Contemplating Life’s Choices

I used to be the person who drank whatever random coffee was around with a ton of creamer and any flavorings I could throw in there. I’m pretty sure the coffee was just a vehicle for whatever creamer I could find with a dose of caffeine.

A few years ago I found out my body is not able to digest dairy at all and that was likely the cause of terrible stomach pain I was experiencing. I’m not talking a little lactose intolerant. I’m talking about feeling like your stomach is ripping out of your body, wake you up and keep you up at night, and making you feel like maybe it’s something far worse than a lactose issue level of pain. I thought I might have massive ulcers or something worse going on with my stomach before we figured this out.

I switched to non-dairy creamers and some were ok but nothing truly special. At some point my husband decided he wanted to drop the creamer as it was extra calories and sugar and not worth it to him any more. He started drinking black coffee and I found when I would attend events for work often there wasn’t a non-dairy creamer option most of the time so I’d end up having coffee with just a little sugar. Realizing I didn’t want to keep doing that I decided I was going to drop the creamer and sugar too so I wouldn’t have to worry about it.

We started expanding the coffee we tried with whatever looked good or was on sale at the grocery store. That was fine and sometimes having something pre-ground when you’re in a hurry works in a pinch but we decided we wanted to really experience different types of coffee and help support local coffee shops and roasters who were ethically sourcing their beans and working to create something special. We took a trip through eastern UT and CO and ended up picking up probably a dozen bags of whole bean coffee from a number of cute local shops. We found we loved the different flavor profiles and how complex or nuanced some of the coffee could really be. Since then we try and pick up whole beans from our local favorite places whenever we can.

The beans in the picture below are from our absolute favorite coffee shop in Riverton, UT. It’s literally called The Coffee Shop (@thecoffeeshoput on Instagram or www.thecoffeeshoput.com). If you are in the area, I 100% recommend you go there! The coffee is amazing and the people are always delightful. My favorite drink there is a Cherry Cordial with dark chocolate (you can choose white chocolate too) and oat milk (you can get another plant based milk or regular milk too). It’s off menu but they make it year round. I tried it one holiday season and it’s my go to drink always. And yes, I do drink coffee with stuff in it when I hit up a coffee shop but at home it’s always plain black coffee unless I make us something special which isn’t a daily thing.

Ok, so this DCR coffee was a limited edition thing and my husband loves whiskey so when I saw this on The Coffee Shop’s Instagram we stopped by to pick some up before they sold out. This coffee is definitely not for the “more creamer than coffee” crowd. It’s bold and flavorful and the whiskey profile comes through strong. It’s deep and rich and a lovely treat whether brewed in a regular coffee maker or done as a pour over.

I don’t claim to be one of those fancy people who can tell you the profile of every coffee I drink but I do know that as we’ve mostly stepped away from filling our coffee with creamer I can always tell if I like or don’t like a coffee. I’m also better at picking up at least a few of the notes before reading the profile to see what the company describes their coffee as.

Going forward, I’ll plan to share what we’re trying and promote some of these amazing local places so you can check them out too. Some do offer online shopping so if you can splurge a little consider supporting local and small businesses when you can. I also totally don’t knock it if all you can afford or like is Folgers coffee. We did that for years too and I can literally drink hotel ballroom event coffee black too so I’m definitely not at the coffee snob level of only consuming special beans. I really just like coffee and want to share that with you.

Do you have a favorite local coffee shop? Do you have a preferred method for brewing your coffee? Please don’t hesitate to drop links for your favorite coffee shops and roasters. I’d love to support them and pick up my next bag of beans from somewhere that’s recommended. Be on the look out for more about what’s next on our coffee journey.