7am Airport Bar

I interviewed a busy family man / business executive about a number of coffee or beer topics. Asked: Please discuss a situation where either coffee or beer could have been the appropriate choice, and how you chose, he first stated:

"In all cases where I could only choose one, I would choose beer, except if I was in an airport bar at 7am with my boss. Then I would get coffee."

Later in our discussion, this man, who we'll call Ben,  painted a picture of an occurrence in which one or the other option (coffee or beer) would be a mutually exclusive consumption.

"It's Saturday or Sunday morning and you wake up in your own home, between 10 and 11. You can either have a coffee and bagel - some kind of bread product... or a beer -- hair of the dog -- and look for some ibuprofen. I always go with the beer because there's the possibility of a mishap from a digestive standpoint with the coffee."

I asked about the digestive concern about coffee. "It's like a natural laxative... things can backfire."

So does choosing the beer exclude having the bagel? "Not necessarily," Ben said. "But it's rare to do so.. the reason you had wanted the bagel or bread was for the carbs," which you obtain from beer "in liquid form."

Plus, "beer and bagel don't really go along from a taste perspective." 

That's true. So, beware readers: once you do commit to and begin consuming a bagel, the deck is stacked against you; looks like you'll be wise to have a coffee--so make sure it's still nearby!

Editors Notes: The interviewed party is of further value to our blog because he managed a quality coffee beanery for 2+ years. In a later post, we'll publish some of his advice regarding coffee buying, roasting, and serving. Subscribe to this blog!