If you're a coffee drinker you know the wonderful 'ahhhhh' a great cup of coffee can produce. It happens when fresh brewed coffee sweeps the room like a gentle wind and beckons like a magnet. Somehow that heady aroma triggers a kind of chemical reaction in the little grey cells.

The pleasures of many savoured cups are instantaneous, and there is even a connection to the cup itself. We pour coffee into disposable cups, favourite mugs, or the insulated kind that goes everywhere with some loyal coffee a'holics. When did we start getting that thing filled up and take it for a walk? We don't raise an eyebrow to that any more, but years ago we'd think you were nuts to do it. Geez! Get a dog, for heavens sake!!!!

Uh... I think I've got the caffeine buzz and the java jitters myself. Think I'll add something to snack on with the coffee like a muffin or maybe a Nanaimo bar. We've all done that, and after 2 cups of coffee and the pastry we're on a caffeine and sugar high that will keep us truckin' til the next coffee break. Despite the stimulus, you never hear an argument over coffee. We just love the brew and we'll deal with the jitters later.

Coffee is social; seems to go hand in hand. People head for a coffee café, often to same ones where they know they're likely to meet a fellow imbeder. Take Raspberries. The tables collect the usuals for daily coffee. They share the news of the day, chat with Roger, hatch some plans, and maybe solve a few world problems. Others just drop in to get their 'cuppa joe' and read the paper.

There's something unique about a coffee café that doesn't really happen in any other watering hole. Once you're in the door the outside world is forgotten. It might take a minute or two for the brain and blood to slow down, but then you slide into the warm, friendly atmosphere and coffee camaraderie. Enjoy that first slow sip of really great brew and let yourself sink into the atmosphere of coffee heaven. All this because someone discovered beans!

Coffee beans are a lot more than just beans - they're a highly developed commodity and even trade on the exchanges. A connoisseur can tell you about its centuries old history. Originally, Arabians roasted and ground coffee grown in Ethiopia, and from there it spread to India, China, and eventually the entire world. The Turks savoured tiny cups of dark espresso in before the 15th century, and here we are, still ordering it in coffee shops today.

Some things change, and some things don't. Well, coffee has actually changed a lot. We've cultured it and processed it in countless ways world wide. The greatest percentages of coffee beans are Arabica beans, grown in high altitudes. The beans harvested there are picked, roasted, and processed to create any class of coffee from basic to highly sophisticated and pricey gourmet beans. In searching for descriptions I ran aground and so I've blatantly lifted this description of Kenya AA blend from a website. Here it is verbatim.

Kenya AA - This highly prized coffee comes from the fertile red volcanic soil surrounding Mt. Kenya and is well known for its sharp acidity. Kenya starts with a jolt of sharp acidity, which is brisk and snappy. It finishes with a medium body, intense flavour and a dry, winy aftertaste. This is an intense, very full-bodied roast with a wonderful earthy aftertaste.

Can you imagine having all that in the cup? Kindá makes it an art form. And, as I said before 'ahhhhhh'