Quest for Coffee (12) | 3 Life Lessons I Learned From Making Coffee
This quirky endeavour of mine to learn to brew coffee and learn latte art has taught me some unexpected lessons and nudged me into having a slightly different perspective on life. Here are 3 life lessons I learned from making coffee, lest we get too lost in life.
1. The Process Is The Destination (Lest We Forget)
Making coffee is a process, one that many treat as a means to an end. The process is an art, a hobby, a morning routine, but also an atelic activity. In my teenage years (not too long ago) when life revolved heavily around school, academics and studying, coffee is a must. And I mean, a must.
But I rarely had time to sit and enjoy the coffee, let alone with a friend. I never “had the time”.
We never do, do we? Until it’s too late.
Grateful For The Coffee (Somewhat)
I drank my coffee but didn’t savour it. I was grateful for the coffee, but not for the chance to enjoy it. And really, what is coffee if not for enjoyment?
The beverage stall in my secondary school canteen used to sell iced coffee (kopi peng) at $1. Yes, those were the days. I distinctly remember being quite the regular customer because I liked it.
But as the months went by and my schedule became busier, it just became coffee which I drank.
It’s so easy to overlook the small but meaningful things we put in our lives, especially when we have “work”. If we drank coffee either way, why not enjoy coffee instead of chugging it like it’s bitter herbal medicine?
My free time spent learning to pull espressos and making coffee showed me that the process itself is worth enjoying as much as the final drink. A hectic student life can easily lead to neglect in the little things and moments, like the simple coffee-making and coffee-drinking joy.
The process is far longer than the outcome. Making the coffee is longer, more tedious and more difficult than drinking it. But it does not make it any less worth doing, at least for those who appreciate coffee. The start and end of our coffee matter far less than the process of making and drinking it. Because the process is where we live.
Enjoy the process. That’s the real gold. The outcome is only a mere moment that reflects the process. Back then, (2 years ago) on my last day of school, I knew I would come to miss the coffee in that canteen. Now, it is wistfully true.
2. Quality Effort is Quality Outcome
When it comes to making coffee, the higher quality beans used would give a corresponding quality of coffee made. But a trashy barista can do a great disservice even to the best coffee beans around. Our world is a fast-paced one, speed is of the essence because everyone has something to do and somewhere to be. Yet, we can barely explain what it is we are doing and how it adds value. This is called “pseudo-productivty”.
This is where a quality barista stands out from the seemingly mundane and homogenous background. The barista, to me, not just brews great coffee but elevates the experience. It is also a corollary tenet of founding Starbucks.
With quality effort behind the scenes, from handling the beans to making the final drink, joy and pleasure in the coffee-making process is passed onto each cup, whether it is for yourself at home or in a cafe.
Quality In, Quality Out.
From carefully weighing the beans to grinding, tamping, then pulling the shot and seeing the honey-like espresso flow smoothly, it is oddly satisfying in each step.
Quality effort in brewing espressos at home becomes an artful form of joy. This is joy derived from being engaged in a meaningful activity. Good coffee is worth all the effort and wait, isn’t it?
But I find this principle applies universally to life. In relation to the idea above that “the process is where you live”, an intentional and joyous process seems to inevitably lead to a similar type of outcome. Think of it as “going through the motion” versus “understanding and being present in each motion”.
There’s more than a subtle difference.
In life, this principle applies to the simplest of things, from making coffee to choosing a career. How is the quality of effort behind each action and decision? Just like hastily made coffee for the sake of chugging, rash and low-quality decision-making and actions reflect little to no effort. I shall leave you to imagine what type of outcome this would bring.
Making coffee at home taught me to put great effort into each action. This brings out the joy in the brewing process. More importantly, it shows just how great effort given can yield wonderful outcomes.
3. The World Is Bigger Than I Thought (But No Matter)
There are so many coffee-lovers in this world. There are slightly fewer coffee blogs around. And then, even less coffee content being related to life lessons. The coffee world is bigger than I thought when I had started this journey. From espresso to drip coffee and more, it seems endless.
I started this coffee blog because I wanted to be adventurous and document something new which I am learning. No matter how terribly bad and inexperienced I am. “Difficult” would be putting it mildly if I had to discuss the technical and professional aspects of coffee. But “easy” would be an understatement if I had to relish in a cup of well-brewed coffee.
This blog and knowledge of coffee I have gleaned taught me that the world has much to offer from all those that tried and came before me. Before us.
What About Us In The World?
But even if the world is so big, it doesn’t always mean there isn’t a place for us. For me and you.
In the coffee world, everyone is entitled to the choice of making and enjoying coffee. This is true regardless of whether your neighbour prefers tea over coffee. Joining this coffee world is like seeing a new part of the world, a part that would not have been accessible without first wanting to explore coffee.
Keep chugging coffee for the sake of it and live to never enjoy it. The world is bigger than I thought because it has more knowledge on anything than I had. Embrace it the immensity of it all, or at least try. Because I know I am. Or I’ll live to be overwhelmed by the immensity of the world in everything.
Coffee is a staple of life. A joy, a relief, a habit and many more to so many people. It is also an instrument through which you can perceive life and learn life lessons.
Enjoy it.
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