Am I Addicted?
Just Eat The Beans
Am I addicted to coffee? I like to call it passionate. Here I am, no coffee, constantly thinking of it…My body already going through sleepy spells and body aches – Am I REALLY addicted to caffeine, NOT coffee?? Constantly fiddling and knocking things over like a helpless drunk, going cold turkey is NOT how to pull yourself off of the coffee habit. Actually, I don’t intend to stop at all, I JUST ACCIDENTALLY LEFT MY COFFEE HOME, and I REFUSE to drink “office coffee.” So for the next hour and a half I will just keep up with the random arm scratches, neck twitches, back spasms, and completely crazy daydreams that remind me I’ve slipped into a work coma until I make it to my front door, and the hero’s theme music begins to play. Yes I will sprint to my kitchen cupboards (read below), rip the package of coffee open, and relentlessly chew those coffee beans! Yes I said chew, no time for brewing.
I am not addicted…I am passionately crazy about coffee.
Kaffa Exploration – Nola Café 3.14.09
Nola Café
In quest of chicory coffee, history’s infamous coffee substitute, I set out to find South Tampa’s Nola Café. I had never tasted chicory coffee before (or at least knowingly), and was surprised that my café au lait didn’t taste any different than it should have. Historically, when coffee became unavailable, when prices were much to high for our ancestors’ pocketbooks, or when lawmakers thought coffee was an evil influence on the soul, chicory was used as a substitute to get the same taste without the addictive caffeine and at a much lower cost. As time went on New Orleans continued the tradition of chicory coffee, and Nola Café carries that tradition of a graceful combination of chicory and coffee, right here in Tampa, Florida.
Here’s my rating on a scale of 1 to 10:
Coffee: 10 – Made to perfection. Slightly toasty taste.
Style: 9 – Coffeehouse with NOALANS (New Orleans) flair. Beads, masks, chicory coffee…Mardi Gras at Nola Café!
Atmosphere: 8 – Friendly, immediate service. Sounds of Billie Holiday and Joss Stone fill the air. Customers began filling the café to enjoy a late afternoon meal and a cup of coffee.
Cleanliness: 10 – Just in time for spring cleaning!
Prices: 10 – Low to moderate
Nola Café captures the true essence of culture, art, and great coffee. Put it on your local weekend travel guide, and let your out of town friends know what a great coffeehouse it is for their “Things to do in Tampa” lists . Oh yeah, I heard the Oyster Po’Boy is smashing!
