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"I
have measured out my life with coffee spoons."
T.S. Eliot
"When
you wash your hands, when you make a cup of coffee, when you're waiting for the
elevator - instead of indulging in thinking, these are all opportunities for
being there as a still, alert presence." Eckhart Tolle
In a world bereft of certainty, beset with all
manner of depression, anxiety, divisiveness, and strife, there stands tall a
pillar of steamy, reassuring stability. From the sprawling city-scape of Seoul,
South Korea, to the minaret lined streets of Istanbul, Turkey to
the neighborhood Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts or their very own kitchen counters
people from myriad walks of life, income brackets, spiritual persuasions, and occupations
find solace and strength in their daily cup of coffee.
Whether taken black, or with cream, no sugar,
cream and sugar, cream and honey, sugar, no cream, or in the frothy form of a
holy host of espresso beverages, this soothing nectar provides more than just
caffeinated stimulation to the masses. It serves as an opportunity for absolute
control and freedom of choice, to have something truly "our way" a
midst the unrelenting waves of external forces that seemingly lay beyond our control:
the lane closing accident on the freeway on the way to work, a system wide
computer crash at the office, little Mikey or Susie being cut from the youth
travel basketball team, or, to use a more recent example, the mind numbing
election of a badly spray tanned former reality star/business mogul to the
highest office in the land of the free, home of the brave.
And yet the sustenance our earthy elixir provides is
fleeting. Almost as quickly as it arrived it is gone, often after our first
sip, as we rush away from the counter or out the front door, our minds once
again inundated with the day's worries and troubles. What a horrific waste of
one of Nature's most soothing balms! At
the risk of being labeled Pollyannaish I submit that rather than merely serving
as an accessory to amplifying our anxiety, the act of brewing and drinking our
daily coffee can be utilized as a form of centering meditation.
The methods used to prepare it are as diverse as
those who drink it: Whether via Nespresso and K-Cup machines, French Press,
Aero Press, cone filter, and the old reliable drip pot, I have procured quality
cups from them all. However, I am partial to the cone method. I find it to be
the most hands on of all of the aforementioned methods, and thus the most
conducive to achieving a state of meditative focus.
To begin: Upon rising to meet the day, I warm my
porcelain # 4 style Melitta filter with hot water, to insure the maximum flavor
is drawn from the roast in tandem with the boiling water. Next I slowly and
attentively fill my electric kettle with bottled spring water. While I often
find tap water to be stale and lacking the same vitality as its bottled
brethren, it is all a matter of personal taste. If one is able to procure a
lively cup from the tap, by all means. To lift a line from the sitting Pope,
who am I to judge?
Once the kettle has been filled and turned on I turn
my attention back to the cone, applying the brown paper filter. After crimping
the bottom and side edges of the filter, to again insure maximum draw of the
roast, I set about perhaps the most sensitive aspect of the brewing process:
the measuring of the grind. When it comes to the taste of the grind itself most
folks’ roast preferences run the gamut, but I am a through and through believer
in the virtues of dark roast taken strictly black. It is, in my estimation, the
most robust, rich, and alive of all, still teeming with the earthy spirit of
the soil where it was conceived and bred. With but one scent of it I am lifted
on high into glorious rapport with the vibrancy of Creation!
But enough hyperbole, however warranted. I then
reach for my trusty tablespoon. In the vein of a devout Catholic, Muslim, Hindu
or Buddhist, silently thumbing their respective prayer beads, I measure a hearty
tablespoon and with the same reverence place it into the waiting womb of the
filter. Though the recommended ratio is six ounces of hot water for every two tablespoons, I add in two more to again reap as much flavor as possible. By this
time the water is coming into the home stretch of boiling; I then prepare my
porcelain mug in the same manner as the filter, warming it with hot water,
before placing the cone over it.
As the kettle reaches its crescendo I
immediately flick it off, swiftly but steadily pouring the water over the
grounds, and letting gravity work its magic. Within moments I am seated at the
kitchen table, glorious cup in hand, enjoying the scene of unfolding morning
all about me. From this vantage point, I can see that all is indeed "good,
and very good."
I can imagine the protests of my fellow postmodernists
who will insist that such a "silly" practice simply cannot be done,
that there is not enough time in a morning. To them I will reply with the old
maximum, that "can't means won't." My own "silly" practice doesn't
take more than five to ten minutes at the most, and is far more satisfying than
trepidatiously hitting the snooze button and rolling over for ten minutes of
angst ridden "sleep", if it can be even considered as such. I am all
too aware of the fact that old habits die hard, but a little short term pain is
well worth the long term gain of fostering true appreciation for the manifold -
and I daresay transcendental - qualities of a nice cup of coffee.
* If you enjoyed this post, check out my foray into the world of verse through my recently published poetry collection, Lines of Life and Vision, available in both Kindle and Paperback on Amazon, along with my recent edit, complete with introduction, of the self-help classic The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles, the book which helped inspire The Secret. Thank you!
