My morning cup of joe

I am a self proclaimed coffee girl and although I truly enjoy the taste and act of drinking coffee, I feel that my day has not received it's proper jump start if I skip my morning cup! Over the years, I have developed a more keen sense of taste and appreciate both a high quality coffee bean as well as the proper proportions to enjoy the perfectly brewed cup!

To make the perfect cup of joe, I always use my trustworthy coffee scoop that my dear friend Ashley Dawson surprised me with one Christmas back in college. This scoop is equal to a tablespoon. I use 1 heping scoop per two cups of coffee (go by the cup marks on your coffee pot), plus one extra for good measure. (example: If you normally make 8 cups of coffee in the morning, this would be 5 scoops) I find that these proportions create a cup that is not watered down or as strong as a fine Italian espresso, but still packs that extra punch you need to get going!

I like to mix up my coffee and have found several brands at Harris Teeter that are all in a great price range and are high quality. My absolute favorite is Dunkin' Donut's regular blend. This in my opinion is both the best cup of coffee that you can purchase as well as the best store bought brand. Dunkin's regular blend is perfect with some fat free hazelnut creamer. Eight O'Clock's flavored brands were recently featured on NBC's The Today Show as being rated by coffee consumers as the best flavored coffees. The vanilla and hazelnut are excellent! And when I am feeling very bold and want that fruity yet nutty goodness flavor in my mouth, I head for New England's Best's Blueberry Cobbler. With a little fat free half and half and a sprinkle of Splenda, this concoction is good enough to drink for dessert!

Brewing the perfect cup of coffee is not only an art but something that is so easy and it's all about the little delights in life isn't it!?