How My Love for Coffee Evolved Over Decades

You’re not alone if you’ve ever hesitated to drink your first coffee of the day until you’re fully awake. Some of us fear missing out on that perfect first sip—when the coffee is at its best—but we’re too groggy to appreciate it. That’s why this coffee lover waits two hours into the day to truly enjoy their first cup. It turns out this hesitation is just one chapter in a much longer love story with coffee that began in childhood—and took some surprising detours along the way.

The author’s relationship with coffee evolved dramatically over 20 years: from hating the taste at age 5, reluctantly making it for parents at 10, self-medicating with a Parisian café au lait at 17, embracing diner coffee in New York in 1995, falling for lattes in 1999, trying home espresso (and failing), and finally earning silent recognition from a regular NYC coffee shop barista after a decade.

Early Encounters: Coffee Ice Cream and Hiking Trips

At just five years old, the author’s first experience with coffee wasn’t a drink but a scoop of coffee ice cream. Their reaction? Pure dismay. “How could grown-ups ruin ice cream with coffee?” they wondered. Later, they were similarly upset to learn that a much-anticipated family summer vacation would involve hiking instead of other pursuits. Coffee, at this point, wasn’t even on their radar as a drink worth considering.

Learning to Make Coffee (and Hating the Taste)

By age 10, while still not a fan of the taste, the author had started to appreciate the ritual of making coffee for their parents. They’d make coffee every morning, despite early struggles with the brewing process. Their parents were grateful enough that they overlooked these early brewing mishaps. Coffee was becoming a daily part of life, even if the taste wasn’t yet appealing.

The Turning Point: Paris and Café Au Lait

At 17, the author still suffered from what they call “coffee schizophrenia”—loving the idea of coffee but not the flavor. Determined to resolve this inner conflict, they underwent a form of self-imposed coffee exposure therapy. Their parents took them to Paris, and on an early morning arrival by train, the author ordered a large café au lait and drank the entire bowl. That moment marked a shift: from that day forward, they enjoyed coffee nearly every day.

College, Diner Coffee, and the Art Director’s Pot

At 21, working as an intern at a magazine, the author bonded with the art director over coffee. Every morning around 9 a.m., they brewed a huge pot. By lunch, evaporation had concentrated the brew. By evening, it had turned into a bitter, tar-like sludge. Despite the worsening taste, they drank it without complaint. Around this time, they also discovered the simple pleasure of diner coffee in New York, prioritizing quantity and price over quality—a true caffeinated paradise.

Lattes, Home Espresso Machines, and Milky Mishaps

In January 1999, a friend introduced the author to lattes, leading to frequent visits to the L Cafe in Williamsburg. Their inner accountant eventually convinced them to buy a small espresso machine for the price of about 10 tall lattes. It had a steam nozzle for milk, which required careful cleaning. The author lacked the patience for this, and within a few uses, a dark, uncleanable lump formed around the nozzle. Soon, they were back to buying coffee outside.

Preferences Over Time: Coffee and Bagels

The author includes a tongue-in-cheek chart tracking their coffee and bagel preferences over the years. Coffee preferences moved from drip coffee to Starbucks to lattes. Bagel preferences shifted from blueberry (which they later cured themselves of) to sesame, poppy seed, and everything bagels. This playful tracking reflects how their tastes evolved in tandem with broader coffee culture trends.

Mature Rituals: Desk Cups, Milk, and Barista Recognition

Today, the author orders large coffees but stops drinking once it gets too cold, leaving a few ounces in the cup they’re reluctant to throw away. This leads to a tower of paper cups on their desk. They prefer hot milk in coffee but find milk foam useless and annoying. Their mother makes excellent coffee, though her use of a powerful mechanical foam maker creates an impenetrable layer the author must “gnaw through.” After a decade in New York, they finally achieved silent barista recognition: a nod, and their usual drip coffee with steamed milk would arrive without a word. That is, until the barista got the order wrong—and the author chose not to correct them, preserving the unspoken bond.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the author wait two hours to drink their first coffee of the day?

The author felt the first cup of the day was so good they worried they wouldn’t fully appreciate it while half-asleep. To ensure they could truly savor it, they delayed drinking coffee until two hours after waking, when fully conscious.

What made the author start drinking coffee regularly?

At age 17, after reluctantly drinking a café au lait in Paris, the author underwent a kind of self-imposed exposure therapy that worked. They developed a genuine taste for coffee and have drunk it nearly every day since.

What was the author’s failed attempt at home espresso?

The author bought a small espresso machine for around the price of 10 tall lattes. It had a steam wand for milk, but they didn’t clean it properly. A dark, sticky lump formed around the nozzle and became impossible to remove, leading them to stop using the machine and return to buying coffee outside.

Did the author ever like foam on coffee?

No, the author found milk foam both useless and annoying. While their mother made excellent coffee, her use of a mechanical foam maker created a thick, hard layer the author described as “lacto-stucco” they had to chew through.

How did the author’s taste in coffee change over the decades?

The author tracked their preferences on a chart. They moved from drip coffee to Starbucks coffee, and eventually to lattes. Their early aversion turned into a daily habit after a transformative café au lait in Paris, followed by decades of evolving taste and ritual.

Recommended FrontStreet Coffee for Coffee Explorers

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