cleaning out last night's cobwebs

last night, I drank two beer and four margaritas while watching a yardful of kids run around. this morning, as soon as I could get my eyes peeled open, I staggered into the kitchen and hugged my illy espresso machinewith both arms. actually, I wasn't too hung over, but I definitely needed a non-alcoholic pick-me-up.

in the US, gourmet coffee consumption has increased exponentially over the last decade. thanks to the starbucks chain, which has made “latte” and “frappuccino” household words. while high-end coffee shops aren’t as ubiquitous in memphis as they are in west coast cities like san francisco and seattle, they are definitely gaining ground: downtown, empire coffee, quetzal, precious cargo, café francisco, and newcomer bluff city coffee vie for thirsty customers, while midtown drinkers have otherlands, java cabana, high point coffee, and the deliberate literate to choose from. in germantown, there’s gloria jean’s, the java company, and more, while east memphians can belly up to the bar at the ugly mug, geekers, the original high point coffee location, and the café inside davis-kidd booksellers. factor in the eight starbucks outlets that dot busy intersections around town, and you’ll begin to feel the caffeine buzz.

but a coffee a day can get expensive – which is why many caffeine lovers - including me - are opting to brew their own at home. nearly every coffee shop in memphis – including high point coffee, otherlands, and quetzal – offers either whole beans or ground coffee for sale; both high point and quetzal also offer specialty blends via mail.

starbucks coffee and regional favorites like community’s coffee with chicoryand café du monde’s french roast are available in area grocery stores, while gevalia kaffeoffers a home delivery service that includes a twelve-cup stainless steel coffeemaker with your first shipment of grounds.

my grind of choice comes from italian importer illy a casa, which recently introduced a high-end espresso membership program that includes a sleek francisfrancis! X5 espresso machine at just a fraction of its $750 retail price, along with a monthly delivery of pods, whole beans, or ground coffee, conveniently billed to my credit card. does working at home justify the expense? today, after two cafe au laits sipped while watching patricia neal shatter lonesome sundown in a face in the crowd on TCM, my answer is a resounding hell yes.