An Old Time Elixer

I think that I have written about this before, but it comes to mind this morning some thoughts about coffee. Years ago in Munising, MI we had an IGA store. IGA stood for Independent Grocers Association, I really know nothing of its roots although I take it to mean that each store was locally owned and joined a group of grocers who through their collective size could buy in quantities that would give them some price breaks. The IGA was on Elm Street in Munising and was actually quite small compared to the Red Owl store. Like the Red Owl it had its own coffee grinding machine. A device where patrons could purchase whole bean roast coffee and grind it to a setting they desired for their own pleasure.

I loved the smell of ground coffee. To this day when I get a whiff of the aroma of freshly ground coffee it takes me to small homes, older couples arising and brewing coffee to be sipped as they listened to radios, read a paper, or just shook off the effects of sleep and prepared to transition into the activity of day.

For some reason I associate fresh ground coffee with older folks. I do not remember any young people grinding coffee at these commercial grinders although I am sure they did. Perhaps as we grow older we learn to be a little more patient and take some time to savor the odors of the morning, or the tastes of the day. I conjure up fantasies of an older woman brewing coffee in some ancient pot, or some old home style that requires time and steeping to bring out the full flavor of the bean. I feel like there are old people who sit around their small breakfast table, a hot cup of coffee to warm their bones and small conversation over what chores, events, or scenes will play out on that day. It feels good to have these thoughts, I have a pot of fresh ground coffee brewing as I write this, and now shall end the writing to begin the day.