Are you a coffee drinker? Is it the best part of waking up? Do you enjoy a good mystery along with your coffee? Well, pull up a chair and let me pour you a cup and let's talk. First, let's talk about coffee. I grew up drinking coffee from the age of about 5 or so. You know the kind of coffee I mean - a tiny bit of coffee and a lot of milk. Both my grandmothers had a morning cup and when we visited, they would sneak me a latte. Of course, at the time I didn't know that I was drinking a latte. Me, so ahead of the trends.
In the mid-90's, my family moved to Portland, Oregon for 3 years and I found myself in coffee heaven. Oh my word! What a place! Starbucks had not made it's way to the Texas yet and so we didn't know about all the many lovely drinks that we could discover, along with just regular yummy coffee. By the time we moved home, Starbucks had arrived, much to my delight.
And now, honestly, if I had to pick just one drink for the rest of my life, other than water, I would choose coffee. That first sip in the morning - such a treat. I allow myself two cups, large cups, each morning, full leaded and then I'm done. Age has sadly made the caffeine not so wonderful after the noon hour. But that first sip....Now, on to coffeehouse mysteries. I've shared lately that one of my goals this year is to catch up on a few favorite mystery series. Several years ago, I started reading Cleo Coyle's coffeehouse mysteries and I loved them. The main protagonist is Clare Cosi, who manages the historic Village Blend Coffeehouse in New York's Greenwich Village. Her ex-mother-in-law, Madame, is the owner and her ex-husband Matt Allegro is the coffee buyer. This all sounds very sweet and charming and delicious, but then murder and other crimes creep in and with them, Lt. Mike Quinn. The first book in the series is On What Grounds and the latest and 14th book is Once Upon a Grind. In between are lots and lots of wonderful coffee facts, a fair amount of bodies, and an amazing amount of great recipes. Oh, did I not say that? The Village Blend sells all kinds of lovely food and Cleo Coyle give us several recipes with each book. Yummy!
Cleo Coyle is actually the husband and wife writing team of Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini. They live in New York and so these books have a completely authentic flavor. I love the coffee trivia and lore that are included. I love the recipes. And I love the characters. Clare has a fairly complicated life, juggling the coffeehouse and dealing with employee issues, ex-husband issues, ex-mother-in-law issues, grown daughter (yes, she and Matt have a grown daughter, Joy) issues, and lovely Lt. Quinn issues. These are cozies, but with a definite bite to them.
I am a bit behind in my reading of this series, like 7 books behind. For shame! I'll be including a coffeehouse mystery in my reading soon and will pick up with Holiday Grind. I'm looking forward to getting back in the swing of things with Clare and company. Oh, also, Cleo Coyle participates in Mystery Lovers Kitchen, a blog run by 8 mystery authors. It has so many lovely recipes. You should check it out. So, are you a coffee aficionado? Or have you read any of the coffeehouse mysteries?
Linking this post to Weekend Cooking on Beth Fish Reads.
I drank coffee from an early age too and woe betide anyone who crosses my path before the first one of the day! So you're featuring a series about my favourite drink and the name Cleo - I really should take a look!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't even thought about the name, but yes, you should try these - with a great cup of coffee.
DeleteCoffee!!! My favorite drink since I was a kid. I still drink coffee all day -- age be damned. LOL. I'd give up much before I'd ever give up strong black coffee. Umm, where were we? Oh yeah, coffee cozies. I check in on that Mystery Lovers Kitchen every once in a while and have had this series on my radar. I really should pick one up. It sounds perfect for e.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could drink coffee all day. Alas. My sleeping would take even more of a nosedive than it already has. LOL
DeleteYes!! I could not start my day without two big cups of black coffee. The coffee maker even has to be programmable so I can have it ready and waiting for me! Coffee house cozies sound irresistible!
ReplyDeleteMine too, JoAnn. Ours goes off at 5AM and I swear I can hear the first click, even with door closed.
DeleteTrouble is, I can't drink real coffee any more. -pout- So I dont' want to read about lucky people, who still can. lol
ReplyDelete"Siatica" Tessa
Sorry about that, Tessa. I may be in the same shape at some point, but for now, I savor my 2 cups.
DeleteI'm in charge of the cozy mystery section at the Book Cellar, the used bookstore where I volunteer. I'm going to look for this series, it looks cute.
ReplyDeleteHow fun to volunteer in the bookstore. I volunteer at the library. Anywhere there are books. LOL
DeleteI have read one of the books in this series, and enjoyed it: Roast Mortem. But now it looks like I need to grab a few more.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am a big fan of coffee! Not so much the coffee we used to drink, before Starbucks and fancy coffee makers. At the time, we didn't know any better (and I'm talking about me and the percolater I used in the 60s).
Thanks for sharing...and reminding us of this series.
Yes, I laugh about the percolator too. Actually, we have some friends who still insist on using an old fashioned percolator and after I tasted some of it, I told my husband that I have become a coffee snob. LOL
DeleteI cannot start my day without coffee. Well I can but it's best for everyone if that doesn't happen. My in-laws used to give the kids what they called "country coffee" which was basically a tablespoon of coffee and lots of milk and sugar. Thanks for bringing that back! I'd forgotten about it. I've only read the first book in the series but I do remember enjoying it. My library just put the rest of the series on their digital site so I really should catch up. Great post!
ReplyDelete"Country coffee" - maybe it's a grandmother thing. Oh, yes, if you can get them as e-books, that would be convenient.
DeleteI used to LOVE my coffee (pre-kids)...I think more for the ritual of sitting quietly with a cup of coffee in the morning rather than the coffee itself. But, when I tried to start drinking regular coffee after nursing, it made my heart race and was messing with my sleeping. Now, I still enjoy decaf (sometimes with a splash of regular mixed in)...and the whole ritual...on days when my kids allow me! Not a big fan of cozy mysteries, though...
ReplyDeleteOne day, Sarah - you'll get back to sitting quietly with the coffee one day. Even if it has to be decaf. :-)
DeleteI used to drink coffee, then married an Irish tea-drinking man and switched my routine to tea all day. After a few years however, I converted him to coffee for our morning jolt, and we split a large pot every a.m.! I don't drink caffeine the rest of the day because of my anxiety. I drink decaf coffee or tea the rest of the day. Thanks for this little discussion. We all seem to have a passion for this necessary evil :) I have to take mine with a healthy splash of half & half, as I have gastric problems, but it's still good!
ReplyDeleteAnd oh yes, the book... I read the first one and was a bit underwhelmed but I will certainly reconsider given all the good reviews! I'm very fussy about cozies and don't like the really silly ones, that's just me, but you made the series sound interesting so I'll give Cleo Coyle another try.
Well, you know, first I read we shouldn't drink much coffee and then I read we should. Like most things, some say yes and some say no. I figure all things in moderation. Right?
DeleteI'm not a coffee drinker, but your descriptions had me drooling. The mystery series sounds interesting. Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteNot everyone is for coffee, Jama. I know that for sure. My mother always said it smelled really good, but she hated the taste.
DeleteI've thought about trying this series and we're doing cozy mysteries next in our librarians' genre study group, so this might be just the thing! I'm with you on needing my coffee first thing in the morning; it's a must! I drink it black, and have a speedy coffee maker so there's no standing around waiting forever for the coffee to brew. We've started grinding the beans again, too, and that's yummy!
ReplyDeleteLaurie, this might be a good series for a cozy study group. It really does have a lot of coffee info included and really yummy muffin recipes. We grind our now too. I think it has made a lot of difference. Yum!
DeleteMmmm. Muffins. On a diet, so no muffins for me these days. At least I can read about them!
DeleteI've never read any of this series - but I too love coffee!
ReplyDeleteMargaret, we call seem to be coffee lovers. You might try this series if you get a chance. It does make you want to have some coffee while reading though. Fair warning.
DeleteI love coffee and tea, but have to switch to decaf after the first cup now. It took me a long time to get used to decaf coffee, but my green tea decaf is great. Will have to look for this series. :)
ReplyDeleteWell, at least you get one cup and actually I don't hate decaf, just prefer the real deal.
DeleteThanks for the heads up, love mysteries, so I can't wait to start this series. Coffee and I have a love-hate relationship, being one of those naturally caffeinated people, loving the smell and taste, hating the racing heart at 2 am, have a bit of decaf now and then, but mostly just tea.
ReplyDeleteYes, sounds you and coffee are not a good mix. Tea is great too and this mystery series has a lot of muffin recipes. Muffins or scones go good with tea. :-)
DeleteOk, you have me sold. My husband and I are ardent fans of coffee. Can't imagine starting my day without a good cuppa.
ReplyDeleteI also like mysteries so I suppose I will check out this series.
You could try it and see what you think. Always good to have new books to check out, right?
DeleteI haven't entered the Cozy world yet! Cheers from CArole's Chatter
ReplyDeleteWell, join in, Carole!
DeleteI've never liked coffee, indeed I really don't like the smell. Coffee house mysteries wouldn't be my thing...
ReplyDeleteI understand. My mother did not like coffee at all, but she did like the smell. The only time I had trouble with it was when I was pregnant and there were many smells that I couldn't tolerate. LOL
DeleteI usually have two large cups - black - in the morning. I try to stick with water after that. I love the titles of cozyies. This sounds like a good series.
ReplyDeletePat - 2 large cups - yep, that's just about enough. :-)
DeleteI'm more of a tea drinker, though I do love my coffee black with sugar.
ReplyDeleteThe mysteries sound good! I'll have to check them out.
I used to drink more tea, but these later years, coffee has been my choice.
DeleteI drink International coffee here at home - the Café Francais blend. When I'm out, I just have coffee with cream. I've so wanted to like this mystery series. I've tried it at least twice. Maybe third time would be the charm!!
ReplyDeleteLinda in VA
Linda, I had forgotten about that International Coffee. I used to drink it and liked Cafe Francais. And as to the book series, not every book is for every reader. If you've tried it and it didn't suit, move on to something you like better. :-)
DeleteI love coffee but have had to cut back. I now have one cup of coconut coffee every morning, and oh, do I savor it!!
ReplyDeleteIt's tough to cut back, isn't it? I would hate to do that. Enjoy your one cup!
DeleteOh gosh. A coffee series? Really? How did I miss that? My grandma used to dip sugar cubes in coffee and give it to me. I would pick up my mother's cold coffee she had left sitting and drink it when I was four. I was drinking coffee in high school before anyone else I knew. And I have a confession: I special order my coffee now from Door County Coffee and Tea in Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. Yes it is true. Now I forgot what the book is....
ReplyDeleteGayle, why have we never talked about coffee? Probably because we don't serve coffee at the book group meetings. LOL
DeleteI bet you would like this series. You enjoy a few of the cozies and this one is fun if you are a coffee drinker. Although, word of warning, reading these makes you want coffee and muffins. :-)
I never developed a taste for coffee. I don't even like mocha ice cream or candy. Hot cocoa with whip cream or lots and lots of marshmallows, on the other hand, is right up my alley. Vanilla Hot Chocolate is my favorite, but it is so hard to find around here. :-( If you did come to my house, I do have coffee for you. My mother and parents-in-law have a stash at my house along with a coffee pot that really only gets used when they visit.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of these books, but they sound fun. I don't generally gravitate towards cozies that feature a coffee, baking/cooking, or sewing theme, but I am not adverse to them, especially if the characters are interesting, and the writing and story is good.
Coffee is not for everyone. Your coffee pot that is only used with guests sounds like the house I grew up in. My mother did not like coffee and my father stopped drinking it when he quit smoking. I think those two things were entwined in his head. My house, however, yes, the coffeemaker is used every single day. LOL
DeleteMy grandmas drank their coffee straight out of the percolator - it never occurred to me to try it until I was in high school. Even then it was more out of necessity than choice. I wasn't a punch drinker and so often it was either coffee or punch. Now I can drink it black, but, like you, I prefer it leaded! Also, we're medium weight coffee snobs - gotta buy good coffee beans and grind it just before we use it.
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you on the coffee snobbery. Me too. We grind our beans just before using too. My coffee grinder is one of my favorite kitchen toys. :-)
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