Coffee, like most aspects of our culture, has been completely saturated by consumerism and marketing, losing touch with its ancient spiritual and pharmacological roots and its modern social importance.
These days we are all familiar with Starbucks, whose gimmicky products and copyrighted terminology will forever be etched in our synaptic dictionaries since we ordered that first Grande hot chocolate back when we were 4. The Genghis Kahn of Arabica has swiftly conquered this country, doing so more with the use of subtle earth tones and copious amounts of sugar rather than by any recognizable coffee-making expertise. We Americans love our sugar, and if it’s aesthetically packaged we’ll even throw in a few extra bucks.
Starbucks and other so-called coffee bars have taken the beverage about as far away from the realization of its essence as it can be taken. First off, most beverages have been, as I call it, “candyfied,” referring to the fact that we, as a nation, will consume anything if it has enough sugar and fat mixed into it. Second, the full coffee experience takes several important steps, all of which have been mainstreamed for maximum profit, which is a fancy business euphemism for giving us as little as possible while taking as much as possible from us.
When produced with care, coffee berries grow most optimally with canopies to provide shade. This promotes a wonderful environment for animals and insects which help keep the plants clean. Someone realized the plants ripen quicker when placed in direct sunlight, but this means pesticides are now needed to prevent bugs from eating them. Suddenly we have mass produced beans with less emphasis on health and quality.
Another bane of mainstream coffee production and consumption is a lack of enjoyment on the consumer side. Once a reason to relax, take time and share stories, coffee has suddenly become an individual activity and something to do on the run. This is wasteful, especially since we use bleached paper cups, which are invasive to produce and add up to a ridiculous amount of garbage. Plus, drinks in general incur subtle flavor changes based on the vehicles used to consume them. Glass mugs save the flavor, whereas the bleach and paper in those sparkling white cups taint it.
Often people are too busy these days to think about what they’re doing, especially when they have voices from every angle telling them what’s okay and what isn’t. So this is what I’m proposing: next time you’re going for a cup of java and you have some extra time on your hands, take a friend and find a nice independent shop, preferably one that roasts its own beans or purchases them from a small, local roaster. Ask for your drinks in a “for here” cup, or glass mug, sit down with your friend and try to develop a taste for all the intricacies coffee has to offer, including the aromas and sensations. Drink slowly, discuss issues, do a crossword puzzle, and enjoy all that a seemingly insignificant and widely misunderstood drink has to offer.