That coffee groove

One of the many terrific things about working in downtown Portland, Maine is that there are plenty of great coffee places to choose from. Of course there are a couple of Starbucks and three Dunkin' Donuts (the world's hottest coffee) within 10 minutes walking time. There are two specific "internet " cafes though others have some form of internet either free or subscription (Starbucks). For the premium price you pay at a Starbucks the internet should be free, come on! For me grabbing a coffee is as easy as it gets. McDonalds has improved their coffee immensely over the last couple of years. Also in the last few years there have been a number of Tim Hortons (Canadian) opening up in the region. They brew a bold drink indeed as their regular coffee. Gloria Jeans at the Maine mall where there use to be a a Au Bon Pain, gone but not forgotten. There are many other places - Breaking New Grounds, Portland Coffee Roasters, Coffee by Design, Zarras... barely breaking the surface here. Maybe not a Seattle, not bad for a "small" city.

I drink my coffee black, a dark roast if available. No flavored brews, just pure bean heaven. All year round, even when it's hot outside I'll buy a cup and sit in the shade enjoying every drop with the sweat beading on my brow. A long drive sipping a on a tall one. Need to wait for someone at the bus station, joe keeps me company. Got to get up early for work, the coffee maker has a timer, the "beep, beep, beep" greets me as I stumble down the stairs. The coffee life should be good until... I draw a cup at work. It's the worst cup I could possibly find. The company pays for it, a lot of people drink it but to me it has little taste, no body and I don't feel well after I drink it. So I wander out of the office each morning and afternoon and grab a dark roast from one of a couple of the closest places. The nearby Mr Bagel on Congress Street has a Green Mountain fair trade organic french roast that I like a lot. All's good when I have one of those on my desk.