You Must Be Trippin'

Cafe My Way On the Highway

November 12 2008 by Chris McGinnis

Nearly everyone has a morning routine when it comes to coffee. And that routine is always thrown out of whack when you hit the road on a business trip.

When I wake up at home, I'm in the kitchen within five minutes performing a precise coffee-making ritual. And it always comes out just the way I like it. Dark roast, ground fine and dripped through a cone filter into a large mug. About a tablespoon of half and half to cut the heat and the acid. No sugar. Don't mess with my ritual!

But out on the road, it's tough. In-room coffee rarely hits the spot. To me, it's always too weak, and there's no half and half--only that fake-tasting powder. I'll drink it if I have to, or just to partially partake of my morning coffee-making ritual, but it's never as satisfying as home.

The next best thing to in-room coffee is that which is brewing in the hotel lobby. I'll throw on last night's pants and a shirt, pop on a baseball cap and wander over to the lobby, hoping no one really looks closely at my bleary morning eyes. With lobby coffee, there's usually some real milk or cream available to go with it. And the icing on the cake? When the hotel provides a continental breakfast, too.

What REALLY makes me happy is when I stay at a hotel with Starbucks or other "real" coffee shops within walking distance. That way, I can get a good, strong cup with real cream. But the downside of the coffee shop is that I have to break my morning routine...meaning I have to take my shower and get dressed before getting my fix, not the other way around.

But why leave this ritual to chance? When I'm out on an extended road trip and not sure where my next cup o' Joe might be coming from, I bring along the following essentials:

• My favorite mug. (Makes my hotel room feel just like home!)
• A plastic one-cup filter cone (sits on top of your coffee cup) which you can buy at coffee shops or grocery stores.
• #2 paper cone filters
• Ground coffee from home in a zip-top bag
• Pick up a small carton of cream or milk the night before. Or snag a few individual creamers (real cream only, please!) and sugar packets from a restaurant.

Then, just use the in-room coffee maker to heat your water, pour it through the grounds in your cone and into your mug, add cream or sugar and get your day started right!

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Categories : Road Warriors

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