When we hear the word coffee, most of us light up.  This caffeine infused, addictive beverage holds strong in our everyday lives.  Even after studies claiming coffee is not good for us, we all continue to lust after the tasty drink that keeps us on our toes in a world of hustle and bustle.  In fact, the coffee industry is even bigger now than it ever was.  With coffee shops on every corner in America, there’s no avoiding those rich, taunting beans.  The perfectly roasted smell lures us in like cattle.

I first noticed coffee when I was in high school.  I always assumed that coffee was not for me.  That I would never be one of those stereotypical adults who make coffee an essential part of their daily lives.  Okay, first of all, never assume things.  The coffee industry had certainly snatched my attention by my junior year.  So much for not following the adult trends.

Let’s face it, we now live in a world loaded with coffee options.  When our parents and grandparents sipped on a hot cup, the old Folders or Maxwell House was about all one could find.  Those days are long gone.  The coffee industry has now flooded us with choices.  You want a hot latte or an iced one?  You want a frapaccino or a shot of espresso?  The possibilities are endless.  The 90s revolutionized the coffee craze.  Starbucks hit street corners worldwide.  Who’d of ever thought we’d see a billion dollar fast food style coffee house.  It’s crazy.  There are actually drive thru windows so you can grab a mocha latte on your way to work.

Now being a coffee freak, myself, I can’t complain about the java explosion worldwide.  In fact, I think most of us can appreciate the coffee industry these days and the convenience they’ve provided us with when we’re craving a shot of tasty caffeine.  Yes, the old school drip coffee pots may become obsolete in the near future, only to be replaced by espresso machines.  Let’s face it, we love the convenience of the drive thru coffee houses, but the costs may break us down the road.  Fortunately the espresso machines available today will surely keep us satisfied.  Our daily caffeine fixes will not be squelched.  While these trusty machines can cost you a pretty penny, no worries, they come with a wide range of price tags.  You will find that they pay themselves off rather quickly.

Do you have a favorite ‘something’ that you like so much you would join a club to get it? There are many popular ‘something’ of the month clubs, like Wine of the month club, Cheese of the month club, fruit of the month club, beer of the month club, book of the month club, etc. Most anything you love to indulge in is available to be shipped to you monthly, for three, six, twelve months or more. Some clubs will continue to send you the item until you cancel or you quit paying, like a children’s book of the month club or coffee of the month club. Gift clubs like Harry and David’s dessert of the month club must be paid for as a single purchase for a specific number of months.  This makes a nice gift for a wedding, Christmas or any other special occasion.

Joining any of these clubs is a great way to sample different varieties of your favorites that you may not have tried otherwise.  Club selections are gifts that keep on giving, appropriate for anyone who has a favorite ‘something’. Clubs of America at www.greatclubs.com has a good selection of clubs to choose from if you’re not sure what you’re looking for, and there is no minimum membership time required. Members can join or give a gift for one to twelve months.  Shipments can be set up for monthly or every other month delivery. Another great site is www.findgift.com for unique gifts like the dinner of the month club from Flying Noodle Gourmet Gifts, a monthly treat that anybody would love! You’ll also want to check out www.amazingclubs.com for more unique gift ideas. This site has some tasty options like pasta of the month club and cheesecake of the month club among many others.

You should have lots of ideas going by now! Prices are really very reasonable, which makes it easy to treat yourself or a friend or family member to a monthly surprise! The clubs mentioned above, like most others, offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee to members. Whatever your favorite or someone else’s favorite ‘something’ is, there’s probably a gift club for it.  Though I think the fruitcake of the month club went by the wayside quite some time ago! Sorry, you might be of out luck on that one! I’m sure you can find another favorite!

There will be yet another product on the market that will save people an extra few moments in the mornings. If you’re one who likes to sleep in for an extra few moments, that concept might sound enticing. What is this new product? For those coffee addicts out there who simply cannot walk out of their house in the mornings without a cup of coffee, you’ll find a new type of coffee can that will actually heat itself. Yes, you did hear that correctly. Wherever you can find a coffee can of Wolfgang Puck gourmet latte is where you can get your hands on this new technology. Supposedly, it takes six minutes to heat the coffee and it will stay warm for thirty minutes after it is heated. Pretty interesting, if you ask me.

This new coffee can is only a single serving and will sell for around $2.25. That’s quite expensive for a single cup of coffee, yet cheaper than some people pay each day. However, whenever new technology involves saving people some time and energy, it doesn’t seem to matter what the cost is. People are willing to pay for convenience and quite a few companies have cashed in on that concept. Plus, not only will this be a major convenience, think about all of the clean-up time it’ll be saving you. There won’t be a dirty coffee pot that has to be washed anymore. You can take the small coffee can and toss it when you’re done. No mess, no fuss – just convenient coffee. While the coffee can is supposed to be recyclable, let’s just hope that people do plan to recycle.

I have to wonder what this new coffee can invention could do for other items in the food industry. Will soup manufacturers come up with a similar concept? What about people who don’t drink coffee but wish that their hot tea would have the same convenience? This new coffee can that could very easily flop, or become a huge overnight hit, could very well end up changing the way that people start their mornings. I personally don’t find myself too lazy to make myself a cup of coffee in the mornings. It is part of the ritual that I perform when I’m still waking up. But when you tell me that I can sleep an extra few moments and simply push a little button to have instant coffee without the preparation time, I’m game. I have a feeling quite a few people will agree with me. I’m just not sure that I want to spend $2.25 a day for that. The grand total for an entire week of coffee would be $15.75. Ouch. That’s $63.00 a month just to have a single serving of coffee every day. Something to think about.

Take in the fresh ground aroma! There’s truly nothing like the smell of fresh java in the AM. I think half of us rise from our warm, cozy beds just to get our hands on that hot mug. The scent calms our senses and reminds us that the day ahead is not so bad after all. Just be careful you don’t exceed that sixth cup. I hear that one can be a doozy. Now, what’s the preferred blend? It seems like we all have a specific coffee specialty beverage we enjoy on a regular basis. One that becomes our routine norm, and makes us grin with excitement at the sight of it. I don’t think we will ever get our fill of fresh java.

It took me a while to figure it out, but I eventually found the ideal coffee beverage of my dreams. You take a couple shots of vanilla syrup, two ounces of fresh espresso and a cup of whole milk. Once these three ingredients are poured over ice and shaken like a martini, I strain them into a glass. This is my morning cup of Joe. I have probably made this particular coffee specialty drink a few hundred times at least.

How about you? Have you found your perfect caffeinated treat yet? Sometimes it takes a lot of taste testing. But this is not a bad thing. This way you get to sample a plethora of coffee specialty drinks and see which ones you’ll purchase of concoct again. I can’t even imagine how many different flavors of syrup are out there now days. I have tasted nearly all of them. Well, with the exception of lemon and a few other bizarre fruit flavors that I feel would clash with espresso.

Take your pick from a number of coffee chains. The best way to decide which ones offer the finest coffee specialty beverages is by testing the waters. Once again, you need to test the product to know for certain. We all have different tastes and expectations. While a number of individuals consider Starbuck’s the best, I don’t think it even comes close to some of the small chains and single coffee shops you can find. Fortunately for us all there are plenty of coffee specialty drinks to go around, and a number of ways to concoct them. Go find your favorite java drink today!