Maybe because I remember an Organic Chemistry Lab module where we had to extract caffeine from tea. Very artificial with exogenous chemicals. I avoid that even at the risk of a night's insomnia.
Those fifty years since the college cafeteria have taken the coffee industry on a forward path, whisking me along with it. I enjoy the variety, availability, and ease. But for my own safety, I set limits. My adherence to self-created restrictions plays out as mostly beneficial, with only a minimum sense of deprivation.
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