Sempre e solo Lavazza

I'm half Italian. I love coffee. And by coffee I mean espresso.

I studied in Italy for a few months, which fuelled my caffeine addiction even more. I would literally have a coffee – sorry, espresso – every hour. And real Italian espresso is nothing like the schifezza they drink here: soluble coffee – I can’t mention any brands, but you all know what I’m talking about. Now the problem is my body can’t really handle caffeine very well. I’ve always been a nervous person. My heart rate is always far too high, and yet I can’t resist the temptation.

I bet my boss thinks I can handle stress. After all, I manage to translate very creative texts in the blink of an eye, especially poems, my pièce de résistance! Sorry boss, I panic. A LOT. I’m a perfectionist. And when the going gets tough, the coffee gets poured in industrial quantities.

I’ve tried switching to tea – peppermint, lemon, raspberry, even chamomile. My taste buds hated it. Subtle flavours, yuck! I need the kick of espresso. Lavazza. Yes, it has to be that particular brand. I refuse to drink anything else.

I know coffee breaks are a big thing in offices – people get together, gossip, enjoy a sweet treat and get away from it all for a few minutes, all while sipping a delicious cup of black gold. In my case, coffee is my main source of hydration. So wrong, I know. I’m forcing myself to drink more water, but when you’re freaking out over a deadline, your dog is barking like mad because he needs to go for a wee and your e-mail server is blocking all your outgoing messages, water is not exactly the best pick-me-up. Maybe in those cases I should just scream beam me up!

Heart-shaped coffee spill... Coincidence? I think not!