I have wonderful memories of coffee! One of my first memories was when I would go out to breakfast in Portugal with my family and we would have Galãos with pastries. My choice of pastry was the “Pastéis de nata” (egg tarts).The creaminess of the coffee with the sweet pastries is forever embedded in my memory!
As I grew I developed a coffee habit. I remember freshly brewed coffee with cream and sugar being perfect first thing. Later, I tried to be healthier with half and half and no sugar, but the coffee remained. I enjoyed the times I sat with my mom and sister in the living room first thing in the morning. We didn’t talk, but just sitting there staring into space and drinking coffee together was enough for us.
When I got married it was hard to sit all alone and drink my coffee, but I still liked the taste, so I developed new memories. I got convicted about how addicted I was to caffeine and so I started to wean myself off of it. I never seemed to get further than half-caf until I got so sick during my first trimester couldn’t drink ANY coffee. The perk was I didn’t experience any withdrawal symptoms from giving up caffeine.
During the second trimester, I went back to drinking decaf coffee. When baby was born I thought about taking up caffeine, but the thought of a tired baby unable to sleep because of caffeine changed my mind.
When I realized I had bad reactions to dairy it was imperative that I replace the creamer in my coffee. First I tried coconut milk. It tasted okay, but there were grease spots on the top of my coffee since I used full-fat coconut milk. Next, I tried soy creamer. It was okay in looks, but the taste left a little to be desired. Then, I tried coconut creamer, specifically, So Delicious brand. I loved it! It looked and tasted a lot like half and half and I was quite happy until I started experiencing an upset stomach and then I read this PDF via Oh She Glows.
Next, I tried some almond/cashew cream. It had a nutty taste that seemed peculiar. Then I got sick from something else I ate. Coffee just did not appeal to me and since developing many food intolerances raised my awareness of the importance of listening to my body I gave up coffee for a while. After that, I started drinking it with my breakfast instead of on an empty stomach. This time I reached for something that I already had in my refrigerator: almond milk! I use the original type and on my mom’s recommendation I put just a tiny bit of coconut brown sugar in my coffee. Cow’s milk is much sweeter than other kinds of milk replacements. A little bit of sugar mimics the taste of half and half better than anything else. Now I can enjoy my favorite taste memories with a cup of coffee!
