The other day I made a cup of coffee for a co-worker who was jonsin’ for some joe. I know I’m a nice guy right? He said that it was the best cup of coffee he ever had tasted. Really? What has he been drinking all these years? Sure, what I gave him was done on my sweet little pour over rig, but the coffee itself was really only mediocre, and it was served in a foam cup to boot. It got me thinking though. What was the best cup I ever had?
The more I searched the dim recesses of my memory the more I realised that I didn’t really know the answer to that. Moreover I began to realise that there was a lot more to consider than just some ground beans and hot water.
There were other big components’ that were missing from the equation.
One simple thing is the actual container that you drink from. Foam cup? Paper Cup? Cheap screen printed ceramic mug with a chipped image of Homer Simpson? That’s probably better; but a nice handmade, one of a kind ceramic mug that has some character is better yet. (I’m sure you all know this but… pre-heat your cup with hot water prior to filling it with coffee. )
Another thing is location. The ambience often has a lot to do with a good cup of java. Hip coffee houses with agreeable art and music and comfortable chairs are nice for sure. Or perhaps it’s on a rest day in camp, bundled up against the chill of the desert morning, waiting for the sun to warm your bones while that cup of mud is warming your hands and insides. But then again I’ve had some coffee that would normally be considered sub-par carbon remover that seemed pretty good because it was served by some biscuit shooter named Thelma in some funky roadside diner out in the middle of nowhere.
Ritual can play a part in your enjoyment. Plunging out some lukewarm creepy coffee from the self-serve thermos or pushing a button on your automatic drip machine at home is a far different experience than slowly and lovingly handcrafting your beverage all the way from the beans to your cup. Although I probably gotta side with KK here and draw the line by not doing any home roasting.
Maybe even the bigger factor has been people. Often times it were the people that I was sharing that coffee with that really made it a memorable cup. Good friends just make everything so much better. But if you can get more than one of the elements happening at the same time then you really are cookin’. Sittin’ around KK’s kitchen with a hot mug of his coffee ranks right up there in my books.