“It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity.” – Dave Barry

“No matter what historians claimed, BC really stood for ‘Before Coffee.’ ” – Cherise Sinclair

One of the fun things about having our son Andrew home was sharing our mutual love of great coffee.

Of course, and because he lived in Italy almost six years, Andrew is a bit of an aficionado when it comes to caffè… and pasta… and vino… and all things (the many good and wonderful) Italian.

Last year he introduced me to the unrivaled – and all-American – AeroPress coffee system (see “Being Freshly Brewed – and Elevating the Coffee Experience“). Then this year – again for my birthday – Andrew added the Knock Aergrind coffee grinder. Talk about something highly specialized from someone who appreciates the very best!

So very very good!

Anyway, it has taken me a while to begin using the new fancy grinder (in my defense we have been a little tied up with projects recently). But Tuesday, having been tutored by watching Andrew, I used it for the first time and I could immediately appreciate the difference.

Part of the wonderful goodness that comes from the grind may be the investment of so much attention for a single cup of coffee.

“Exhibit A” would be my standard carafe of most excellent freshly brewed drip. I can pour several mugs of coffee over a couple of hours.

“Exhibit B” is me pulling out the Knock Aergrind, preparing enough fresh ground coffee for one mug, then putting the freshly ground coffee beans into the AeroPress and forcing it through the single-use filter to make a single mug of amazing coffee.

Maybe the ritual, the careful preparation (and the anticipation that comes with all that work) cultivates an ethos where the final product will taste even better? Maybe. But that is exactly what happens at the coffee shop, when I order a cappuccino and the barista works intensely for a good ten minutes before I get my single serving.

We live in such a mass-production culture, an era where everything is almost instantly available, that I am beginning to believe doing things like investing a good fifteen minutes to make one individual cup of coffee is actually a really good idea!

This is a spiritual/philosophical truth too. Here are the alternatives:

• Turn on the television to watch your favorite megachurch preacher… or,
• Make plans, get dressed, walk or drive down the street to your neighborhood church, sit in a pew and pray before the service begins, rest in the presence of the Holy, invest yourself in community, love and serve others as a grateful response to God…

To me the first sounds at best like instant coffee, the second option more like the time and attention to detail that yields a real experience.

Desire without knowledge is not good— how much more will hasty feet miss the way! – Proverbs 19:2

Think about it. And, more peace and love and beauty to all of us – even the beauty of holiness. – DEREK