To begin with...

...coffee and writing are closely linked in my mind. No, not linked, they are intertwined. Imagine an imaginary thread called Coffee and another imaginary thread called Writing and tangle them into a big tight colourful ball that any cat would kill for. They are also among my favourite things. No girls in white dresses and long golden tresses for me (as they make me think of dead brides who haunt highways), a pen, journal, and a coffee is all I need to brighten my day. 
There is an art and craft to write and appreciate writing also to make coffee and appreciate coffee. Doing both is important to my existence. And I mean if-I-can-only-take-two-things-then-I-will-save-my-journals-and-coffee-mugs-from-my-burning-house important.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am super serious and superstitious about my coffee. I have different mugs for different kinds of coffee- black, cold, hot and filter. There is a separate mug for milk and another for hot chocolate. Oh and one more for juice. You cannot mix categories because otherwise it won’t taste right and unbalance the natural rhythm of the universe. This categorization has also made me realise an unusual psychic ability- whenever friends come over for coffee, I can always guess which mug they will choose. This further helps me make value judgements about the kind of person they are, simplifying my own life a great deal. What’s more, I can also tell if you like your coffee bitter or sweet. And yes, that too helps me judge you. Just fyi, if you like your coffee too sweet, you obviously lack courage in life.

I believe I write better when I have a mug-full of coffee by my side. Some of my best work- stuff that leaves me stumped at my own genius- is ALWAYS accompanied by a coffee. I went through this phase once when I simply could not write if I wasn’t sipping coffee at the same time. That led me to the regular healthy practice of “quitting” coffee every once in a while so that I don’t get addicted. The pleasure lies in indulgence, dear reader, not addiction. Plus I’m paranoid about addiction. Well, that and germy hands.

Anyway, perhaps someday I’ll write an Ode to Coffee which will get published posthumously and make me famous (for all the wrong reasons), for now my blog is dedicated to my Sanity Keepers. Lately I have developed quite a taste for ice blended ones. Even though it’s relatively cool these days, I manage to sneak in a mug some afternoons. You can join me-

One Ice Blended Coffee:-

Coffee

Sugar

Ice

Milk

Water

Drop in a heaped spoonful of coffee powder with a spoonful of sugar in a mug. To this, add a little more than half a spoon of water. Now beat the three together making clinkity-clonkity fun-for-yourself but annoying-for-others noises till you get a thick paste that’s a pale brown and so creamy and thick that it doesn’t fall off the spoon. If you can’t do this you either a) put too much water, b) are too lazy c) just plain suck at making coffee and should be ashamed of yourself. But, once you do get it right, add 4-5 ice cubes and stir them around gently till they melt a bit. Once there’s a considerable film of condensation on the outside, pour in the milk from a distance of at least half a foot from the mug. Stir it all together until the sugar melts and add more ice if you want. It’s now ready to be your slave for life and you can sit back/stand/lie down/half recline/contort yourself into any posture that’s conducive to drinking coffee and sip away.

Feel free to drop in a comment and say thanks for the best homemade ice blended coffee in the world.

More later. Much more.