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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Coffee Snob


Yes, that’s right, I’m a coffee snob. My snobbery goes back to every morning of my childhood waking up to my dad grinding the coffee beans at 6 a.m. I truly believe I wake up naturally now every morning at that exact time because of my coffee grinding alarm clock as a child. My father loved to go to the coffee store and pick out his perfect blend.

Every morning, he would grind the beans, boil the water and get his Melita filter out and hand pour the hot water to the top of the white paper filter, wait for it to drain and pour again until the glass coffee pot was full.

I think I started drinking coffee way before any of my friends. I remember when I would sleep over at my friend’s houses, they would sleep in and I would be up with their parents having breakfast and talking over coffee. I loved the smell of it and the taste. Back then I loved it black. I loved coffee so much that when I started working at Young and the Restless, they had what tasted like day old coffee that had been re-heated. I got my own coffee maker for my dressing room. When I started working with Doug Davidson (Paul) another coffee connoisseur, we decided we would put the coffee maker in his dressing room and put a lock on the drawer we kept it in so no one would take our beloved coffee maker or the dark French roast coffee I ground for us every day we worked. One of the funniest stories Doug just told me and he tells me many, is that the drawer we thought was so safe, was not. Years later when he was working with Lauralee Bell (Christine) they put a valuable camera in the drawer, only to find it stolen! How could that be?! There is a lock on the drawer! Well, we are all such genius', that we never realized that to have a secure drawer you need a secure bottom to the drawer above it, so no one can just take out the drawer above and reach in and grab whatever is in the locked drawer?! Doug told me this story recently and we must have laughed for 10 minutes straight. It never occurred to me that that could ever happen.

Ok, back to my snobbery. I started to have break outs on my cheeks and for the life of me couldn’t figure out why. I went to my homeopathic doctor who told me it was coffee. I told him he didn’t know what he was talking about. He said, “You are allergic to coffee! Try something for me, don’t drink it for 30 days and see what you think.” I couldn’t think of anything worse than giving up my companion… coffee. Reluctantly, I did and within 24 hours, I had my answer, clear skin, crap! How am I going to get through the next 29 days. He only said 30 days, right? I barely made it and on day 30, I was in line at my favorite coffee shop, ready for a fix. I had my latte and was sooo happy. I was cured! Until the next morning, OH NO!! Red spots all over my cheeks! I was allergic! So I had to give it up... but then found tea! I grew up in London. I drank tea all the time. I tried not to feel left out when everyone was having cappuccinos after dinner and tried to be fine while everyone sipped their coffees every morning. I tried desperately not to get sucked in by that full-bodied aroma. Well, if I couldn’t drink coffee then I was going to do tea like nobody’s business. I started collecting teapots, which I still do to this day.


I had enough tea paraphernalia to open my own teashop! Of course, I had to have black tea with strawberries flown in by my favorite store, Fortnum and Mason in England. I had to do it BIG! I grew to love my tea. I love Jasmine pearl tea too, which costs almost as much as dinner at Spago!


Another is fresh mint leaves in a pot of hot water and for extra zest, you can add fresh ginger slices too. Incredible smell and incredible taste!

So, it had been years since I had had coffee. My son, Austin was going to turn 21 and we had this grand idea that on his 21st birthday, we should be sipping champagne in Paris! So off we went with my boyfriend, Aaron, whose birthday is the day after Austin’s.









We rented a flat in the 7th arrondissement, close to the Eiffel tower. The flat we rented came with an espresso machine called Nespresso. Well, there went everything! I decided to try the espresso. Guess what? No breakouts! I drank latte’s in Versailles, drank them on the Champs de Elysees …everywhere! Oh, coffee, how I missed you!! Now I still drink tea but need my latte’s! Now, here’s the catch. I’m now the biggest coffee snob ever.

I love my Nespresso machine so much that I looked into buying a carrying case so I could travel with it, some people take their dogs on the plane, me; my espresso machine.


Love the organic coffee house out here in Malibu, not far from my house, Cafecito Organico.


I also love the little coffee joint in the Farmer’s market called SO- Single Origin.

I have drawn Hunter Haley King (Summer on Y and R) into my coffee web. She is now my coffee buddy and we make coffee runs at work. I’m the one wait staff at restaurants hates because if the latte’s aren’t good, I will send them back…terrible, I know. I can’t quite do the big coffee chains either. The taste has to be just…PERFECT - like my morning coffee made with love ( Aaron makes a foamy sign of devotion for me in my morning coffee ).


42 comments:

  1. Love your coffee story. Oh I can just smell the aroma of my favorite cappuccino!I started coffee in university but became a "coffee snob" when we went on a sabbatical to Europe. We returned to North America and my taste for coffee was shall I say more discriminating. I can so relate to what you describe.Nothing worse than that mediocre latte! When my office mate brought in a small nespresso machine - it was like we created our own little corner of Paris.I don't drink as much coffee as I used to but when I do I make it count!
    Do you drink decaf?I have yet to find one I really like!

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  2. Do you like Timmie's coffee, when you are in Canada? I don't drink coffee, i only drink tea!

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  3. We have a Nespresso machine and take it on trips too! The first thing I do when I stumble out of bed is head straight to the machine and hit the on switch to get it ready for a shot. We have the exact glass cups with wire handles shown on the table in your Paris shots.

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    1. So glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks like that! and what are the odds you have the same cups! wow!

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  4. I am also a coffee snob, so much so that I bought a home roaster about 15 years ago! I, too, have an espresso machine that gets a workout. Loved your story, love knowing you are a fellow unapologetic worshipper at the altar of "Joe."
    But tell me.....which one is Austin and which one is Aaron? Work it, girl! (ツ)

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    1. Please Olivia my boyfriend isn't THAT young and glad to know you are a coffee snob too!

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  5. I'm a de-caf girl myself... and very particular about my coffee! Given my last name, I created my own label of coffee - and found the BEST local roaster EVER! Having the beans locally roasted makes a HUGE difference. I made a video and you can see the guy who does all the work himself. The beans are imported from all over the world, but roasted right here in the LA area. Check it out: http://www.coffeybuzz.com xoxo

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  6. love the story and the pics too, looks like fun times, you have lots of good memories with your Dad, and I do love teapots too, I have a few, but no room to start a collection ha ha thanks for sharing....

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  7. Love Paris and great coffee so I loved your blog and the pics! Isn't it interesting how something simple like coffee that engages our senses can weave past and present memories together!
    And as for tea, Fortnum and Mason's has awesome variety.Best strawberry tea I've found! My brother-in-law in London sends me favorites.

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  8. So can anyone at anytime suddenly become allergic to coffee? I wonder, I hope not I need my coffee - but I still get pimples at my age....old...

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    1. Strangely, mine were on my cheeks, which can mean allergy. Here's an odd fact, coffee can surpress your immune system so if you ever aren't feeling well, stop coffee until you feel better. That's what my doctor told me

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  9. I, too, began drinking coffee at a young age. I think I was in elementary school (Is that bad? Too late now...) I started drinking coffee because I wanted to be just like my grandpa, who drank his coffee black every morning. He used to tell me coffee would turn my knees black and put hair on my chest. Fortunately, neither has happened (Thank God!) I now work at Starbucks and sometimes feel as if I'm a traitor to all coffee lovers everywhere...but hey, I'm a chick who just graduated from grad school, so I'll take the all the free coffee I can get, ha!

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    1. haha, hey, you gotta do what you gotta do! Happy latte to you!

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  10. Beautiful pics :) My Italian grandmother used to make espresso in a stove-top pot & sneak it to me when i was 6. By the time i was 10, she'd occasionally spike it with Sambuca. Love the tea pots. I have one that matches my cat.

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    1. Love that story Rob. funny who last few comments bring about memories of parent and grandparents and coffee!

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    2. Yes, my Nana is the reason I watch Y&R also. So in a weird way, she's why I am even following your blog, talking about coffee today :)

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  11. Love your story about coffee and I find that making a cup of it at home is way better than any I've been able to get from anywhere. I enjoy teas, too. I like herbal ones but prefer the darker teas that taste delicious with a little cream and stevia.

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  12. Love it... I feel the same way I became s coffee snob at a job. We barely had time for lunch breaks and this kid said to me who needs lunch when there's coffee. He said it makes u loose weight and u will detox lol. So I started and 25 yrs later Im still a coffee snob. I moved to Korea and did the tea thing too It was great and I have plenty of tea pots latter but nothing takes the place of my coffee. Home sweet home coffee/expresso lover I am.

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  13. Love your story Tracey I CD ant drink coffee it don't like me so I drink decaf tea

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  14. Nothing like a great latte!Love your teapots!I don't collect them but I do have special cups that I favor for my tea and coffee at home. I swear my coffee or tea tastes better in these cups!Kinda makes a simple ceremony out of an everyday routine.Do you limit coffee to mornings?

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    1. That's funny. I'm the same way about my cups! I agree, there is something special about that.

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  15. I knew there was a reason I liked you for more than your wonderful portrayal of Lauren on Y&R. I adore coffee (Dunkin Donuts Decaf rules!)and I also love collecting coffee mugs. My love affair began in my childhood. My mother had an old fashioned wooden coffee grinder and my job every day was to put the coffee beans in the grinder and turn the handle for my Mom's favorite brew. When she passed away, the keepsake I requested was her coffee grinder. It sits on top of my kitchen cabinets next to two of her pastel still life drawings. It makes me smile every time I look at it. Coffee means love to me and it's a loving connection with my mother.

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    1. Love what you wrote. What a beautiful memory of your mom, made me smile

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  16. I love the smell of freshly brewed coffee., and I have my special cups. Seems to taste better for some reason.

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  17. See, it took me awhile to ever try coffee but once I did, there's really no going back. And girl, I definitely understand your need to have it taste a certain way, I'm like that too! People say, what's the difference, it's all caffeine! And to that I say, no .. that's not the point. I actually see coffee as an art because of how many ways it can be made, and that the one that you opt for is kind of like that painting that describes you! Haha, I hope I don't sound too crazy, but I think we can agree that if one's coffee isn't just right, there is no point in having it at all!

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  18. I was smiling reading your blog. I too love my coffee!I SO enjoyed your story and pics.Brought back memories of a family trip to Paris and morning coffee with my dad. He loved that European coffee culture.
    Love my Nespresso too!Makes those early mornings doable!

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  19. Love this Tracey! You have a wonderful life. I love the concept of conscious living. I've been practicing yoga for 16 years and it really helps.

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  20. Read this while drinking my morning coffee--strong and black. I laughed when I read about you bringing your espresso machine along with you. You weren't kidding when you said you were a coffee snob. :) Your son is a cutie. Aaron is so sweet making that heart in your foam! Yes, you are a lucky woman. I was surprised at how you could take such a simple subject and make it so interesting--keep 'em coming!

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  21. This was such a nice article. I'll be waiting for your next blog soon. By the way, I'm a coffee snob too. I don't drink tea, cold drink etc. I like coffee, coffee, and the only beverage - coffee! My mother says that I would get addicted to it. I just laugh it off. :)

    Regards,
    Finn Felton
    Kopi Luwak

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  22. your story just made me hold on to it till the end and i am also more or less like you in the case of coffee. Well try this once , it's awesome i had and now it's your turn.
    Kopi Luwak

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  23. This post makes me laugh...I've tried to go coffee free several times, but always go back, and it's such a relief! I think it's in my DNA, lol. It's funny, I always saw Lauren drinking only tea, so I thought that you didn't drink coffee for health reasons (which I guess is true, in a way...), but I'm glad to know that you're a coffee lover too. Something that's been popular for centuries has to be good! :)

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  24. Hi Tracey, I think your amazing. I just started drinking coffee and am in love with it. I drink it no sugar and cream is it bad I LOVE cream??? ANd can you share alittle bit of your diet, you look amazing and id love some tips, Im trying to lose 30 lbs, and would love some advice!!! Thanks for your blog. love it!!!

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  25. Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

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