Coffee Jingle

I started drinking coffee before I could hold a cup on my own. When I was little, my mom would mix in just enough instant coffee to make my mug of sweet powdered milk turn as brown as my skin. I was fascinated by how the dark coffee powder would dissolve in a swirl. By preschool I was addicted to the wonderful smell of nescafe/cafe puro/blend 45/whatever (as long as it was caffeinated).

I never did appreciate fraps or iced coffee. I wanted and still want my coffee warm (midway between scorching hot and room temperature/lukewarm); enough for me to feel the heat through the cup without injuring my throat in my hurry to drink. After countless mugs and cases of a burnt tongue, I learned to the wait for the liquid to cool down enough for gulping.

In my high school and college years, coffee kept me going for all nighters and early morning classes. Maxwell and Nescafe were my brands of choice, largely because their 3-in-1 sachets were cheap and sweet. Due to my dormitory room mates, I learned the finesse required to make a good cup of instant coffee: it is an art form to make mud NOT taste like swill. And only Gift and I know the secret, mwahahaha.

It was also during college that I was introduced to the wonderful world of brewed coffee. After tasting my first cup of Dunkin’s brew, I switched my allegiances and never gave instant coffee another glance. It kept me awake longer, tasted waaay better even without sweetener or cream, and the aroma… sigh. Forget the clouds and streets of gold; my idea of heaven is one that smells exactly like a coffeeshop.

So now I’m on my fifth cup for this 24 hour rotation (3 brewed, 2 instant) and preparing for my 3rd demo for the month. So I hum along to this jingle in tribute to caffeine:

 

Smells so lovely when you pour it,
You will want to drink a quar’t
Of coffee.
It’s delicious all alone, it’s
Also good with doughnuts.
Black coffee.
Coffee stimulates your urges,
It is served in Lutheran churches,
Keeps the Swedes and Germans
Awake through the sermons
Have a pot of it today,
I’m sure you’ll say it’s awfully
Good coffee.

They are wonderful musicians
Playing various positions
With coffee
When you play a violin
You don’t want beer or gin
Just coffee.
Coffee helps your pizzicato
Makes your pilot run on auto
Nice attack when you are bowing
Even when it’s snowing
Even if you play piano in a town in Indiana
Try coffee.

 

- A Prairie Home Companion (2006)