Hazelnut Hajj

I never used to be much of a coffee drinker, but these days I find myself in grumpy mode until the caffeine has done its very important work. Then again, that's usually just on weekdays, so maybe it's not that I need the actual drug -- perhaps it's just that the drug helps me deal with the first stressful hour of work. Hmm.

In any case, my coffee habit started in Providence, RI, where, if you don't like Dunkin' Donuts coffee they take away your driver's license. It's just unamerican. So, being good patriots, someone at work would make a Double D coffee run every morning. Back then I drank iced coffee -- you know, the training wheels for the casual coffee drinker.

We don't have Dunkin' Donuts in Nebraska (for shame!) so after I moved to Omaha I gave up coffee altogether. But then I discovered an amazing thing -- you can order DD coffee online. Miracle of miracles! I love the internet.

So, the addiction began again. I set up a coffee subscription, ordered two pounds of hazelnut and it was on. Where once I was drinking iced coffee with milk, now my morning travel mug carries 16 ounces of black power.

But my addiction isn't my real concern -- it's my drug of choice. I've noticed lately that my beloved Dunkin' Donuts hazelnut roast has lost the taste I've always known and loved. Has the economy forced DD to cut corners? Is the new packaging causing a chemical reaction that dulls the formula? Or maybe it's the saddest thing of all -- maybe it's me. Perhaps, like any addict, I'm seeking more and more from the same formula. The drug hasn't changed; rather, I now demand more from it, forever seeking the magic of that first taste much like the addict strives to recatpure that first high.

I think there are two courses of action:

1. Immerse myself in the Dunkin' Donuts love, accept it for what it is, and remember I still prefer it above all other coffees. How will I accomplish this? Easy: win free coffee for a year.

2. I need to get back to my roots. Home-brewed DD will never match a cup straight from the source (although, note that the home brew does offer the "what-is-that-homeless-guy-doing-in-the-corner?"-free option). It's time for my pilgrimage to Mecca -- I need to get myself to Dunkin' Donuts. Thankfully, I'll be in Providence in May. You might want to buy DD stock now...