It’s one of my favorite national holidays. National Coffee Day!

Honestly, I’m more of a Christmas gal (Decorations. Gifts. Day off of work). But a day to celebrate the beverage that gives me the ability to wake up and make literate conversation with others is worth noting.

I obsess about good coffee. E and I get ours from Brooklyn Roasting Company down the street from our apartment (I support them since they kept me caffeinated and happy when I was writing the 300 book). We have four flavors of creamer in the refrigerator, plus almond milk.  We cherish our morning ritual of having coffee together in the morning, in our robes, while watching the morning news and reading the paper on our iPads. It’s our treasured quality time.

We use a French press and grind our own beans in a coffee grinder, but our trick to making the best coffee ever is to buy a $3 milk frother from Ikea and froth the milk or creamer to get a nice foamy top on our mug of joes.

The other trick to make the best cup of coffee ever is a technique I learned from E’s mom. She rims the coffee mug with burnt orange rind, adding a sweet citrus flavor to that rich black brew.

Just peel a strip of orange rind off of an orange, then squeeze the rind with two fingers so a bit of juice squirts out over a match or lighter. Lightly swipe the flame under the orange rind to soften the rind and release the juice. Then wipe the citrus around the rim of your coffee mug, pour coffee, and use the rind as garnish.

Looking for good breakfast sandwiches to eat with your coffee? My favorites include our ricotta and fruit open faced sandwiches, or our deviled egg breakfast banh mi.

Happy National Coffee Day!

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