coffee snob? whatever..

according to my husband, i'm a coffee snob. i asked him what he meant by "snob," and he just peered over his glasses at me with the "you know what i mean" look.

i tried to forget about his comment, until this morning when i threw out that blasted pot of coffee. watching the steaming blend of beans and water swirl down the drain caused my conscience to taunt me, "coffee snob.. coffee snob.. coffee snob." how do you plug the ears of your conscience?

in my defense, what was supposed to be coffee (black) turned out to be more like tea (not so black). the second pot wasn't so great either (yes, i know how to make coffee but someone brought home the wrong filters) but i decided it was just plain WRONG to waste yet another pot. however, let's get back to the point: so i like my coffee black as night, so i prefer my no-whip peppermint mocha from one coffee house and my non-fat sugar free almond latte from another, so i don't like the taste of my latte or mocha or cappuccino when i make it at home (i hate our machine - long story), does that really make me a "coffee snob?"

and i'd like a straw please.

mary mary, quite contrary...

...how does your garden grow?

Have you ever wondered if your used coffee grounds could be put to better use than filling the ol' garbage can?

Several years ago, I recalled something my biology teacher from highschool shared with the class. He talked about how every morning he would have his cup of coffee outside on his deck. Following his daily habit, he would throw the last little bit of "joe-gone-cold" off the edge, which always landed on about the same spot amongst his tomato plants. Sure enough, when the tomatoes had ripened, those that were inadvertantly victims of the cold coffee turned out to be the largest, reddest, most juicy and flavorful tomatoes of his garden.

For plants that love acidic soil, splashing the soil with your left over cold coffee, or folding in those used coffee grounds, is a fantastic fertilizer! Why waste it on the landfills?

Hint: If you need more than what you create yourself each day, many coffee houses are more than happy to supply you with their leftovers!