C'est toujours l'heure du cafe by Jane Tolbert

What is it that gets many of us up in the morning. . . makes others double park and risk getting their car towed. . . . cigarettes, never, but coffee definitely! The Monday morning flea market at the Cours Salaya (Nice). Before I can begin checking the stalls of books, jewelry and furniture, I stop for coffee. When shopping with my daughter or before any major decisions are made, we stop for coffee. Historically, coffee underlies international relations. Coffee was introduced to Paris in 1669 by a Turkish ambassador to the court of Louis XIV. . . .

Antibes


My initial café experience ended after one shot of bitter espresso. It took several years and much convincing before I returned to the counter. I started with the cappuccino (with lots of sugar), macchiato then coffee with sirop d’orgeat, an almond syrup. My coffee epiphany came with my first cup of sweet Turkish coffee at Ninon’s kitchen table in Opio served in Picardie glass. She made the coffee in a much-used ibrik, which looks like a metal pitcher with a long handle. Two tablespoons of finely ground coffee with two lumps of sugar headed in the ibrik on a gas burner. Here is where the operation became tricky. About the time the coffee was beginning to foam and just before it boiled, the shop bell would ring. Clients downstairs in the antique store. I never saw it boil over, but apparently it often did. Remove it from the heat. Add a few drops of cold water so the marc, or grounds, settle. Sip it slowly to avoid swallowing the grounds. I may not have the recipe. . . . It always tastes better in Opio.

Plates that have the price of your drinks (early 20th century)


So my love affair with coffee began along with my search for the ideal coffee maker—one that was easy to clean and produced good coffee. I think we’ve all tried the two-sectioned Italian coffee maker, the French press or perhaps friends have given us a cast-off espresso or cappuccino machine, all of which are difficult to clean. Enter the series of machines that have no mess and produce the same taste of coffee each time like the Tassimo or the Nespresso.. . . an answer to my caffeine-induced prayers.

So in the past years, I have gone from avoiding coffee to tracing out an itinerary and emploi du temps based on the location of cafés. I also carry a coffee machine in the truck of my car. You never know when you’ll end up in a hotel, at a friend’s or in a meeting with no coffee.

Cafe chairs at the Crystal, Juan-les-Pins