I almost ran out of coffee.

When we arrived in Lakewood, Colorado, I couldn't find my coffee maker, the DRX5. I have to have a cup of coffee every morning, or I get a headache. I'm not addicted, I read that on the web. I just kind of like coffee too much.

So I made life miserable for LWC and Dr. Heimlich, because every morning I had to find coffee somewhere. I even resorted to Starbucks Doubleshots from the convenience store. I'm not addicted, I read that on the web.

Shortly thereafter, I found my beloved coffee maker, and all was well throughout the Front Range. However, I recently ran low and found myself at a downtown Starbucks. The 16th Street Mall is about a mile of downtown that has dozens of stores and eateries. It also has six Starbucks.

A Starbucks sells coffee beans, they don't sell ground coffee. They'll grind it for you for free, but you have to tell them how. There are several ways to do it. "Espresso or brewed?" was the first question. Then she asked me, "Cone or flat bottom?" Fearing that was as personal a question as it sounded, I quickly realized she was referring to my coffee filter.

I have been drinking my brewed flat-bottom grind coffee this week and it's really good. Maybe it's a little coarser than what I buy at the grocery, but it seems to be tastier. Who doesn't want custom ground coffee for free?

I told the barista that maybe I should get a grinder at home and grind my own every morning. She told me that she grinds her coffee the night before, to let the natural oils take some time to come to the surface. Ooh, coffee tech. She said this is called "out gassing." Mmm, yummy.