Coffee Habits

If you know me well, you know that I am always stocked on my morning coffee and creamer. Everyone says that I drink too much coffee, but honestly, when half your cup of coffee is filled with creamer, there's really not much coffee in there ;)

But regardless of what they say (and in all seriousness, I usually only drink two mugs of coffee a day), I love my coffee. And I usually stick with the same brands overall, but I'll go through spells when I am hung up on a certain brand of coffee or flavor of creamer. I also have absolute favorite mugs that make coffee time even more special :)

Coffee
For the past few months, I have been enjoying Eight O' Clock coffee. The Original roast is good, but their French roast is fantastic. When I was working at the coffee shop over the summer, we had local, freshly-roasted beans from Bean Werks in Asheville, North Carolina. I fell in love with their coffee (particularly their Black Widow dark roast blend). But when you are on a tight budget, it's hard to justify paying $9/Lb. for coffee.

When I stopped working at the coffee shop, I missed my fresh coffee, but after one of my favorite bloggers, Taralynn, mention liking Eight O' Clock brand coffee, I decided to give it a whirl- and I am so glad I did.

The French Roast in this brand is great. It is dark, but not so dark that it makes your hair curl. It's smooth, not acidic, and is a great over-all morning coffee at half the cost of local beans (approximately). I highly recommend it.

Creamer
I go through spells, but right now I am on a hazelnut kick. Last week I was drinking "Sweet Cream". This one is modeled after the flavor of ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. A personal favorite that I always go back to is Cinnabon "Cinnamon Roll" creamer. It's probably my all-time favorite. I also adore the pumpkin creamer by International Delight, but sadly, they only make that during Autumn.

Overall, I prefer International Delight's liquid creamer above anything else, but I did recently discover Coffee Mate's "Sweet & Creamy" flavor and it was great. It's like adding cream and sugar to your coffee, but with the perfect amount of sweetness, and it is a little creamier (I think) than half & half. Plus, there is something about the after-taste of half & half that really bothers me. This creamer is the perfect substitute with a great balance and consistency.


Mugs
Ask my husband, and he will tell you I have far too many mugs. I, on the other hand, am of the belief that you can never have too many mugs. If you are running out of room, then it is time to make a display cabinet ;)

I have quite a few mugs that make coffee time even better. These mugs are the ones that are just the right size, weight, and pretty... and let's face it: pretty is important.
When I buy a mug, it has to fit just right in my hand, feel sturdy and solid, and not be too light.

I have several favorites, but since I can't justify showing them all, I decided that showing you three would suffice. These are not in any particular order, because, well, they are all awesome!

The first one makes my heart happy. A month or so ago, I dropped my favorite mug on the floor and it shattered. But when Taylor and I went to visit my family over Spring break, my mom had gotten me a new mug in it's place. It is cute, colorful, a great shape, and has my initial on it :) Thanks, mom!

The second one was given to me by one of my best friends, Meredith. She gave it to me for Christmas a couple of years ago and I have always thought is was so beautiful. Actually, I like the way it looks so much that I actually keep it on display in my kitchen instead of drinking out of it.

The third one is my newest mug. One of my other best friends, Gracie, handmade this mug in her pottery studio. It is so cute. She did a braided handle with a perfect little heart in the bottom of the cup. Every time I see it I am reminded of how talented this wonderful woman is. If you are ever interested in a handmade mug, please consider ordering from her! You can find her here.

Decor
Our kitchen is coffee-themed. I have various signs hanging on the walls and I even have a few coffee syrup bottles on display. Here are a few of my coffee signs.

Are you a coffee-lover too? What are your favorite brands? Do you believe there could never be too many mugs in your home, or are you blown away by my crazy-coffee-talk? Comment below :)

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