Welcome back to another blog hop, with #OpenBook. Here’s this week’s prompt.
Don’t forget to click the link to see what everyone else has to say on this week’s subject. It’s at the end of my post.
Whatās your favorite hot beverage, and how do you prepare it?

Back in the days when I worked at sea, either as a ship’s officer or later as a Thames pilot, I was often required to stay awake and alert for long periods.
So, I developed a taste for black coffee very early on in my career. As much out of necessity as anything else.
And it was fortunate that I did.
Pilotage, when you never knew which ship you would be boarding, was an environment where fresh milk (or any kind of milk) was non-existent or of dubious provenance.
All that was required was a spoon of instant coffee powder, or if you were really lucky, brewed ground real coffee beans and hot water. There was no chance for anyone to mess it up, no chance of ingesting anything potentially dodgy.
Black coffee was colloquially known, especially on Dutch ships, as Pilot Diesel, because everyone knew it was the fuel that the Pilots all ran on.
Naturally, my addiction (because that’s what it is) to black coffee has stayed with me in retirement. I drink far too much of it, fresh brewed from either whole beans that I grind myself or ready-ground. Depending on what I’ve managed to source.
I buy about a kilo of coffee a week, I’d hate to run out.


As you can see, the machine is well-used. It’s only a year or so old. I make at least one (usually two) jugs of coffee a day. Because my long-suffering wife drinks the occasional single shot topped up with hot milk, I kid myself that I don’t drink too much. But I probably do.
What do you think about this week’s subject?
Let me know by leaving me a comment.
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Until next time.

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Darlene Foster
Hubby loves his coffee too and needs three cups in the morning before he can do anything else. I am a tea drinker and love all kinds of teas, mostly herbal. African Rooibos is a favourite but I will have an Earl Grey from time to time.
Richard Dee
I do like a nice cup of Earl Grey tea, as well as herbal teas. These days, I only drink coffee in the mornings.
Stevie Turner
Wow, that’s a lot of coffee. Do you get a headache or feel unwell if for any reason you don’t drink coffee for a few hours?
Richard Dee
I only drink it in the mornings now I’ve retired and don’t need to stay awake. I’ve never had any sort of withdrawal symptoms, maybe I’m immune?
Steven
Oh I can sympathise fully! I love my daily coffee!
Richard Dee
It makes mornings bearable š
P.J. MacLayne
I never learned to like coffee. I tried, when I first got married, but I never got into the habit.
Richard Dee
On ships, it was always the safest option.
Samantha Bryant
“Pilot diesel” š I love it! @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act
Richard Dee
It describes what it does.