My mug of Mountain Blueberry Coffee is half full as I write. I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish without brewing another one.

The aroma of fresh coffee is often in the air at my house. We’ve cut down on the number of trips to Dunkin’ Donuts, but not the number of trips to our new coffee maker. Before it’s over, we may be searching for a 12-step program, one that doesn’t have a coffee maker in the back of the room.

I don’t know who recommended a Keurig but ours arrived just before Christmas.

For those not initiated into the club, the Keurig is a single-cup brewer that uses tiny dispensers known as a K-Cup.

We threw out our old coffee maker, plugged in our Keurig and we’re enjoying the experience. We’re not alone. Sales doubled in 2011 and according to market research, 46 percent of the money spent on coffee makers in the United States is being spent on single-cup models.

Sellers prey on those of us who never finish a full pot of coffee. Most of it ends up going down the drain.

This new gadget allows us to brew a single cup in record time. Besides that, it makes a lot of interesting noises that make you think something is going on.

My generation grew up on percolators that boiled coffee on the top of the stove.

Then came models you plugged into the wall and there was always instant coffee so strong that you could use it to strip paint off the wall. More recently there was Mr. Coffee and all his friends.

We have never thought about coffee coming from Brazil or Colombia. We thought it came from A&P. Flavors were never considered. The only question was cream, sugar or black?

Even in those simpler times, coffee became a legend. Stories grew around Sheik Omar of Mocha. He was exiled to a cave and lived off berries growing outside the entrance to the cave where he lived. There was Bach and his cantata about a dependence on the bitter beverage.

There was Morning Joe, and Coffee Breaks and Coffee Houses. There were cliches such as “Wake up and smell the coffee,” or “Don’t criticize my coffee for you may be old and weak one day,” or “I make serious coffee -- so strong it wakes up the neighbors.”

Coffee is part of our society. A few years ago, we didn’t have a Starbucks. Now, there are three in Columbus.

Not long ago, there was Fountain City Coffee on Broadway. Now Uptown also has the Coffee Beanery, the Grist Mill and, most recently, City Falls. Each one offers caffeine and conversation.

But there’s nothing like putting your hands around a cup of something hot while you’re relaxing at home. So if you’ll pardon me, I need another cup. Think I’ll have hazelnut this time.

Richard Hyatt is an independent correspondent. He is also found at www.richardhyattcolumbus.com.