One thing I can't get by the day without is coffee.
My love affair with coffee started when I was 16. I had just started college and I had to get a bus in very early in the morning.
Shortly around the time, I started college, a Costa Coffee opened across from my bus stop. I wasn't really a huge coffee fan, as I had only recently turned 16, I had no need for coffee in my life. Until I stepped into Costa Coffee...
I ordered a vanilla latte and BOOM! I was addicted. Every morning without fail, I would buy a medium vanilla latte from the Costa across the road before getting on the bus to college.
And the rest is history...
I like to think since then, I have tried many different brands and origins of coffee and I am always intrigued to learn more and discover new coffee brands and learn about coffee etiquette across the globe.
I wouldn't say I'm a 3, 4 or more cups of coffee addict, but I do need that first cup of coffee to get me out of bed properly and awake in the morning.
You're probably wondering why I love coffee so much. Like, how can someone love and rely on coffee as much as I do!?
There are SO many reasons why I love coffee, but I thought it would be nice to share 6 of them with you.
So grab a coffee (haha) and have a read:
1. It wakes me up and gives me motivation in the morning
I might as well not be human in the morning without coffee. It's the reason I get out of bed.
My morning routine usually consists of me snoozing my alarm a couple of times, then eventually, I get the drive to go downstairs, make a coffee, come back upstairs and tuck myself back into bed to drink it.
This helps me slowly wake up and I feel so much more ready for the day.
But that doesn't stop me from having a morning cuppa at work. It's the one thing that gives me the motivation to get on with my day, otherwise, without it, my brain doesn't function.
2. The aroma coffee gives off
There's nothing that quite describes the smell of freshly brewed coffee, especially on a weekend when you can literally get straight back into bed and relax.
Working as a Barista at Costa Coffee made me appreciate the aroma and crema proper coffee gives off.
It can be such an inviting scent, so walking into a coffee shop always feels so welcoming. I love the aroma of coffee so much that I eagerly find coffee scented products like Lush scrubs, candles and sweets just so I can get that coffee aroma kick.
3. The taste of coffee
I have always loved the taste of coffee and I like to think I have a varied taste in coffee.
Whether it's a creamy flat white with vanilla syrup, or just straight coffee and milk, I can't help but love the taste of it.
It was never a taste I had to get used to, or I tried tea and slowly became accustomed to - straight away, I loved the taste.
And I think my experience at Costa Coffee really opened my taste buds up to different tastes, so you know you truly love coffee when you appreciate all tastes rather than just for the caffeine aspect it provides.
4. Coffee is conversational
A social event for me when it comes to meeting up with friends during the day on a weekend is usually in a coffee shop or cafe over coffee.
It's become a trend nowadays to meet friends in coffee shops and is part of our culture here in the UK.
Coffee dates with Josh, meeting up with friends over coffee, or having meetings over coffee; if meeting someone for the first time, coffee can be the icebreaker between two strangers.
I could spend hours talking to someone over coffee, whether it's just chit-chat, or if it's deep and meaningful conversations. The warmth and buzz you get from coffee is the motivation for all conversations.
Plus, what else would I post on my Instagram if I didn't go out for coffee with friends?
5. The culture around coffee
I love the fact that coffee beans come and grow from all around the world.
I don't just appreciate the taste of coffee, but I appreciate the different origins coffee comes from.
It can come from Brazil, Columbia, to Italy, Ethiopia and beyond... wherever it's from, coffee has so many qualities and characteristics.
It's also intriguing for me to discover the different cultures other countries have around coffee. For example, when we went to Rome, coffee is seen as something to be enjoyed in the morning only. You're looked to be weird if you order a cappuccino after 11am.
It's so cool to learn about where coffee is from and it's story, how it came to a certain area and how it was processed.
6. The coffee art
Coffee is an art form and there is a huge trend when it comes to finding the most Instagramable coffee art.
I loved learning how to create beautiful flat white florette patterns when I worked at Costa Coffee. It was so satisfying when I would pour the perfect pattern and serve it to a customer. (Even more heartbreaking when you would see them grab a spoon and ruin it by mixing in their sugar!)
But as a coffee customer, I love hunting down the best coffee shops who create aesthetic coffee art, from florettes, to hearts and even teddy bears and other exotic patterns.
Basically, flat white or latte art makes a coffee for me.
