Okay. The heading is a lie. There is such a thing as bad coffee. Maybe you’ll read and help me think this through. What’s worst than a bad cup of coffee? I don’t have an answer. But indeed, someone does.
I’ve shared this often, but maybe you’re new. We were at my uncle’s company picnic. In a dining area, dad came over and had “the talk” with me. After all, I’m about twelve, so it must be time! But, in front of everyone? “Mike, you’re old enough to drink coffee.” Yeah. Finally. The age talk. He goes on, “Only, you must drink it black. You can always add stuff to it later. First, learn to enjoy it black.” Hmmm. He knows something he’s not telling. I look around the table and my siblings and cousin! “I think I’ll go pour a cup of coffee.” I sauntered over to the big perc coffee pot and topped off a disposable cup of that black magic.
Did I become a coffee drinker at this young age?
I’ve watched children smoke when adults are not around, chew, dip and snuff. Yuck! Bravely, and maybe it’s a taste bud trained, Carrot Salad, Watermelon, or Dill/Sour Pickles. Double Yuck!
Sad to say, that first experience of coffee was bad. My taste buds were not trained to accept coffee that might just be called “bad.” I’ve learned, as I age, that tastes will change. Eventually, black coffee became my best friend. But never the carrots, melon, or pickles – they are just plain bad.
The only crema should be the natural state of coffee done well and not from a jug or pour station to turn it into a “liquid candy bar.”
Crema, you say? You know you’ve arrived when you’ve found the way to make crema!
Crema is one of the most prized components of a well-made espresso. Caramel-colored and creamy in texture, the foamy puff is created when hot water emulsifies coffee bean oils and floats atop the espresso with smooth little bubbles. [Source]
(I’m not a poet, but I see lines of words that flow.
Some call it dyslectic writing. I simply call it prose.)
Title: I Have Arrived
For the preceding dozen years or so,
I’ve watched everyone I know
Make and enjoy a cup of joe.
Perc’s, Drips, and by the fireside, we brewed.
The aroma would fill the space as the coffee was brewed
Before it’s done, some brave soul would pour a cup
Bragging, they say, “I think it’s ready.”
Watch closely. Their grimace or smile will tell the truth.
Some would always doctor it up.
Others took it straight (where’d that term come from?)
But if you look closely, really, it’s not a challenge,
Some never partook, and I wondered why. I asked!
My grandmother was one, and the day came she tried
She experienced the caffeine rush, and her heart went pitter-patter
Lord, Save Me! I’ll never drink another cup.
She never did “coffee” again,
But her replacement brew came from that syrup
And carbonation drink combined
It’s something the South calls all: Coke.
I digress. There’s something about the aroma
It’s been with me since three years old
Along Navigation Boulevard, approach The Salvage
The best smell in the world was a coffee roaster.
Later in life, I’m offered an Espresso; you’ll like it
But if I’m anything, let’s say I’m an original
Don’t water it down just to fill up the cup
No, let me take it straight. I loved it!
That drink changed my life, to say the least.
I’m now into searching and trying any number of ways
To make that coffee personally unique
Chemex, French Press, perfect water, the list is endless.
In Israel, I found the coffee was unique in the Muslim quarter
Brewed in a way I’ve never seen before
However, you must learn to strain the grinds with your teeth
Or be happy to swallow them down. Still, it was good!
Americano, it is said, is an espresso with hot water
But I’ve learned that the bean does not compute
Necessarily to become a good cup of joe
My own concoction with the same name
Searches for beans that will give me flavor
To savor the aroma and that very first sip.
It has been said there is no such thing as bad coffee
I can’t entirely agree. As with anything else, you can make it worse.
Burn it, scorch the bean, reheat and reheat, and reheat again!
You don’t want to know everything that is done to call it bad
So. I don’t have the time, but I do have the inclination
To find the raw bean and roast my creation to savor
Aroma, First Sip, Lasting Savor, and even the cups matter.
Now, I’m looking for a name that would be all mine
I’m Thimking about it. Oh. Let’s just call it Great!