The coffee I buy is allways on sale for around $4.50 a pound and comes in a sealed bag at the grocery store. Sometimes it's ground and sometimes it's whole-bean. If it's whole bean, I grind (misnomer) it in the Vitamix till it's finer than normal grind). I use the larger French Press and use two heaping tablespoons followed by boiling water. In the 20oz coffee cup, I put about an ounce of sweet creamer and a heaping tablespoon of hot-chocolate mix before using a wisk between my palms to froth the mix. Then I add the coffee and let sit for a couple minutes while I get ready to begin homework. This is all done around 4:30-5:00a.m. every morning. It takes me till about 10:00 to finish the carafe of coffee, put everything away and begin my work day.
If I'm riding for endurance on the bicycle (50+ miles), I'll make another carafe of stronger coffee, let it cool and pour it over ice into two 200oz water bottles to suppliment the 100-ounces of water in my CamelBack. Coffee inhibits the body's ability to utilize "instant energy" sugars stored in the muscles, saving it for later in the ride when I'm beginning to "wind down". I find it's a great strategy for any endurance ride when I anticipate not getting into the anaerobic zone, above 80% max-heartrate or over 190-watts power-output. Most people call this the "fat-burn" mode, which is why I like to ride endurance in this mode. While it still burns the same number of calories, in the aerobic-zone, I burn fat and not sugars as I would in the anaerobic zone (not that you could tell by my waiste-line...LOL).
I quit drinking coffee once. It was the longest hour of my life! All kidding aside, I did quit for more than two-years after a Tony Robbin's (Ultimat Power Within) Seminar. I had the worst four-day headache of my life! I eventually went back to coffee when I decided to get off Adderall. Even though Adderall was magic stuff for homework, I didn't want to do anything else BUT work or homework and quickly became a really boring person. I sacrificed work and homework for family and friends; not a good trade...well, mabe sometimes...LOL. Coffee helps me to concentrate and stay focused on the task at hand without "loosing myself" in the process AND it becomes part of the homework or dissertation pre-regiment that gets my brain-juices flowing before I actually sit down and begin my research. While slow-released Adderall is working for up to twelve-hours, the effects of coffee is over after three hours when static and 20-minutes or less when on the bike in anaerobic training. Coffee also allows me to remain well rounded and able to balance school, work and play while still keeping the big picture in sharp focus; someting I couldn't do when I was on Adderall. While on Adderall, I would have never considered attempting the EC! Adderall made me more "normal", removing much of the impulsive aspects that make me who I am, such as jumping out of bed a 3:00a.m. for a "quick" 4-hour nighttime paddle to the bridge and back. Although I still drive my wife BONKERS she still likes me a lot more off Adderall than on Adderall. The worst part of not being on Adderall is that...oh look at that pretty bird...what's that wire doing on the ground...what was I talking about...LOL.
Sorry to get off-topic. It comes with the territory and helps to explain my love-relationship with coffee