Jesuit Inspired Java

Karen Hall at Some Have Hats has a neat link to Jesuit Java.

St. Ignatius blend coffees are available from
Caffe Appassionato, with a portion of the proceeds donated
to support the training of young Jesuits, the care for elder
Jesuits, and the promotion of the ministries most in need
throughout the Oregon Province.

You can shop for the St. Ignatius gourmet blends here. All the coffee blends are certified, shade-grown, and fairly traded coffee.

After four years of college, four years of medical school, three years of residency, and four children, I admit that I have become a caffeine-based life form. I mulled over the idea of giving up coffee for Lent one year but the rest of my family said it would impose an unfair penance upon them. In the early years I would take my coffee any way I could get it: fresh, old, brewed, microwaved, and even instant on occasion. As the years have passed I have developed a set of private rules for coffee drinking.

The first cup of coffee in the morning will be from a ceramic, china or glass cup. It is a bad start to the day if my morning brew must be sipped from plastic, paper, or worst of all, Styrofoam. Later in the day I can manage a plastic to-go mug or a paper cup. Styrofoam is never good, but will do as a container of last resort.

Good, fresh coffee is always best black. If I am making use of the last cup left from the morning and microwaving it in the afternoon, I will add milk.

I do indulge in good coffee. I have a Capresso coffee maker that automatically grinds the beans then brews the coffee. I suppose to assuage my conscience over this luxury I’ve been buying my coffee from a Fair Trade vendor affiliated with Catholic Relief Services. I chose Larry’s Beans because it was the closest to my home. I order my coffee and within two days it arrives. The coffee is delicious and I can feel a little bit better that my dependency has some socially redeeming value.

The St. Ignatius coffee is intriguing. I will pass on the St. Edmund Campion blend since it is decaf. However, spending my morning sipping St. Francis Xavier French Roast Blend might be inspiring. The St. Peter Claver All Day Blend might be just what I need when my calendar gets crazy. This could be fun!