Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Deja Brew



Black as the devil, Hot as hell, Pure as an angel, Sweet as love.  

Surrendering to coffee is one of my life's pleasures, and sharing a cup of coffee with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent.  Sometimes a cup of coffee is more than just a cup of coffee.  Its familiar taste and aroma can take one back to childhood, to a place of comfort where a mother, an aunt or a grandparent served up kindness along with a rich, steaming mug of barako.

I always believe that as a baby, I was bottle-fed not with milk but with coffee.  Coffee molecules stir up my blood, stimulate my mind, and warm my heart.

Mornings would be unbearable without a cup of joe.  It is the lifeblood of nerds and book-lovers, my own antidote  for a hangover.  What's overtime without endless cups of coffee being refilled hour after hour after hour?  Office and showbiz gossips are humdrum without the brew being shared at the pantry.  This beverage keeps the workforce complacent on their journey to work despite the traffic and bad roads.

I remember the air of quiet anticipation in my grandmother's kitchen when I was a kid.  Native coffee or barako smelled like freshly ground heaven and was brewing 24/7...aunts and uncles and their friends were having coffee at all times.  Passionate debates took place at my grandmother's dining table over mugs of hot, black coffee.  Plans were concocted, ideas expounded, tempers cooled and fears were calmed.  I loved the fever of it all---voices rose and dissolved into sounds of hot steaming liquid being drank, all punctuated by hums of conversations.

Lola served us kids with a lighter brew and  always with a warning that strong coffee would stunt our growth.  My brothers and younger cousins would add steamed rice into their coffee while my sister and I would dip pandesal into our mugs.  The warmth and essence of my Lola's espresso was one of my childhood's flavorful indulgences.

my favorite coffee shop at Bonifacio High Street


24 comments:

Gill - That British Woman said...

that looks so good, unfortunately coffee gives a migraines if I drink too much.

Gill in Canada

Photo Cache said...

this is another worth reading blog. is this yours?

Unknown said...

hi, Maria. thanks for the visit. yup, this is another site i made a few months ago.

☆Mama Ko☆ said...

My husband miss Bo'stoo. It's the place we always hanged out everyday when he visited cebu city. Ohh I miss Mr. Bo's hehe

http://www.tsangreqz.com/2010/07/nostalgia-11-missing-alaska.html

Clarissa said...

Cozy place--no wonder it's a favorite of yours.Kahit ako,magagawi palagi dyan pag ganyan kaganda ang place tapos with good coffee pa.Parang naamoy ko hanggang dito sa Japan ang aroma ng coffee mo while reading.
It's a first to taste a barako coffee as pasalubong galing Lipa.Gosh ang sarap pala nun.

re:I guess it's a Rosquillos ba yun?I can't recall the name pero masarap ang pasalubong na yun di bah?

Thanks for dropping by!Have a nice day,LM!

EJ said...

Wow that is a very interesting way of drinking coffee hehehe. I am getting addicted to coffee now.

Inday said...

Your post is as stimulating as your irresistible mug of thick creamy coffee.

Back home, coffee is a form of social link connecting thoughts of people sitting in a round, square, rectangular or oval table. Some people prefer standing, squatting on the ground, walking, talking while holding that steamy cup of coffee black or white.

This nostalgia of yours brings back good and funny memories about coffee in my childhood.

The coffee that I grew up with was an ordinary coffee and later on that was extended to the aromatic, salivating coffee - homemade and fresh from the coffee tree - coffea arabica grown in someone else backyard to which we were allowed by the owner to harvest and make use of.

Recently, I learned that coffee helps or stimulates memory. No wonder why my Medical Student roommate in the university drank it like water in pure black brew! I could not remember her sleeping at all and I suffered in silence because the light was left on till morning. Fancy how I survive!

Great nostalgic trip here dear. Very intelligent prose.

This is going to be featured in my Blog Comments blog.

Chubskulit Rose said...

Wow coffee lover ka pala sis hehehe. I remember the coffee that Mama used to prepare , it is the toasted rice. Have you ever tried that? I have never been fond of coffee but now that hubby likes coffee, I am starting to like it lol.

Cecile said...

very nice place...very interesting post as well; thanks for sharing dear :-)

Verna Luga said...

alam mu ga, tung buhi pa lolo ko ang kape nga gina-inum namun tung kape nga giniling sang manual sa kusina sang lola ko... tapos kahamot ... and the strainer .... medyas...hahahaha! di ko marawi kung used naba yun o nagamit na ... hahaha..

Lina Gustina said...

The creamy coffee looks so good...
Love your story, Luna :)
What a cozy place to hang out...

Thanks for dropping by

Gee said...

a day without coffee, is lifeless. I prepare coffee for me and my hubby, I like coffee in the morning.



http://www.nicoleariel.com/2010/07/nostalgic-marvelling-nikki-and-alexa.html

JMom said...

I love my good, strong cup of coffee everyday! I can't live without it.

My lola used to serve us with rice and coffee too when we were little and I still cherish those early mornings in the kitchen with her.

Mel_Cole said...

I like BO's too :) First and the last kong naka-punta don is despidida with friends :)

☺lani☺ said...

Bo's Coffee, I tried it in Terminal 3 while waiting for my delayed flight back to Taipei. Freshly brewed coffee, love it!

Unknown said...

Vernz, napahalakhak ako sa medyas ha! i hope di pa gamit. (LOL) ang strainer naman ni lola ay muslin at sya din ang nagro-roast ng coffee beans at may manual gilingan. as i think about it now, labor of love talaga pala ang kape ni lola, kaya masarap.:p

Unknown said...

Rose, i am not sure if lola made coffee but toasted rice. meron very light brew na pinapainom sya aming mga bata--tawag nya sara-sara. i'm not sure kung toasted rice yon or malabnaw lang na kape.:p

Unknown said...

Clarissa--may tama ka--Rosquillos nga, from Titay's in Liloan. kailangan may pasalubong akong Rosquillos sa office kapag galing ng Cebu.:p

FilMasons NSW said...

Great writing about a great brew... I know now how passionate you are with your coffee!

http://closenotpersonal.blogspot.com/

Karen Chayne said...

wow! it makes me wanna timpla some cup of coffee right now.. hehehehe!

by the way sis, please check out My daughter’s funny videos too. thanks!

Rossel said...

i grew up in Batangas, the home of famous "kapeng barako" so i used to drinking freshly brewed coffee every day. grabe nami-miss ko na ang kapeng barako, iyong freshly toasted and brewed.

bukod sa kapeng barako e meron ding mga cacao trees around our house in the province kaya my grandmother used to make hot choco. isinasabaw namin sa kanin ka-partner ng tuyo o daing. waaah! nagke-crave ako ngayon.

Rossel said...

dito nga pala ang post entry ko for this week's nostalgia...
http://momsupsndowns.blogspot.com/2010/07/gift-to-my-bestfriend-20-years-ago.html

Tes said...

The place looks good and full of warmth. Very inviting. This place reaminds me of Adriatico some time back. I cam almost smell coffee... :)

Yami said...

Nice place. I've never been there. sarap nga siguro ng coffee diyan. :)