Coffee training

I've recently made it my business to try to figure out what this coffee thing is all about. I've always been a tea man and I always will, but I've still wanted to understand people who live on the dark side. I guess the mystery simply brews down to the following question: "coffee tastes utterly revolting, so why do so many people drink it?"

The three obvious answers, as far as I can see, are:

1. Coffee is an acquired taste
2. People don't really like coffee, they drink it for the caffeine
3. People don't really like coffee, they drink it because it makes you look grown-up and sophisticated

From anecdotal evidence, all these seem plausible. For example I've known several people who've successfully weaned themselves onto coffee. Furthermore, some people have told me that they only managed to wean themselves to a point where it was 'ok', then they drank it to stay awake or to blend in with other coffee drinkers.

But still, I find it hard to see. Wine and beer are two classic examples of acquired tastes, but I remember them being just about drinkable long before I started actually liking them. Coffee, on the other hand, has always seemed so horrible that surely nothing was ever going to make me like it.

You can meet cute girls like this in coffee shops

Well, it's about time I investigated this. Starting with the girliest coffees I can find (e.g. mochas and lattes) I hope to work my way up through the coffee spectrum and find out if I will ever achieve a state actually liking the stuff.

So far, I've been pleasantly surprised. After just two weeks I'm now knocking back mochas with abandon, and almost enjoying the odd latte. Cappuccino also seems to be just about drinkable.

Stay tuned to find out how it goes, and for some better coffee puns.