Fancy a coffee?

Around the globe there are customs and traditions when inviting friends and family to your house, I think it is customary in every country to at least offer your visitor a beverage. What that beverage is varies, be it water, tea, coffee, wine. 

Obviously in Great Britain a cup of tea is the custom offering. The Great British cuppa, it solves everything. But, with the rise in popularity of coffee many people now have coffee machines at home, and if you are meeting outside of your home, with a café on every high street the trend now leans towards “meeting up for a coffee”. 

Now, what I am really here to discuss is, would you be comfortable to take me for a coffee, or make me a cup of coffee at home? Don’t worry, I’m not asking to come over. 

It struck me recently how so many people are nervous offering me a coffee at their house or wait for my opinion if we get a coffee when we are out.  

Yes, I know good coffee, but I am not a coffee snob, and I also appreciate it comes down to personal preference. Personally I like a nice strong coffee, rich, and smooth, I am happy to drink an espresso, americano, filter coffee or cafetiere coffee - but it has to be strong. I can drink my coffee black, or with a dash of milk, no sugar. I don’t like milky coffees. At most I will have a cappuccino at breakfast if I’m in Italy  (ok, I will admit I would be fussy about my cappuccino, not a huge bowl of milk, a proper cappuccino please). I don’t like sour coffees, or weak coffee. But that’s me. There is a high street chain that is popping up everywhere and I do not like their coffee, I’ll drink it at a push, but I don’t run there if I need a caffeine fix – but enough people do, so they must be doing something right. And someone bought me a flat white once at another smaller, but well known chain, and I couldn't even taste the coffee coming through the milk. But their flat whites are very popular, so again, it is down to personal taste. 

Now, I know it is contradictory to what I have just said, but some people do just make a rubbish cup of coffee, and if they like it, ok, but they shouldn’t. Generally, I can politely sip a cup of coffee that isn’t necessarily to my taste, fundamentally what I am searching for is some caffeine. If the coffee is lacking all my criteria then I am quite good at masking my grimace with each sip. I’ll always give your coffee a go, but if it doesn’t tick any of my boxes, then I won’t be asking for another cup again. Now, I can’t name names, because you never know who reads this blog, but there are a few people whose coffees I will avoid, it’s not my husbands – it used to be, but I’ve drilled into him how I like it! But there is a tell-tale sign, if I come to your house and you offer me a coffee, I’ll have a cup of tea! 

(Below is the lovely cup of coffee my hairdresser gave me. He has good coffee!)

One of my most nervous moments is when I go on holiday and stay in a hotel, I am so anxious at my first breakfast, because it is time to find out what their coffee is like. I need my coffee; I need a few cups of it in the morning at the minimum. And whilst I may be able to drink an inferior cup or two, or have a tea instead, I can’t have that as my only option for more than a day.  

Do you have coffee when you visit family or friends? Is there anyone's coffee that you must avoid? And how do you get out of it? I promise not to tell them!  

And, if by chance I have come to your house and asked for tea. I apologise.