A thought on coffee culture

Coffee is just as arbitrary a hobby as any other ‘luxury’ food or drink, be it single malt whisky, the perfect cocktail or bar culture in general. The process of growing, harvesting, selecting, roasting, and brewing is, objectively speaking, complicated, and to make good coffee there are many factors that affect or detract from the experience. With such a complicated process, the question of whether the coffee we drink is ‘good’ or even ‘life-changing’ is much more difficult to answer. Or more accurately, finding a common understanding of what is good and what is not is nearly impossible. The horizons and experience we have are constantly changing and if I say I enjoyed a specific cold brew, droves of more experienced coffee lovers or eternal coffee haters will tell me why I'm wrong. Most of you know what I mean, because the discussions of which spirit and which bar was better happen everyday. So why, and I'm talking about myself for now, does coffee culture matter? Why do I bother to feature it on a website about drinking culture? Why do I take something that, for many, is part of the daily morning ritual so seriously? A cynical argument could be this: "Specialty coffee, like whiskey and bars, is a luxury interest that few can afford. That's why you talk about it, because it fits the same lifestyle!". That though, would be too narrow minded.

One could argue that you are part of the problem as soon as you start to willfully ignore the implications of being a ‘snob’. However, the more I read and hear about people in various industries, be it the bar industry or coffee, the more I believe in ways of appreciation, respect and human creativity. I don't like the word ‘lifestyle’; ‘lifestyle’ is something a person does because they believe it fits a certain social self-image, whether they actually enjoy it or not. There's a reason I like whiskey/whisky, but not cigars. In saying that, I'm not devaluing the craft of cigars, it's just not a subject I know enough about. The point is that no one forces a person to like anything and no one forces a person to like coffee. For those who have read up to this point, I'm not trying to convert you to be a disciple of coffee culture, but perhaps you're just interested in the same themes that also make good drinks so exciting. As an excellent example of how to communicate the topic of coffee culture, Standart Magazine regularly proves how effortlessly it weaves social, cultural and culinary sides of coffee into articles. Much like a good coffee shop, like a good bar itself, the product sold is what brings interesting people and ideas together. You don't even have to look beyond the industries to come across the topic of coffee either. From regular features in ‘Mixology’ to products in almost every line-up that want to put the tastes of coffee in cocktails. So there must be something to it.

“Filter coffee, not people”

So as much as the posts here will be a digital declaration love letter to coffee culture, they also reflect the ‘why’ and the ‘how’. Too often, we try to brag and prove that we know more about a particular subject than anyone else. That's wrong. It's about valuing something with effort and culture behind it. How do you become part of a community of enthusiasts who both show an understanding of a particular craft but aren't seen as arrogant? Personally, I don't go around telling places that the coffee they serve is terrible when I know they wouldn't care if I did. I love a good conversation about coffee and I love having conversations about more than just coffee. I spoke with a bar owner a while back who tried to channel both the flavor development and the communal experience of good coffee or tea into a drink. Its then all about the meaning of these drinks and not just the content of cup alone.

So this the part where I'm curious about your opinions: I want to know if anyone reading this would like more coffee-related essays or ‘reviews’ of Cafes? As an example of what that might sound like, here's a little ‘tasting’.

This cold brew (served at the fantastic Brews Lee in Bonn-Endenich, which sadly no longer exists and deserves its own post in the future) surprised me. I'm usually not the biggest fan of fruity and sour roasts, but with distinct and strong notes of sweet orange, this one won me over. It works all the better cold brewed (presumably through drip filters) to bring out the fruit even more smoothly. It owes the quality and richness of flavor to the fantastic roaster for sure. Isn't that the same impression we get when we open a new bottle? Because just like the coffee beans, the spirit goes through many stages of processing and refinement and gets its final shape in the experienced hands of a barista. Just like a distiller or a mixologist, the barista has an idea of what he or she wants to do with it, but that idea is influenced by the guest, who may want something lighter or something stronger, something with or without milk. I'm a very big fan of experimenting, and anyone who thinks that the ‘Italian’ way of drinking coffee (dark roasts served as espresso or lungo) is always the way to go is missing out on a lot of flavor experiences.

Now it’s time for a morning or an afternoon coffee. Whatever your ritual is, enjoy and cheers.

/jf