For many people, making coffee is part of their routine. This may be brewing a cup in the morning before going about their day, or perhaps at break during work, or maybe you are a barista and making coffee is what you actually do for work (though I'm sure any baristas reading this can relate to me in that they will almost always brew themselves a cup at home even if they work the same day). For third wave coffee enthusiasts brewing coffee is fun, exciting, and creative. For others it is a means of acquiring caffeine.
As a University student who is also a third wave coffee enthusiast, I understand both sides. I have definitely not been as precise in my brewing as I should be, simply because I wanted a quick cup before hitting the practice room at school. What I found was that this lack of care not only resulted in a less than tasty cup. It left me just as stressed and anxious as I was before and with no more energy. This was when I came up with a hypothesis: the ritual is more important than the caffeine itself.
I tested the ritual the next day. Rather than rushing through the process, I took the utmost care in each aspect of it. From measuring out the exact amount of beans I wanted with my Hario scale, to finding the right grind setting, and being as consistent with my pouring/stirring as possible. After the coffee was finished brewing I promptly cleaned my equipment (for me this includes an Aeropress, Hario hand-grinder, and portable Bonavita electric kettle) and returned them to my backpack, and then headed for the practice rooms. Instead of rushing in and setting the cup aside before diving into to my practice routine, I took a minute or two to enjoy the first several sips. My practicing was as a result much more focused, and enjoyable (especially with the reward of a few sips of coffee between exercises/pieces of music).
Matt Gilligan, CEO of Circa, had a similar discovery, you can read about his coffee ritual here: http://www.fastcompany.com/3034697/agendas/the-creative-benefits-of-an-intense-morning-coffee-routine
Many historical figures including Beethoven had precise coffee routines: http://www.slideshare.net/Espresso1882/coffee-routines-of-famous-people
As we learn, our routines change and evolve, but the ritual of making coffee itself, and taking time with the details, will remain constant. It does not take much time, but it is an activity in our day that we can take pride in, do well, and be completely focused in the task at hand. For me, these benefits far out way the consumption of caffeine, and even rival the great tasting cup of coffee that results from my labours.
My Coffee Ritual: Heart Coffee Roasters Aeropress method. Start boiling water (Bonavita Electric Kettle) set cup on Hario Scale, place Aeropress with filter on top of the cup, once water is at a boil, rinse the filter which will by extension pre-heat the cup. Discard water from cup. Add 17-18g of coffee (depending on the coffee beans used) ground medium fine (looks/feels like sea salt, on Virtuoso grinder). Zero the scale, by this time the water will have cooled to a proper brewing temperature, pour 260g (17g of coffee) to 270g (18g of coffee) onto the ground coffee,start timer and stir. Place plunger on top to seal the Aeropress and wait until the timer reaches 50 seconds, stir again and replace plunger. At one-minute and forty-five seconds stir again, then plunge the Aeropress.
Enjoy the results of your focused brewing!
Enjoy the results of your focused brewing!
Written by,
Joel
Joel