Mindfulness is a practice that can be done in so many ways. It's not just meditation but an awareness of all things and acceptance in which it exists. Further, a gratitude for those things, whether seemingly beneficial or not, is essential to our growth. But this post isn't about meditation, rather more the gratitude end of mindfulness. We often, almost always, take our morning cup of coffee for granted.
When you eat or drink mindfully, you use all of your senses. When you are drinking your next cup of coffee, pay attention to the sight, sound, smell, feel and taste that much more deeply. Take the extra minutes from start to finish to truly pay all of your attention to the process and experience. It can be transforming. During that time, remember to include the individuals that were part of the process of the coffee, from coffee tree seed to cupping for the best coffee flavor that you are about to drink. Again, it could be transforming.
Open the bag of beans and take a few in your hand. Feel the oil and the texture of the bean itself. Try to imagine the cherry each bean was once encased in before the change it went through. They were washed, dried then bagged and sent to a roaster (PFTR!!!) to be heated up to over 400 degrees then bagged again and sold at a market to get to your kitchen. These little beans went through so much already and now you are going to grind it, steep it in hot water and ingest its essence.
If you grind your beans, hear the sound of the beans getting crushed and the smell that emits. Feel a little between your fingertips when placing into whatever vessel you use to brew. Listen to the water heating and the bubbling that may transpire when the water makes contact with the grinds. I'm so sure you smell the coffee during this stage as well. Has the smell changed or evolved? Watch the coffee fill the vessel and the color deepen when it gradually fills your coffee cup. The steam rises above the cup's edge.Â
I once was asked, "Do you look into the cup while you drink or beyond the cup?" That answer makes all of the difference in this practice. Looking beyond takes away the experience you are gifting yourself. Looking beyond misses the sense of gratitude toward those who put in long days of hard labor. Now take that first sip of this energizing elixir and feel the warmth, astringency, mellowness, sweetness, nuttiness, chocolatey nature...whatever it is offering you! Ahhh, then feel the gratitude for the use of all of your senses and the community in which a simple cup of coffee can provide. What a moment to savor.
We feel gratitude each day for all of you who support our small roasting business in our proud town of Philadelphia. In the bigger picture, we are supporting the farmers, helping create community and bringing awareness for you to look into your cup rather than beyond it.