Coffee at Home, Why?

There’s that Stardunk’s and that Dunk Star

And plenty of local shops,

Why on earth would I want to perfect my morning brew-habit?

Here’s my Top 5 Reasons for Coffee at home-

5) They don’t mis-spell my name! I don’t need my cup to read “Sarah” and the friendly barista  just looking at me (pre-coffee ) saying “oops”. It’s not cute.

4) Did I mention that before coffee I lack social skills? I really might bite! I never have but there’s always a first time.

3) Ok a little more serious here: if you have a dairy allergy, cross contamination is a real concern. Busy shops can sometimes overlook proper cleaning protocol. Mistakes happen, I don’t have the luxury of checking all the ingredients at my favorite shops, but I can check all of the ever-changing labels at home. 

*Steps onto soapbox- grabs microphone*

Ahem- as someone who has to pay attention to ingredients, it’s incredibly frustrating when a reputable brand changes it’s formula and adds a not so harmless ingredient and updates the ingredients, but the packaging doesn’t change…or if a product has the same offering in say gluten free and whole grain but the packaging is almost identical. Nothing is more disappointing than buying a Costco pack of snacks thinking it’s a great deal, only to get home and realize that you have a full case of the whole grain stuff :/.  *end rant-steps off soap box*

2) Taste and texture- Do you ever get a Fru-Fru drink with the hopes that it would be all naughty and sweet only to need to walk over to the “fix it” station and dump sugar to make it taste good? Or the opposite, you grab a cuppa hoping it tastes like something to wake the dead and you feel like you drank liquid sugar?  Lately, I’ve been trying to perfect my latte art and foam technique. When I’m out, the baristas often don’t even try to get my foam all pretty or extra frothy… That doesn’t happen at home well unless the creamer guys changed their formula (again… see rant with soapbox). 

1) Pajamas! - I don’t even have to get out of them or drag the kids along and have to buy chocolate milks, Frappes and whatever THEY are in the mood for. I mean I don’t HAVE to do that on a coffee run, but at home coffee is guilt free! I can get away with a bottle of chocolate syrup and jug of almond milk for $8 (or short cut, just buy the chocolate almond milk) and the kids have at least 4 mornings worth of “coffee” vs the $50 order of 3 chocolate milks 2 Frappes and whatever I’m feeling like that trip… 
I can even get a jump on my coffee the night before and make a fresh batch of cold brew. 
I love, love, love our local coffee shops for a special treat. In my little town there are 6 mom and pop coffee shops (not including the bakery or the breakfast cafes). They mostly use the same local roaster so a lot of the time the coffee has similar tastes. They have one or 2 unflavored roasts and build specialty drinks with syrups and creams around those roasts. At home, my combinations are a little more adventurous. I shop JavaMomma beans, there’s tons of roast options, flavored, unflavored, I can order, whole bean, French press ground or Auto-Drip, K-cup friendly or pods, which means I can use whatever brew method I want: French or Aeropress, Pour over, Classic coffee machine, Keurig or Cold Brew I can fancy froth my creamer, stir it in or skip it! .Did I mention I can make my coffee in my pajamas, if I’m feeling like a coffee shop, I can put my name on my mug, mis-spell it for nostalgia, call myself when my coffee is ready give barista me a dirty look and then settle into my favorite chair and sip in silence while the dog who woke me up for breakfast, snores at my feet and kids sleep in. Nobody gets bit, unless the dog’s feeling nippy….