Creature of Many Habits

Not just knitting, but also coffee drinking. To tell the truth, I wouldn't touch coffee until a few years ago. Then I'd share lattes and other milky sweet drinks if someone else had one, then I'd have my own, now I'm on to the straight stuff.
Well, not quite. I have to have a little sugar and cream, at least.

Monita is of the opinion that I am an addict. I refute that: a little caffeine is absolutely necessary for me to be coherent at work nights. Even if she is right, this piece in the latest Bon Appetit magazine says I'm doing my habit right.

Check out #18--Be your own Barista. I've been doing that since I became a regular coffee drinker, mostly because it's cheaper. I do have coffee out sometimes, and watching the disposable cups and sleeves pile up in the garbage the last time I was in a coffee shop (with my little washable, reusable mug) hit home how much waste takeout coffee generates.

As the article notes, Bodum's pots are really great. We have two of the Columbia model--one personal-sized and one Sunday-sized--and they are indispensible. No messy filters, and the Thermos-style construction keeps your coffee warm until you're ready to drink it. Probably because it's what I got started drinking, I like the way French press coffee tastes waaaay better than drip. It's milder, and in my opinion, less caffeinated. I'd tried drinking drip last spring semester, and it simply...Did. Not. Work. By the end of the day, I felt like my nervous system had been switched with that of a squirrel.

The other part of being a green coffee drinker, Bon Appetit tells me, is using organic fair-trade beans. I'm covered there, too-- Trader Joe's Bolivian is the new favorite en mi casa, and not only is it organic and fair trade, it's a pretty good price.

Seeing the array of organic and/or fair trade products now available at the stores just bowls me over because just a few years ago, you had to comb the specialty stores (and pay top dollar) to get them. Seeing so many green options (for yarns, too!) makes my inner tree hugger feel all warm and fuzzy. I am aware that organic isn't perfect, but for me, it's a sign: we are going in the right direction. Now that consumers are pushing for higher standards in green products, the changes will come. And living green is, without a doubt, the best habit to get into.