…apart from the fact that it tastes great!
MeditateEven the busiest of specialty coffee lovers in their busy schedules have one or two moments a day when they just stop and let themselves go. That's basically meditation. And no, it doesn't necessarily mean doing yoga. The simple act of making a cup of coffee in the morning is a kind of silent ritual, when only you and your morning brew exist in the world. The water is heating up, the filter is washing, the first drops of this precious liquid fall into your cup, you breathe deeply, thinking of nothing, only in the moment, letting the moment happen... Congratulations, I don't know if you noticed, but you've finished your meditation, and you're ready to start the new day :)
Explore – Drink specialty coffee It means constantly exploring. Exploring coffee itself, different origins, new varieties, new processes, new regions. Coffee goes from being simply coffee to something that's always new, always exciting. Have you tried the Mundo Novo variety? Have you ever had coffee from Guatemala? What kind of Brazilian coffee do you prefer? Do you remember the time when it was "just coffee," just a regular dose of caffeine directly into your veins?
Love – I'm not going to lie when I say that when we go to a restaurant, we expect a chef to love their job, and when we buy clothes, we expect the designer to love what they're doing? Specialty coffee, in many ways, is a product of love. At every level, people in the coffee business love what they're doing. Isn't that a perfect reason to drink it?
Get closer to the product – It's not unusual to find the producer's name on a bag of specialty coffee now. How powerful is that?! Once again, coffee, which used to be completely devoid of personality, is now a product named after the person responsible for growing it. I think this is a huge step toward appreciating the efforts of the people around us in general, and understanding that things don't just appear out of thin air; certain people produce them for us. We're all interconnected. It would be a huge impact to know the names of the people who produced the food in our refrigerator, wouldn't it? We can start with coffee.
Consume locally – Specialty coffee is best when enjoyed freshly roasted, no more than four weeks after the roast date. This is why many people prefer to find local coffee roasters and buy directly from them, ensuring that the coffee they drink will be fresh, even knowing the roast date. This isn't really the case with commercial coffee purchased at the supermarket. By purchasing locally roasted specialty coffee, we support small (or not so small) businesses and contribute to the fact that people in their communities are living better lives.
Appreciate the details – Anyone who has tried to make a “simple” espresso from scratch knows how difficult it is. I mean it. Evaluating the coffee’s potential, “building” the espresso desired in your mind, choosing the ratio, adjusting the grinder, tasting the result, measuring the TDS, adjusting the espresso to the desired extraction rate. All these steps are just to make a small, "simple" espresso. Anyone who starts drinking specialty coffee immediately understands that beauty is in the details, and every detail is important. And absolutely not just in coffee, but in life in general. Starting with your cup of coffee, you end up appreciating more and more every aspect of life that requires effort.
Community Specialty coffee has one of the most dedicated communities around it. As you begin your journey, you'll find more and more people involved in the world of coffee (or discover that some of your friends have been doing it for a while), share your preferences, your discoveries, and expand your perception. New friends, new acquaintances, new people, all centered around one simple thing called "coffee." And you thought it was just a drink, right?
Improve your tasting – in the tasting of everything. This one is simple. When we start paying attention to the coffee we're drinking, we'll want to pay attention to more of the things we're eating. You'll want to try different beers, different cheeses, you'll think about experimenting with new wines. You'll discover that whiskey can be different, bread can be made from different types of flour, and with different levels of fermentation required. You'll try sourdough. Craft beer. Natural wine. You'll expand your palate. And in this way, you'll end up eating more consciously, paying attention to the flavor of products even more than before. You'll be able to savor nuances you never knew existed.
Finding Harmony – Drinking specialty coffee brings peace and harmony to your life. Making coffee in the morning is like a meditation. It brings you closer to the local producer and roaster. It gives you an insight into what it takes to grow a product like coffee and how much love goes into a coffee bean after all the work put into bringing it to your table. Coffee ultimately becomes much more than we ever imagined. And yes, it tastes incredible!
