May 20 will be the birthday of Honore De Balzac (born in Tours, France 1799). The author of "La Comedie Humaine" was a coffee addict. To fuel his 15 hour a day writing habit, he consumed over 50,000 cups in the course of his 51 years.
In, "The pleasures and pains of coffee," his paean to the bean, Balzac attributed his prolific output to black coffee, which he also admitted also made him prone to harangue grocers.
His favorite route to a caffeine high? Chewing the grounds on an empty stomach.
Ha! I am honored. I see some similarities. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen you are in the mountains, making coffee is a pain. It is tough to find water. It is tough to boil water. It is tough to clean up afterwards. And usually, in the morning, you simply want to get started making tracks.
A handy trick is to bring roasted coffee. Wake and walk. Munch on the beans on the morning hike for a coffee taste and a caffeine high.
Honore De Balzac had it right, then. At least while hiking, there is no better feeling that chewed bean, an empty stomach, and fresh air.