Morning ritual

The mornings have been cold here, 45 degrees. Before I get out of my wam bed, I imagine the hot cup of coffee in my hands, and am motivated to lunge into the cold clothes laying beside the bed. I make coffee with a manual drip coffee-maker, a Melita. The funnel has a removable fine mesh strainer inside, and I scoop three heaping spoons of locally grown and roasted coffee while the kettle of water heats. I add one square of Mayordomo chocolate to the cup, and wait. When the water is hot, I pour it into the Melita, and listen to it drip through. Only then do I add a little milk to the cocktail. That first sip warms me all the way to my toes, and my hands keep their hugging position around the cup.

I love to get to the bottom of the cup, to the last sip, and find a little chunk of soft, unmelted chocolate waiting. My reward for getting out of bed.