I’ve been late, a lot. Chronically late for work. My mornings have dragged on and I realize that I can streamline the process to get out the door quicker. It’s not the shower, the wardrobe, the creative ways of cobbling together a ‘nutritious’ breakfast. A big part of my morning is preparing coffee.

I mourn for my super automatic coffee maker. With a touch of a button the grinding mechanism would activate, the water pump would whir followed immediately by the sound confidence and courage pouring into my cup.

Busier mornings, preparing coffee was less courtly. The outside foam of an insulated disposable cup would blister in the microwave as milk heated; foaming milk on that machine was a chore, and I would collect the coffee in a pre-warmed turkish coffee pot which contained sweetener. As the coffee streamed in, I would give the pot a swirl to properly mix the bitter and sweet then pour the contents into the disposable cup. Zero to bliss in ~50 seconds.

My super automatic coffee maker conked out last spring. We’ve had no plans to replace it, but since I’ve been running late for the past few weeks I think I can justify its high cost. In fact, I’ve paused in the middle of writing this to check prices. Despite the failing dollar, they’ve come done in price. I know the snuff will object, but he’s a sucker for a good crema.