by Anders Hamilton

Created on: March 04, 2009   Last Updated: March 05, 2009

Today, as I walked toward my kitchen for that first cup of coffee, my legs had an involuntary response. They kinda quit working... just seemed to want to go in another direction. Apparently, more than my taste buds dreaded the thought of another morning of Folgers "Classic Roast" coffee. I certainly understood where my legs were coming from; I despised the filthy brew as well.

Sadly, a few days earlier I watched the news. The media, being all knowing said the economy was really bad. I fell for their gloomy message. OK, I better save a buck.I know! I'll buy less expensive coffee. It can't really be all that different, can it?

Instead of Italian Roast from the Coffee Beanery, I bought Folgers from Costco. I LOVE Costco, but as you may know they don't exactly specialize in trial sized merchandise.

As a result, I have this big red container of poison. It boasts the following HUGE graphic headline above the branding label: MAKES 380 CUPS! Properly labeled, the graphic would have read: WARNING! WARNING! MAKES 380 CUPS!

I keep reminding myself that I bought this stuff to help save money. Hang in there buddy... Only 375 cups to go. A couple of days ago, I spilled some of the grounds as I was transferring the scoop to my coffee press. It gave me such a warm feeling of hope that I repeated the clumsy act again the next day. At this rate, I might be able to cut the duration of this torturous morning routine down to half the original prison term.

Seriously... Does anyone truly enjoy Folgers "Classic Roast" coffee? Be honest.

I guess I can understand how it can be occasionally tolerated in an office setting when a shot of caffeine is the real motive. But for those of you that like to sit and relax for a few minutes in the morning with your favorite coffee brand, is it really Folgers?

Interestingly, in my Clearwater Beach real estate office we seem to regularly have Folgers brewing. I'm not sure who buys it. It's just there. When a client requests a cup of coffee, I usually suggest we go to one of the nearby restaurants.

For occasions when that is not practical, I cringe and bring a cup from our coffee maker. No one has asked for medical attention yet, but I think it is quite telling that I pour out an awful lot of nearly full cups of coffee once the visit is complete.

My office represents an interesting opportunity and dilemma. Though I am too cheap to put the Folgers where it belongs, I can probably justify donating it to the office. I think that's how the other Folgers "380 CUP" buckets got there. Other agents came up with this brilliant form of disposal as well. Then again, if we keep serving this awful brew to our potential clients...

This whole experience taught me a valuable lesson. Don't watch the media. You might buy Folgers "Classic Roast" coffee.

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