It’s not the fanciest resort you’ll find on the lake, but it has free mini golf so the kids love it.

This morning I enjoyed a delicious ham egg and cheese scramble along with quite possibly the best cup of coffee I’ve ever tasted. No I didn’t go to the hotel restaurant or a local coffee shop. I cooked the eggs in the microwaved. [A process we've perfected after living in hotels so much before Joel deployed.] And of course… I brought the coffee with me. [Sorry, I can't remember what kind of coffee I roasted last... it tastes like a Sumatran maybe... not sure. Very rustic, low acidity.]

Has it really been over a year since my last “Morning Cup” post? How has this happened?

Rachel gave me this “Hope” coffee mug last August. This morning it held freshly roasted Indonesian Flores - Bajawa Highlands “mildly floral and nutty with aromatic wood hints.”

The photo shows my hope mug in candle light. I’ve taken to lighting a candle when I pray in the morning… not so much for religious, liturgical, or mystical reasons… but because my new closet smells like a litter box… and now you know.

Either that coffee is really weak or I actually do drink water. I awoke at five a.m. still feeling yesterday’s caffeine swirling through my veins.

Back to studying Cross-Cultural Ministry.

Tonight, I sleep.

Panama Lot 12686 - “At City+ a lively, bright cup with snappy acidity. At FC+ a darker tonal range, plumy.”

With an exotic name like that it’s got to be good… Tom didn’t spend much time writing the label explanation on this one either. The review isn’t even on Sweet Maria’s site anymore. I had to use Google Cache to find it. I wonder if that says anything about the quality of this cup?

Guess I’ll find out when I drink it…

[next morning]

Yeh, it’s not so great. I’m kind of relieved. I would have hated for it to be the best coffee I’d ever had, knowing I couldn’t buy it ever again… - Wow that’s very philosophical. Let me think about that… Would I really forgo something great simply because I knew I’d never get it again? Would you? For some reason that reminds me of a Garth Brooks song.
—
“I could have missed the pain
But I’d of had to miss the dance ”
—
One thing that is definitely worth missing: My new coffee grinder. I really, really don’t like my coffee grinder. It’s so very inconsistent… well that’s not true. It consistently crushes my lovingly home roasted coffee into sad chunks and pointless powder. Plus it’s really loud… and I wake up really early. I’d love to have a nice hand crank coffee mill. One that is adjustable and good for everything from a French press to Turkish coffee.

While looking for a high quality, low price coffee mill [yeh like that's going to happen] I ran into a Web site that makes me wish I knew something… anything about tea.

Check out Adagio Teas.

Speaking of tea reminds me of my Mom and Patti. I think of mom because I think she’d like the stuff Adagio sells. I think of Patti because she gave me a cute little teapot for my birthday… which reminds me of a conversation Rachel and I had last night. She made a very true statement during our IM conversation. She said that having good online friends is bittersweet.

It really is. While they’re such a blessing, it really does hurt a bit to not be able to just go hang out with a good friend every once in a while. Here I am sharing life every day with friends that live across the country and we can’t share a cup of coffee… or tea.

Life really would be better if I could go to breakfast at Hardee’s with Patti more often. And really, these late night conversations with Holly would be much better with pizza.

Sumatra Classic Mandheling - Low-toned, caramel-chocolate roast taste, fruity-earthy hints, bittersweet finish, heavy body

Today is yet another intense homework day. So I made a French pot full of this freshly roasted Sumatran. It’s good at first but sours as it cools. Maybe it needs to rest another day… or maybe I didn’t roast it dark enough… or maybe I just don’t really like it. It is still better than anything you’d find at Starbucks…

I think perhaps I better have another cup and make sure I didn’t judge it too quickly.

Brasil FTO Poco Fundo - Full City to FC+: A funky, fruited flavor profile, with winey berry notes, nut, chocolate, and great body.

I haven’t written a morning cup post for a while. I’ve been wholeheartedly attacking a semester’s worth of homework. This leaves me with little time or energy for blogging.

This is great coffee, caution is suggested though. Taken in large doses after several days of no sleep mixed with an entire book about cross-cultural ministry… it can lead to a pretty devastating coffee crash. I do believe my blood caffeine level was well above the legal limit… even in the state of Washington.

Don’t worry though… I noticed the error of my ways and didn’t consume a drop of caffeine yesterday. I know you don’t believe that. But it’s true.

At the Chaplain Candidate Fellowship picnic I drank only water, root beer and sprite… all caffeine free.

We spent 5 hours at the park with good food and friends. This picnic was so much more enjoyable than the last one I went to. Last time I didn’t know anyone… Now nine month later, those strangers have become great friends. A few have graduated and will move on. But the great thing about this group is that graduation doesn’t really mean goodbye. We’re all going into the Chaplaincy. Somehow it just seems like a matter of time before we’ll bump into each other again. Either at a Chaplaincy conference or on a military base somewhere in the world.

Yemen Mokha Sana’ani - “At Full City: Complex, chocolatey, exotic profile with clove, tobacco, dried fruit (apricot)”

Finishing up the last of my “funky foresty” coffee, I started roasting the Yemen coffee this morning. I had hoped it would be just right for an afternoon study break… but Tom says it needs to rest for two days to develop the full body. I need to be patient.

It smells great while roasting…. ahhhh I love the smell of roasting coffee. It’s even better than the scent of Barnes & Noble. I wish I could drink a cup of it right now.

I stayed up late reading about grief and trauma. It has taken me too long to read these books. I’ve had a difficult time focusing and staying motivated. Last night I read a few Psalms and prayed, asking God to remind me of why I’m doing this. I asked for a renewed enthusiasm about school and the ministry I’m preparing for.

I miss my husband. I sometimes feel I shouldn’t miss him so much. After all, this is what I’ve signed up for. I’ll be deployed someday. I should be stronger than this… I realize these thoughts are ridiculous.

I’m not now where I need to be as a Chaplain. But that’s OK. That’s what this time of preparation is for. For learning, for growing, for preparing. Joel’s deployment is just as much a part of my education as the classes I’m taking and the papers I write.

I’m sometimes frustrated that I have to wait so long before serving as a Chaplain. I wish I could be there now. But like a good cup of Yemen Mokha Sana’ani… I need to wait. I need time to develop. I need to be patient.

Tanzania Mount Meru Nkoanekoli - Rustic butterscotch and light molasses sweetness, effervescent acidity, unique.

You thought I titled this Morning Cup XV because this is the 15th post in my series… maybe. But maybe that’s how many cups of coffee I drank this morning. Judging from the speed of my fingers as I type this post… I think that’s about right.

Debbie joined me for a few cups of coffee this morning. We enjoyed the Tanzania coffee brewed in a Bodum French Press. That means I made a lot of coffee instead of brewing one cup at a time… And since it was there on the table… and so very tasty… I drank at least three cups.

Of course we also had to drink some of that funky foresty coffee I wrote about a few weeks ago…

So yeh. I’m pretty caffeinated right now. Too caffeinated to tell you how much I enjoyed Debbie’s company… instead I think I need to go do 50 sit-ups or write a few papers or fold the towels… maybe all of that at the same time.

I’m using the coffee mug that Tamara gave me after her trip to Seattle. I’ve always wanted to go to Seattle. I actually had a map of the city on my wall back in college. It was a very cool cartoon map. I bet it’s in a shoe box somewhere in this apartment… right next to the National Geographic poster of the earth at night. Poor, sad, dark North Korea…

Today’s photo shows my Seattle coffee mug in front of the Willow Tree Angel of Courage that Tamara gave me yesterday.

This is my first Willow Tree figurine. I don’t collect them because:
1. I don’t spend money.
2. I don’t collect stuff.
3. I don’t dust stuff.

But this one is really cool. If I were to pick one of the angels I would have picked this one. I like her little determined fists lifted to the sky as she yells COURAGE! OK… she doesn’t yell anything. She has no mouth. I guess Willow Tree figures are like that. If I were 26 years younger I’d be very tempted to draw a face on her. Anyway her arms are raised to the sky in a courageous gesture… or are her raised hands a sign of surrender? Perhaps she just needs the courage to surrender. I don’t know. The box didn’t say. Sarah thinks she’s saying, “Look at me I’m going to jump in this cup of coffee!!” Which of course would take courage… because this coffee tastes nasty.

This is Susan Milton, our long time ‘camp’ friend. We used to counsel at Tri-State Full Gospel Youth Camp together and go on the occasional canoe trip. We’ve spent most of our time together staying up too late and laughing too hard.

When I found out that Joel and I would be spending the night in Kansas City, I asked Susan if she wanted to meet us for breakfast. I know it looks like I only wanted to save a stamp by hand delivering her orange peeler… but really I just have a blast being with her.

Tamara chose this one for me to roast next. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to try it together. My good friend moved today. To Georgia. Georgia being much further away than the other side of our apartment. While Sarah and Jeremiah inspect her empty room, I can’t help but notice the empty place in our lives that she has filled for so many years.

I hate saying good bye to everyday friends. You do know what an everyday friend is don’t you? They’re the people that are part of your every day life. They’re also the people that you’ll miss… every day.

Isn’t that a great coffee mug? Patti sent it to me. Why did I pick a “JOY” coffee cup on such a sad day?

Well, here are a few scriptures to go with it:
Nehemiah 8:10
Habakkuk 3:17-19

Nehemiah says: Don’t grieve, the joy of the Lord is your strength!
Habakkuk says: No matter how bad it gets, I will rejoice. I WILL take joy in the God of my salvation.

It is in a great mug though. Patti sent it to me last year. The mug quotes,

“His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” - Lamentations 3:22,23

I thought I’d go for an inspirational mug this morning since I went to bed feeling a little down. Joel and I were working on our finances. We had to cut $412 from our monthly budget. Ouch! We also had to spend $350 on another attempt to fix our car. Which… seemed bad yesterday, but actually… this morning it just makes me thankful that we save money each month for car repairs. Go Joel, you rock!

Morning Read:
This morning I’m reading Get Out of That Pit: Straight Talk about God’s Deliverance by Beth Moore. Holly sent it to me for my birthday. I’ve really enjoyed the first two chapters.

[I forgot to tell you that I got to meet Holly last week. That's an upcoming post.]

Thanks to a gift certificate from Mom and Dad, I just received a box filled with eight different varieties of green coffee beans.

My first selection: Sulawesi Grade One Toraja
When roasted at Full City or darker, Sweet Maria’s describes this coffee as “deep-toned character, low-acidity, syrupy body, funky foresty note.”

I roasted this one first because I prefer the low-acidity and had no idea what ‘funky foresty note’ meant. It gives off very little chaff which to you non-roasters out there means: it’s not as messy when roasting.

This is a great cup of coffee, hot or lukewarm… which is how I usually end up drinking my coffee since I’m easily distracted. It needs no cream or sugar. I used to think that I take my coffee with a little half&half but actually, I take bad coffee with half&half. Good coffee is just fine black.

[Note to self after third cup: Order more of these beans!]

In addition to writing about my ‘morning cup’ I thought I’d throw in a bonus and share my morning read too. But I couldn’t link to the articles at ArmyTimes because a subscription is required.

So I’ll just tell you, instead of tossing up some generic, “God fix that whole Iraq thing” prayer. How about specifically praying for these people:

• Lt. Col. Rahim Katham al-Badry , the commander of the Iraqi army’s 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Infantry Division.
• Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey
• Families of the soldiers who died in April.

—
P.S.
If you have an Army Times subscription, read this article about Rahim. Chaplains might be interested in this article about saving military marriages.

This is my morning.

Somebody went a little overboard with the Aerolatte Frother this morning… that’s 1% milk on top.

The glass is a Bodum Pavina Double-Wall Thermo Glass.

Sorry, the sunrise is not available at Amazon.com.

I thought I’d give my readers first dibs.

First on the auction block:

A very slightly used White Senseo.

My beloved Alicia DeLonghi Electric Moka pot.

Let the bidding begin! [In the comment section.]
If you’re just looking for a really cheap coffee maker… more power to you!
If you’re looking to buy some GentleWhisper.com memorabilia… Um… Ok then, that’s a little surprising, but I’ll autograph it for ya!

I’m loving the new Aeropress. It’s so easy to clean. Plus, if the water is just the right temperature, and the coffee is ground fine enough… it becomes quite the workout to press the thing down. So see, coffee is good for you! It builds upper body strength.

I owe you a full review of the Aeropress. It has replaced my Ready Set Joe. That little purple piece of plastic just got banished to the back of some drawer. Joe served me well for 9 months, it’s time to retire.

Nine months? That’s how long it has been since I roasted some coffee and wrote a post in this series. That is sad, sad. No wonder I’ve been feeling a little down lately. I thought it was because my husband’s deployed, and I’m behind on my homework and the apartment is a mess… turns out I’ve just been drinking really bad coffee for nine months.

Today I pushed aside my unnatural disdain for spending money. I bought an AeroPress Coffee Maker off of Ebay. I’ve wanted one since they first came out. It’s March… I still have much of the money my Mother-In-Law gave me for Christmas… I think it’s OK to spend some of it. [Thanks!]

Not only did I splurge and buy yet another coffee gadget… but I also spent about 2.50 on some roasted barley tea at East East Oriental Market. You may remember my earlier experiments with Barley Tea. This time it went much better because a very nice lady at the market told me how to prepare it … which wasn’t anything like my earlier attempts. Here’s how you do it. [Of course you could just buy tea bags... but really... why would you?]

The barley tea is pretty tasty, and unlike last summer, it now holds some sentimental value. Patti and I enjoyed some free barley tea at Hero Korean Steak House and Sushi while at Fort Jackson.

—
Update: I just gave Sarah a cup of barley tea. She likes it. Now she has changed our saying, “Nobody can eat a rock.” To: “Nobody can drink wood!”

Huh?

A seven dollar box of Stomping Grounds Espresso Latte.

“100% Natural Espresso Concentrate. Just Add Milk.”

Fill your cup 1/3 full with the concentrate and top it off with your favorite milk like product… I chose… um… milk.

Microwave for a bit. Yes I know, you should NEVER microwave coffee… but then again… it came from a box, I think the coffee snob rules have already been broken.

Hey, this isn’t bad. Kind of sweet. At seven bucks, I probably wouldn’t buy a box. But if you have a habit of spending 3.50 a cup for some sweet latte substance… well this will save you a fortune.

People, this is my kind of ministry.

Update:
Another Chaplain Coffee House:
Chaplain brings gourmet coffee to Camp Schwab, Okinawa

I love the new coffee maker. [Though I wish it wasn't so cute and purple.] It is simple to use and clean. Plus it takes up very little room. All of my other coffee gadgets are going to the top shelf or the eBay box.

P.S. I bought the green coffee beans and the coffee maker from Ed at:

Kuhlman’s Koffee Roastery

I stopped at a local health food store looking for some Genmai. No luck. But I did find a box of Dark Roast Yerba Mate. This tea includes “A Rich Blend of Green and Roasted Yerba Mate, Roasted Barley, Carob, and Chicory Root.” It was too pricey for me, so I bought a few ounces of yerba mate, chicory and barley out of the bulk bins.

Of course this got me to wondering about roasting barley. My Zach and Dani’s coffee roaster didn’t work out so well. The barley was too small for it. A cookie sheet and the oven worked better.

After roasting the barley I mixed it with the yerba mate and chicory then brewed the concoction in a regular drip coffee maker. Good stuff hot or cold.

I tried brewing straight barley in my mokka coffee maker… this batch of barley wasn’t dark enough and the seal wasn’t tight on the coffee maker… the steam seeped out the sides. I only got a table spoon of barley tea and a moist barley hockey puck… which was tasty.

Hmm… google google google… more research about roasted grains and hot beverages. What’s this? Postum? An “instant hot beverage” made out of Wheat and Molasses.

Maybe Sarah would like it. She loves coffee and I have a hard time keeping her from stealing mine. An 100% caffeine free alternative would be great for her.

I bought a jar at Wal-Mart and offered Sarah a sip this morning. She didn’t see me make it, she thought it was regular coffee. But when she tasted the Postum she said, “It tastes like yucky bread.”

Fine. My three year old daughter has joined ranks with “Mister Coffee Nerves.” [Which I won't link to since the commentary might offend some of you... google if you must.]

Excuse me while I go brew up a nice french press of roasted barley. Keep in mind that I have no idea what I’m doing…

Update: The Roasted Barley tea was good. But I didn’t like it any better than your average tea bag. I think I’ll stick to roasting coffee. Besides, all this talk of 100% Caffeine Free is making me drowsy.

(Genmai Cha) Brown Rice Green Tea

Other Latte Art related posts:
Coffee is Beautiful
More Latte Art

“Kuhlman’s Koffee originated from New Orleans, Louisiana, however, Hurricane Katrina has caused us to relocate to a wonderful new town, Nixa, Missouri just north of Branson and south of Springfield.” - kuhlmanskoffee.com

I emailed Ed to see if I could buy some green coffee beans from him. He told me about the Green Coffee Co-op.

What is greencoffee.coop?

“We are a group of homeroasters gone wild who have banded together to obtain coffee in bulk which we share for our own personal roasting use….a co-operative buying club.”

How cool is that? Well I guess I’ll let you know after I try them out.