I begin my cleanse today! This is my sixth annual new year detox. Years past, I was a little leery about the days ahead—the giving up of coffee and wine. This year, for some reason, I’m ready for a break from my tried and true friends. Coffee is a daily, morning pal that gets my day moving in more than one way [wink!] but it’s also the beverage that my husband and I share morning conversations over.

I’m an early riser, up well before dawn. The darkness of the pre-dawn hours influences the shade of my brew: Dark! I like my coffee straight first thing in the morning—black, no sugar, no half ‘n’ half.

When my husband arrives on the morning scene he likes to mix things up. He pours us each a cup of joe with a spoon and a half of sugar and probably almost a tablespoon of the half cream and milk combo. I enjoy each version in its own right for their unique qualities: Black coffee coats my palate with its unadulterated java flavor. It’s pure; it’s hot; and I only need a quarter of a cup, first thing, to get my spirit moving. By the time my husband gets downstairs, my tongue’s ready for that introduction of sugar and cream in the mix to relieve my dulled-out taste buds of its building morning-coffee sourness. In fact, by then, my tongue has reached its “black” limit and the sweet and toned-down taste of a coffee blend is a welcome change.

Will I miss this nuanced relationship with my morning cup over the next three (maybe four) weeks? Perhaps. But I’m also ready for a relationship break. We need a little time apart, my coffee and me. It’s time to hang out with other taste bud suitors.

Copyright © 2019 María Felicia Kelley