If I were to write a post about all the things I enjoy that are probably not 100% “good for me” then there would be a lot to cover. Most of what I ate Tuesday evening at the Italian restaurant likely falls under the category of, “delicious but possibly life-shortening.”

But don’t get your hopes up, I’m limiting the scope of my confessional to coffee. I love, love, love a good mug of Joe and I am fairly certain I would not could not be a professional writer, or any kind of a teacher at all, absent the ministrations of the divine java.

Java. Joe. Mocha. Mud. Brain Juice. Cup-O’-jolt. Sludge. Dirt. Liquid Energy. Go Juice. High Octane. Rocket Fuel. Brewtus. C₈H₁₀N₄O₂. That last one (if you didn’t already know) is the chemical formula for caffeine. I just threw it in the list to sound – you know – all knowledgeable and erudite. 

My coffee love, however, is not indiscriminate; and it comes with the following caveat: Coffee is important enough that it has to meet certain criteria. In other words, I am fairly particular about what constitutes an acceptable brew. Not so much about making the process complicated as the more fundamental imperative of – simply – not messing it up!

Don’t mess it up!

For example, the original and most common malpractice is “weak and flavorless”! If coffee is too strong, all anyone has to do is add hot water. If it is too weak – “soulless” I like to say – the experience is beyond help.

Ditto the apostasy of added flavoring! French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Butter Toffee, Cinnamon Roll, Caramel, Pumpkin Spice “and the like”. Deploy a flavored creamer if you must, but if the entire pot is contaminated then nothing can be done to save it!

Coffee is best when the origin informs the flavor. I appreciate regional beans from almost every location, so let coffee be coffee. Columbian, Costa Rican, Hawaiian Kona, Sumatran, Kenyan, Jamaica Blue, Green Mountain. I use a very small amount of cream, and no sweetening of any kind.

My new coffee press system:

For brewing technique I like drip, I like percolated, and I like French press; K-cup pods are okay. I enjoy espresso and on occasion a cappuccino; I also appreciate the Cuban Cafe–con–leche. And now – thanks to our son Andrew, I really really like this new AeroPress system (click here for link). I think the simplicity of the process is what makes it work.

Hot liquid, forced under pressure through coffee and a filter, directly into the cup. That is it. Simple and fast and a stunningly smooth flavor. Here’s how it goes.

1. Place filter into fitted end of tube over cup.
2. Put the coffee in the tube.
3. Add boiling water and stir.
4. Wait 30-seconds.
5. Insert plunger and force coffee through filter.
6. Enjoy.

Clean up is a breeze. I can prepare a fresh cup of coffee for each of us in two minutes.

Check out these slides step by step to go with 1-6 above:

Be Alert! Be “Freshly Brewed”

I have talked before about the commitment Rebekah and I have to “Be Awake” spiritually, in terms of listening to God, paying attention to what is going on, understanding the lives of the people around us, and continuing our exploration of the scriptures.

Well, coffee certainly helps!

And, also, sitting down with people over coffee, and learning their stories.

“Preach the word;” the writer of 2 Timothy 4:2 says (in the KJV), and “be instant in season, out of season…” The NIV translates instant to “be prepared.” My paraphrase would be more along the lines of: “Share the Good news; be freshly brewed in season and out of season….”

Cheers, and “good coffee” to you – DEREK