How Do You Take Your Coffee?

Rena and I have a theory: you can learn a lot about a person by the way that they take their coffee. Take myself for example. (After all, it's my blog)

The coffee: Freshly Ground
I only like ground coffee. I can't stand instant, to the point that if given the choice between instant and nothing, I'll take nothing. I can live without the caffeine for a day. We also brew our coffee in a bodum (I think the technical term is French Press), which makes the brewed coffee richer and creamier.

The Milk: Cooking Cream
Speaking of cream, I also like cream in my coffee. In the US, where they sell half and half, that wasn't hard. But here in Israel, they really don't understand coffee at all. Just to illustrate, the Turkish coffee that many Israelis drink is also known by the beloved moniker בוץ - "mud". In Israel, Starbucks failed. The closest thing to brewed coffee in most places is "kafeh hafuch", which is an espresso with a bunch of cream on top. If you're lucky, you can ask for "cafeh filter" - and they'll bring you a tiny, personal size bodem. But I digress. Here in Israel, you can't get cream for your coffee, so I find myself buying cooking cream and adding it to my coffee. It's not bad, but people have wondered why we use so much cooking cream. At least the lady at the makolet asked me about it once. I live in a small town.

The Sweetener: None
I used to add splenda to my coffee, but then suffered on Pesach. Splenda is kitniyot. (darn that Ashkenazic custom!) After Pesach, I figured that if I could live without the splenda for a week, why not keep going? My body certainly doesn't need the chemicals.

So: I like freshly ground, bodem brewed coffee with no sugar and a healthy amount of cream. What does that say about me? I think it says that I want authentic, rich experiences without added "sweetener", and that I'd rather do nothing that waste my time with an "instant" experience that's not satisfying or fulfilling.

What does your coffee say about you?