6 Reasons I Brew My Own Coffee…

This is a guest post by Bob Bessette, the blogger behind Totally Unique Life. The blog is geared toward practical solutions, tips, and advice for your life.

I used to be like most of you and stopped at my local Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks on the way to work to pick up my morning cup of joe. I even got to know the wait staff on a first-name basis. Even at work, I would be the first to grab my cup of crappy coffee. Yes, it was horrible, but it was free. So I waited in the coffee line and filled my paper cup with the horrid brew.

Then I met Mike Crimmins, the illustrious owner of this blog. Mike so graciously agreed to do a guest post on my blog a while back, at my request. I didn’t know him from Adam but I wandered onto his Daily Shot of Coffee blog and thought that it would be great to have a coffee post on my blog. After reading his post, I became intrigued at the prospect brewing my own coffee at work, in lieu of stopping to buy it, or drinking the free concoction at work. So why did I switch my everyday habit?

1.The enjoyment of my personal coffeemaker.
Mike gave me a couple of recommendations for a personal coffeemaker. Believe it or not, I wanted to cut back on my caffeine intake because I was drinking the free coffee at work throughout the day. I found that I was having trouble sleeping at night and had to make up for it with more coffee the next day. It was a vicious cycle. So I vowed to have one large cup of great coffee each morning. This is where the personal coffeemaker came in. It fits right in the corner of my desk and brews coffee right into a large stainless steel mug. It also has a permanent filter so I don’t have to regularly buy filters, which adds to its convenience.

2.The Variety
Just as there are a myriad of different types of wine, the same can be said of coffee. In fact, I like to compare coffee to wine because there are so many different types out there, but so little time. If you navigate Mike’s blog you’ll find a number of exclusive coffees that you can purchase. I’ve done it and I have not regretted it.

3.The Consistency
I can’t remember how often I have gone to one of these coffee shops and there is no consistency from one day to the next. The personnel are constantly changing in these stores and so is the product. One day, the coffee is fine, the next day it could taste bitter. If you make it yourself, you have complete control over the quality control and you will have a consistently great brew each morning.

4.The Freshness
Mike recommends grinding the beans each morning. He says that ground coffee goes stale in fifteen minutes. So, I took his advice and purchased a coffee grinder. This also means that I buy the coffee beans, rather than having it ground ahead of time. The difference is noticeable and I can now say I have truly fresh coffee each morning!

5.I save money.
I haven’t actually worked the numbers yet but I’m definitely saving money by buying my own beans, grinding them, and brewing my own coffee each morning. Not only am I saving money on coffee, but I am steering clear of the donuts, muffins, and other assorted goodies that are available at the local coffee shop. If I want to, I can bring in my own pastry or muffin to have with my coffee, at a fraction of the price.

6.It’s fun!
I actually look forward to going into work each morning and brewing my own personal java. I feel like I’m doing something special for myself and look forward to trying out the new brands of coffee. To be honest, it secretly bothered me that I was stopping at the coffee shop each day, shelling out good money for an inferior product. I did it out of convenience, but I’m finding that brewing my own coffee is more convenient and better for me.

If you enjoy drinking good coffee, I suggest that you follow my lead and buy a personal coffeemaker and some great coffees. Subscribe to Mike’s blog and explore the world of great coffees. I guarantee you that this experience will add a little spice and variety to your life. And we can all use that, can’t we?

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Bob Bessette is the blogger behind Totally Unique Life.  He is currently a software professional at a corporate giant, has been involved in the Information Technology world for the past 20 years and before that was a research scientist for 10 years with the U.S. Department of Defense.

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