I like my coffee hot. I want it to almost burn my tongue. Almost, like when you decide to let your hand get too close to the bonfire and you smell the unmistakable notes of what used to be the hair on your fingers. You didn’t burn your hand…but you almost did. It’s sad to me that most consumer coffee machines aren’t capable of singeing the hair on my fingers. Those k-cup machines aren’t any better. You better drink that coffee right quick or you’re going to be nuking it. When I have the chance, I even run hot water from the kitchen sink over my mug to make sure I don’t forfeit any precious heat to the ceramic.
Why does this matter to me? Maybe it matters because I have this idea of what coffee is supposed to be. I guess hot is part of the equation. What happens when it shows up as something less? I still drink it. I love the flavor. I just like it best when it’s hot. Except when it’s supposed to be cold, like an iced coffee. Then it’s not a substitution. Ignore everything I just said. Bring it to me cold, plenty of ice, please.
You see, I can do that. I can choose to apply one set of standards here and another there. I can like my coffee hot and get upset when it isn’t and then pretend like it isn’t absurd when I order one on ice. It’s just coffee.
What if it was my wife’s car?
Would it be alright if I expected her to keep it clean while I let mine be a mess? Would it be alright if I expected you to show up on time while expecting grace when I’m running late? Do you mind if I’m critical of your effort and still occasionally mail it in myself?
We could call it a double standard and that might offend some. Yet it won’t offend quite as well as calling it what it really is, hypocrisy.
Do we have any self-professed hypocrites in the studio audience?
Not a lot of hands shoot up on this one. I know I’d rather not raise mine.
Nobody likes a hypocrite. I know I don’t. I’m afraid though that I just might be one.
If I’m going to judge a hypocrite, as I’m prone to do, why not start with myself?
It will give me grounds to hold my position on coffee temperature later on.
