I have to confess to having too many coffee cups in my kitchen cabinets. This morning as I opened the cabinet and reached for my favorite coffee mug, I had the fleeting thought of thinning my supply of coffee cups. The thought quickly left as I realized I cannot part with any of them. Each cup or mug is important. Unless I have company, I usually drink from one of four favorite mugs (2 – 16 ounce glass coffee mugs and 2 -16 ounce ceramic mugs). I also have my second favorite mugs which are 12 ounce ceramic mugs from Hershey Park.

The rest of my mugs are for company or cups that I hold onto for sentimental reasons. There are eight cups that match my dinnerware. My children use these cups for their hot chocolate and when they want to dunk cookies in milk. I will also use them when I have company for dinner.

Of course I also have a couple of cups that my children have given me, that I will always keep, but there are other sentimental cups in my cabinets. These cups belonged to my mother.

There are two sets and I keep them because they bring back many different memories. Even though these are not the same cups I remember growing up, since these cups belonged to my mom they bring back childhood memories. The original coffee cups from my childhood are long gone, broken and discarded many years ago. I treasure my mom’s last two sets of coffee cups . Though she didn’t buy theses cups until I was an adult the last sets of coffee cups still bring back many years of memories.

I remember as a young child I loved to dip a piece of buttered bread in my mom’s cup of coffee. She never seemed to mind the butter that melted off the bread and floated in her coffee. I remember when my grandparents lived with us and how they and my mom sat in the kitchen drinking coffee. I remember how proud I was the day I was able to make a pot of coffee for my mom.

Once I began drinking coffee as a teenager we always seemed to enjoy time together over a cup of coffee. Almost every day when I got home from school and mom came home from work, we took time for coffee. It was always a time we could talk and relax. My friends and I also enjoyed going to the diner for burgers and coffee, all long before Friends and Starbucks. When I went away to college, my mom and I continued to drink coffee together though separated by hundreds of miles. When we called on the phone we always seemed to catch each other just as we sat down with a cup of coffee. I also looked forward to my trips home and once again sitting down to coffee together.

After the birth of my children my coffee breaks when they were babies were often spent on the phone with my mom, my sister, brothers or friends. I also looked forward to my weekly visits with my mom. We always had a cup of coffee. Those coffee breaks with mom were great for both of us. We enjoyed the time spent together and she enjoyed seeing her grandchildren.

No matter what was going on in my life, I could count on those cups of coffee to bring a little sanity back into my life. Through tough times and happy times, a cup of coffee just seemed right.

Through the years my mom and I shared many cups of coffee. As my mom’s cancer progressed, she still looked forward to that cup of coffee. During her final day as I sat at home with her I put on a pot of coffee for us. I poured her a cup in her favorite Yankees mug even though I knew she could not drink it. I sat and spoke just like we used to, knowing she could hear me.

When my mom passed we put her favorite mug in with her, it just seemed right. I kept her other coffee mugs. It’s almost five years since my mom passed away, yet it seems like yesterday. On certain days when things get a little hectic, I have coffee in one of her mugs. When I’m done I wash it by hand and put it back in the cabinet.

Those coffee cups hold much more than a cup of coffee, they hold memories. I can’t throw away memories, can you?

I am often asked “Which do you drink – coffee or tea?” The simple answer is that I drink both. Not being evasive that’s just how it is. I like both and I drink both, just usually not at the same time.

In the morning I want coffee, actually more like I need to have coffee. Just about the first thing I do is put on a pot of coffee. After the first cup I am somewhat ready to face the world but at a minimum, I need another cup. I should also mention that when I say cup I really mean 12 ounce mug.

Morning break-time usually means another cup of coffee or a cup of hot tea. I drink a variety of teas – black teas, green teas, oolong and even herbal. If I choose coffee this will be a flavored coffee or a more traditional French roast or Colombian brew.

Afternoon breaktime is often a cup of hot tea, coffee or I’ll opt for a cup of cappuccino. If I feel a need, I’ll have an extra shot of espresso in the cappuccino. If it’s hot out I’ll usually have a fresh brewed iced tea.

Now that you know more than you wanted to about my coffee and tea habits, I’ll confess just one more thing. During the summer, along with my breaktime coffee, I’ll often have a tall glass of iced tea. So yes, I am known to drink coffee and tea at the same time.

Recently I went on a business related trip. It was wonderful to see friends from my online world. Some I had met on previous occasions, others I had only dealt with in the virtual world. Of course, many others I was just getting to know for the first time. It would be fair to say that most, if not all of us, had a great time. We reveled at the chance to talk face to face with both our business associates and our business competitors.

Working online is a dream of many. One thing that is often missing is the time spent with co-workers on break time and lunchtime. With regular jobs, those times are frequently used for forgetting work for at least a brief moment. It becomes okay to talk about a movie you saw, a great restaurant you found or even how loud your spouse or significant other snored keeping you awake. Sometimes we may even have a business lunch and combine business and pleasure.

Today many more people are telecommuting or otherwise working online. Gone are the breaktimes or lunchtimes spent with others. My business trip was a reminder that I really miss that part of working. Whether talking business or just talking about yesterday’s rain we need that time, connecting with co-workers or associates in a social sense. Ims, emails, twitters and even phone calls started up again as soon as I returned home and I always have a cup of coffee nearby but it’s a little different than a true coffee break. Of course there will be more business trips and even regular get togethers with my online friends, but that daily coffee break is harder to manage.

And so this blog is born. Each time I blog you’ll know I’m also having a cup of coffee or tea. Maybe I’ll talk business or talk about the almost 3.5 inches of rain that fell yesterday, the bitter cold or anything else that comes to mind. Call it my little coffee break.

After a brief hiatus Coffee Break has returned. The CoffeeandTeatime.com blog made its first appearance late in the summer of 07. We took a coffee break and are now proud to be back.

In case you are a new visitor here’s a little history of Coffeeandteatime.com. I began this website a few years ago. As you may guess I really enjoy drinking coffee and tea. It is not just the taste, the flavor and the aroma of good coffee or tea that I enjoy. A great thing about coffee or tea is that it is break time, a respite from the pressures of life.

Although it began as only coffee and tea we slowly added related products, information and reviews. We are in the process of completing a website facelift and will of course announce the completion here.

We review coffee, tea, brewing systems and other kitchen items. We have a lot of information as well as how-to’s. Some of our more popular articles are on how to brew the perfect cup of coffee or tea, how to choose a coffeemaker, selecting bakeware and many more. And of course we show you where to shop for the best selections.

Several times throughout the week I’ll blog about different things. Read the next post titled “Time for Coffee Break” for more on what this blog is all about.

Until next time.