A Coffee a Day Keeps the Cranky at Bay

Confession: I am a coffee addict. Seriously. If I don't have a cup of coffee within fifteen minutes of waking up I develop a brutal headache and am very, very cranky. It's best to just let me have at least two cups before you talk to me. My flatmates have learned this, perhaps the hard way. 

When I first came to uni, I had never made coffee before. Some of you may be in that same, sad, boat. Here is how to go about it:

Invest in a decent cafetiere and flask (so you can take it to class/library). Or, if you drink a lot of coffee, invest in a proper filter coffeemaker. I bought ours at Argos for about £20 (see it here), and we have used it nearly every morning over the last two years. It's been great. Also, have decent coffee. We wholeheartedly support Tesco’s ground Original, in the red and white packet. And for £1.29 a bag, it’s a fantastic value. We've tried quite a few brands, and surprisingly nothing beats Tesco Original. Except perhaps for the Dunkin' Donuts Hazelnut blend I occasionally bring back from the States with me (or on really desperate days, have my mom ship to me), but none of the other flatmates like it...I don't know why not! I think I'll save my (rather extensive) opinion on other brands for another day, and for now just let you drink what you want. 

If you’re using a cafetiere, put the kettle on to boil. Meanwhile, fill the cafetiere with warm/hot water from the tap. This will keep your coffee warmer for longer. My theoretical physicist boyfriend could explain why (something about thermodynamics?). I have chosen to take this in faith. Ok, kettle has boiled. Leave it to sit for a minute, you don’t want to put boiling water onto your ground coffee, it could scald it and then taste burnt. Pour out the warm water in your cafitiere, and scoop your coffee in. 


For most coffees, use one heaping tablespoon for each mug-full you want to drink. However, for Starbucks coffee, you need to use two heaping tablespoons (so yummy, but tough on the student finances).  Now, I am bad at measurements-by-sight, so sometimes I pour the boiled water into a mug and then pour it into the jug to measure. If you are more confident than I am, just pour until you feel you hit the mark. Put the lid on but don’t press down. Let sit for 4 or 5 minutes. Press down and pour. Sigh with happiness.

In a machine, use the same basic principles. Start by filling the appropriate cavity with the amount of fresh, cold water you want. Machines usually have marks on the side to tell you how many cups-worth you have put in, this is handy. Then, place a paper filter in the cone. Don’t be cheap and use kitchen roll or tissue or anything else, it is worth it to buy the paper filters. Scoop in the right number of spoonfuls. Start machine. Wait 4 minutes or so, come back, have your coffee. Enjoy your day. 

We have developed a routine in our flat; I wake up the earliest, go downstairs and start the pot brewing. I do whatever I do, brush my teeth etc, come back and pour my first cuppa joe. I disappear to my room to read the morning news on BBC, NYTimes and facebook, you know, the essentials. I come back to the kitchen and the level in the pot has mysteriously gone down. This signifies that MC is awake. Good, so far, we’re on schedule. I make breakfast (porridge, obviously, read why here). Others appear, pour cups, sit down. This is all done in silence. Eventually, someone will speak. This means we've drunk enough coffee to constructively interact. The day has officially begun.

Breakfast of Champions: Coffee, OJ, Porridge