How I Learned to Drink Coffee: ESL Edition

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I turned 40 without learning to drink coffee. I grew up in the United States where everyone drinks coffee. Despite this, I liked hot black tea with milk and a few granules of sugar. If hot tea was unavailable, I would drink sweet tea, a common drink in the US South. Sweet tea is also called iced tea. 

One day in the spring of 2025, WaWa opened in my town. To advertise their opening, the convenience store mailed coupons for free food and beverages. One coupon offered a free hot latte. I decided to try it.

To my surprise, I enjoyed the latte. That started a craving for hot, sweet, coffee. This craving lasted a month, but I could only afford one $2 coffee each week.

I experimented with the ratio of coffee to sweetened creamer. Soon, I discovered that I prefer hot coffee and creamer with just a little sugar.

About a month later, I went on a trip. I tried the coffee at the hotel restaurant. It was bitter and reminded me of why I disliked coffee.

I experimented. I filled my mug ⅓ full with hot cocoa, then added coffee, topping it all off with vanilla-flavored creamer. Thoroughly mixed, this beverage tasted and got me through an exhausting week.  

Back at home, my craving for coffee was broken. I returned to drinking hot tea. Still, I know that I can drink coffee. This is a relief because I want to fit in wherever I travel. Maybe I will never be able to drink black coffee without milk, but surely drinking some type of coffee opens up social opportunities that I would miss if I drank no coffee.