Coffee for me is a non-negotiable.
The persistent narrative of coffee is that it’s the caffeine we all crave. That we need that “boost” of energy to jumpstart the morning, and become some discernible form of productive. It’s treated like a defibrillator instead of the magical elixir it really is.
My morning starts with coffee. Well, cold shower, make bed, glass of water, THEN coffee; but you get it (I doubt I used that semicolon properly). Anyway, I use a Chemex to brew my coffee. I do this for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it takes time. That time is critical to consuming coffee with the right perspective.
Making getting to that first cup of mud a bit laborious goes a long way towards making coffee a want not a need. It builds desire not desperation. Anticipation not anxiety. It slows the frantic start down, and staves off the rush of emails, posts, tasks, etc.
Because of the slower brewing method, I tend to buy higher quality beans as well. Why spend the time brewing coffee that will ultimately taste like dirty sock water? Now my morning is further enhanced by doing something “nice” for myself. I’m treating myself like it’s okay to have good things. Like maybe the voice in my head is wrong, and my value is more than my vocation.
The process and the product also help stimulate my senses with more than just the jitters. Watching the water filter through the grounds and drip delicately into the vessel is a visual masterpiece. The aromatics awaken my mind and imagination as I try to identify flavors and textures, times and places. The morning is turning into an experience not an expectation.
Then comes the actual drinking of the coffee (Did you ever think we’d get there?). This is the culmination, the crescendo. The destination is the same, a cup of coffee. But getting there slowly, treating yourself, feeding the soul; that has a lingering payoff that fast-serve ashtray swill can’t give.
Good things. They’re worth it, and you’re worth them. Cheers.
Currently drinking: Stovetop Coffee Roasters