i grew up hating the smell of coffee... i smelled it brewing every morning while i sat at the table eating my cereal before school, and two friends used to torture me in high school by purposely breathing their stank coffee breath on me for a laugh. i'd hold my breath whenever i passed those coffee shops in the mall that reeked of brewed beans. ick. i stuck to drinking hot tea and loving it.

but, i digress... some things can be forgotten. the last time i was in alabama, i met a friend at a coffee shop and ordered my usual ("usual" being the only thing i would order if i actually went to coffee houses on a regular basis -- which i don't), a mocha. hot chocolate with a splash of coffee. that one cup and i became a convert. i needed more. i flew home a few days later, and in the dallas-fort worth airport, i gave into temptation and stopped by the airport starbucks. grande mocha, por favor.

i arrived back in cali, and by the next grocery store trip i had accumulated a couple tins of instant coffee mixes to experiment with -- adding cocoa powder and sugar and such. my birthday was approaching and i started perusing the espresso machines on amazon.com because i had read that a proper mocha was achieved with a shot of espresso and steamed chocolate milk.

so, to make a long story longer... jon gave me a starter espresso/cappuccino machine for my bday. i got a bean grinder, a frothing pitcher, some huge mugs, and opened up cafe michelle. the rest, as they say, is history.

oh yeah. after all the researching i had done for coffee machines and recipes, i put together a "coffee 101" f.a.q. page. the blind leading the blind, but i'm still learning and it's a starting point for other coffee curious. (and, for all the pro caffeine addicts, that really know this stuff... your suggestions/criticism/corrections are welcome.)