More than just hot, brown and sweet

Anna and I got used to having a cup of coffee in the morning from the time we began living at Chennai in 1983. Its origin was, mainly out of curiosity  to explore why many people waited patiently for a long time to buy freshly ground coffee powder from a shop, located in the adjacent street from our house.  We ordered each time for a mixture of peabery and robusta seeds to be ground, like what most people did. It was only after we moved to Vellore in the mid nineties, that we replaced the mixture of seeds  with peabery brand. The coffee tasted even better.

Our next experiment was to enjoy black coffee and later without sugar. That is when, we realized that the flavor changed significantly when milk and sugar were added to it. We went on to experiment with coffee powder from Coorg, Brazil, Mexico, Srilinka, south Africa, Columbia, etc. Some friends introduced us to Hazel nut coffee. In fact, we got familiar with different flavors that we offered choice of different flavors of coffee when we wanted to serve coffee to visitors. It was during this phase we realized that the flavors depended on the soil chemistry of coffee plantation, the atmospheric humidity, temperature, sunshine, rainfall, etc. The way the seeds were roasted was one of the deciding factors for particular flavor. The international coffee brands choose their seeds and roast, grind and brew to create a particular flavor, which is kept as a secret formula.

Anandit and Aswathy gifted us a coffee seed grinding machine and a coffee making machine while we were living in Pondicherry. It led us to learn even more about coffee and why it tastes differently in each restaurant. There is an art and science of coffee making. It is not just about a drink that is 'hot, brown and sweet'; it is about growing a coffee plantation, roasting the seeds, grounding them and making coffee in the right proportions starting form boiling water in a particular way,  which  are all skilled activities.

I use this as an illustration to suggest that we become more mindful of many routine things we do so that we do not reduce them to be a chores to be gone through. Instead, it  is as much as we give attention and take an interest in what we do, we convert each of our experience to bring freshness to our lives. One advertisement of yesteryears which the Colgate tooth paste manufacturers used to air was, 'speak to your teeth while you brush'. It is all about being present to what is present before you. 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)