Stop And Smell The Coffee

(Yes, I know, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted. I really need to get better at that, and so on. Okay, now that’s out of the way, on to the actual post.)

As anyone who really enjoys coffee knows, drinking coffee is much more than just consuming a beverage. It’s certainly more than getting a “quick pick-me-up”. It is an experience that involves the whole body.

Now, certainly, there are many ways to enjoy coffee. Drink it with breakfast, while reading the morning paper, or however else you choose to drink it. I often drink my coffee in a travel mug or while reading in the morning, before work. But this morning, somehow, it was different.

This morning, as usual, I got up and fixed eggs for myself and my wife, and got the coffee going. As many of my friends know, I’ve taken to roasting my own coffee at home. This way, every week, I have a freshly-roasted batch to enjoy. Today, I was brewing an Ethiopian Dry Process Guji Sidamo that I had roasted Sunday evening.

As I was finishing my eggs, and my wife had already left for work, the coffee finished brewing. I pushed down the plunger of the french press, poured my first cup, and spent the next few seconds just taking in the aroma. Even in the scent I could detect a full body that complimented the hint of sweetness I’d already noticed the past couple mornings.

Then I took a sip. I let it linger on my tongue a bit before swallowing, savoring the flavor. It wasn’t intense, certainly not the kind of thing that would make you want to jump up and say “wow!” It was subtle, full, and calm. After the coffee was swallowed, the taste continued to linger, and I waited a moment before taking the next sip. Somehow, this coffee tasted better much more than usual. I still had a bagel to finish, but I honestly didn’t want to eat it, knowing that it would interrupt the taste I was so enjoying.

So, there I sat, for at least 15 minutes this morning, probably longer, serenely sipping my coffee and looking out the window as the dawn began its transition into day. I thought about picking up the book I’ve been reading, but I just didn’t want to distract myself from the coffee. Everything seemed, for that period of time, to be quiet and calm around me. Even our dog barking in the backyard didn’t really disturb the peace.

I said earlier that drinking coffee is an experience that involves the whole body. I’ve mentioned the smell, and the taste already. There’s also sight. Of course, seeing the coffee isn’t essential to enjoying it, but I think it does add some to take a moment and watch the steam rising from your cup. And you’ve got the feeling of the hot cup in your hands, and the warm feeling in your mouth and down your throat as you drink the coffee.

Sight and hearing also take in everything around you, because the experience is not limited to the coffee. As I mentioned, I enjoyed also looking out the window on our backyard, and hearing the sounds around me. When it’s warmer, I prefer to have my coffee on the front porch, where I can hear birds in the summer, and hear people starting their cars to leave for work, and so on.

In the end, I suppose I’m not just talking about coffee. Taking my time to leisurely enjoy my coffee this morning simply helped me do something I don’t do enough of: to stop. Not just in the sense of “cessation of activity”, but, for a moment, at least, I took a break from all the things that stress me out and just enjoyed God’s creation: the coffee, the light silhouetting the trees to the east, and all the things around me. I let my mind wander and just forgot about “life.”