The Best Way to Enjoy a Cup of Coffee

At Waffle’n Joe we often get asked, “What is the best (right) way to enjoy a cup of coffee?” To be fair, most people asking really want to know if they can be a true coffee drinker without having it black.  Many would argue that the true way to drink coffee would be without sweeteners, nothing but the flavors of the bean: them and the cup. The simple answer to that question is that the best cup of coffee is the one you most enjoy!  Cream, sugar, or butter.  If you like it, that is the best cup of coffee for you.  But for many of us a cup of coffee is much more than a careful blending of nature’s magnificent coffee beans with the artistry of an Artisan roaster.  Indulge me in a story from my early days as a coffee roaster.

I was invited to meet with an Ethiopian family to enjoy a cup of coffee their way.  My hostess was a true Ethiopian from potentially the birthplace of coffee... count me in! Thoughts of super secret methods of producing the perfect cup of coffee filled my head.  When we arrived we were invited out to the backyard where the Matriarch of the family was sitting on her knees in front of a small fire.  She was dressed in traditional garb, bright intricate patterns woven into the cloth.  Her hair was wrapped in a scarf of royal purples and reds.  I began to realize that I was invited to take part in something more than just a cup of coffee.

She began kneading some bread on a ceramic platter that looked as if it had seen countless balls of dough.  She explained that it was a traditional bread from her home, often served to guests with a variety of meals.  It was a comfort food.  When the elastic dough met with her approval, it was broken into small portions and placed on flat rocks around the fire.  We began to talk of family, of her people and of mine.  She shared songs that she sang with her mother around a fire many miles and many years ago. I felt like I was family.

When the bread appeared to be getting done she took a ceramic gourd shaped pot and began heating it on the fire.  As it met with her satisfaction, she added a cup or so of green Ethiopian coffee and began swirling it around the beveled pot.  The rhythmic sounds of the beans elicited more songs of joy.  But I was there for a reason. The coffee roaster in me was on alert as she swirled and swirled.  No digital thermometers. No digital tracking of air flow. No bean temperatures. There was no way she could be making good coffee...  Yet I watched, talked, and tried to sing along.  I felt like I belonged.

The coffee beans browned and darkened until finally submitting to the fire.  After popping like popcorn, they were then removed from the fire to cool.  Attention returned to the bread which was now done.  Each little loaf was pulled to safety and placed back on the kneading platter, waiting to be eaten with our coffee.

Beans cooled to the touch were ground mortar and pestle-like in the same pan they were roasted in. Added to a pot of hot water, steeping had begun. No burr grinder set to aerospace precision.  No gram scale to weigh the dosage. No PID controlled hot water dispenser. Again, there was no way that she could be making good coffee!  Yet in a backyard, in a big city, it was peaceful.  I was at peace.

Did the coffee score a 95 on a cupping scale? Probably not.  Was it perfect? It was for me.  She understood that coffee has been pushed from our family and friends’ tables to glass and metal drive-thrus. In the 30 minutes I spent with her I experienced community, friendship, and even love, all over a cup of coffee. 

So what is a perfect cup of coffee?  For me, when I take off my Coffee roaster/Café proprietors hat, the perfect cup is one enjoyed with old or new friends, slowly intentionally pouring the same care into each other as we do into our cups.