There are few things that are certain in this world, but there’s no question about my morning coffee routine. You’ll find me at the kitchen table, no matter the season, no matter the hour. The day after the end of the world you'd probably see my ghost sitting down at an imaginary kitchen table with a non-existent cup of coffee.

The poster was a gift from my daughter who knows me well

Over the years, I’ve changed houses, kitchens, tables or coffee-making machines, but not this habit. Of the two Italian coffee machines I’m currently using I make sure that at least one of them is clean, so I can put it on the stove right away. I haven’t timed it, but the wait is long enough. (One of them modern espresso machines would be quicker, but once you fall in love with a Bialetti machine you cannot drink anything else.)
My morning ritual is sitting down, having my coffee (with a bit of milk to cool it faster), the first cigarette of the day and the news. I am addicted to all three. This is how I’ll spend half an hour every single day.

I love buying ashtrays wherever I go, but I've been using the same two coffee mugs for years now

This habit dates back decades, to my working in the real world days. I have a clear memory of myself sitting in a different kitchen, listening to the 7 am news. When they got to the weather forecast it was the signal I need to get going.

There’s a part of the #spillthebeans coffee prompt I haven’t even considered - coffee in bed. I imagine it’s pleasant, but a bit impractical for my needs. Where am I going to keep the ashtray, for instance? Also, coffee in bed works with croissants, fancy biscuits or (God help me) fruit, people have for breakfast. I don’t do breakfast.

During my trips to London, I’ve often wondered about the multitude of people in coffee shops in the morning. Surely some of them must be the kind of people who are able to wash, get dressed, head out and buy a coffee on the road to work. Sounds totally alien to me. I mean, who does that?
In all my adult life I can recall only one day when I couldn’t perform my morning ritual. It was some two decades ago and my daughter had a field trip with her kindergarten class. I don’t know why we were late as this doesn’t usually happen to me, but we had to run down the street to the kindergarten. We made it on time, but this little story will stay with me forever. The day I didn’t have time for my morning cup.
Even when I’m going on a trip and have to be at the airport at some ungodly hour, I will sacrifice half-an-hour of much needed sleep just so I can have my morning coffee in peace. It's my way of reconnecting with the world and gathering the energy to face another day.

These guys watch over the flowers on the kitchen balcony and they keep me company while I wait for the coffee to be ready

Ever since I’ve created my lovely summer garden on the living room balcony I’ve been wondering whether I could have my morning coffee there. Turns out I can’t. That balcony is perfect for the afternoon coffee even if it’s warmer and considerably less pleasant than in the morning. Something just doesn’t work. The problem is with the coffee which needs to be within easy reach. You need a quick intake of caffeine to start your day. Who knows, if I don’t drink my coffee fast enough I might fall back to sleep.
Afternoons are more relaxed so you can afford to keep the cup further away on the low coffee table. I’m sure any coffee addict will understand the subtleties involved 🙂

That’s the setting for the afternoon coffee, whole different thing

They say old habits die hard, but I’m afraid this habit is already inscribed in my DNA. Some distant relative in the future might wonder why he or she feels this urge to have a cup of coffee at the kitchen table. I wonder if Bialetti would still exist or if they'd have robots to make and serve them their morning coffee. I’m not fond of robots taking over the world, but most mornings I’d really like to find the coffee already waiting on the kitchen table. It would save me at least three minutes. Imagine all the things I could do with all that extra time…

Thanks for reading