A day off, a cup of coffee, a moment

So, we had a day off yesterday. Just closed the office and took a day for a break. It had been a long week, a long couple weeks really, so a day to breathe was very welcome. I scheduled a dental appointment in Shoreline and decided to take a long day in the big city (Seattle), alone, just driving around, spending some time in my favorite coffee shop, just being quiet, being with me. Being contemplative. Being.

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A day off.
I’m giving myself a few hours to breathe.
No meetings. No planning. No computer.
A book. Strong coffee. A good place. Alone.

I’m sitting in my favorite Seattle coffee shop.
El Diablo Coffee
Rich Cuban coffee, spicy Cuban music
Angels, demons, and the like stop in for their fix
Some stay to paint the walls with their divine comedy
Others pass, moving out of the fire to the cold streets
Maybe back to the church across the way
Maybe back to the cemetery

I pause at a place between heaven and hell
No resolution here, just a holding place

The rich foam, sweet espresso, pure sugar, melting together
Take me to another time
I can hear Oscar calling, screaming for his people
That call for liberation
From oppression, repression, aggression
Maybe liberation from this depression?
Another sip, I remember that voice of the voiceless

This is good.
I need another cup.
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I stumbled upon El Diablo Coffee a few years back, when Stacy was taking
a test at SPU and I needed a place to study for my history thesis paper
on Oscar Romero and liberation theology. For some reason, every time I’ve been there since has been memorable and significant in some way. Yesterday was no different.

I guess it’s Christmas time…

At least according to Starbucks. I’ve heard that they made the big Christmas switch-over last night. I’m trying to hold off stopping by, but it’s inevitable that I’ll see it sooner or later. My small group meets there Friday mornings, so I’m in for it tomorrow.

The question is, what if I want a Pumpkin Spice latte still? I might want to pick up something autumnal on my way to Thanksgiving dinner. Do I have to forgo the pleasures of the Fall (hmm, that’s an interesting phrase, when applied to coffee with a little theology thrown in) just because the ‘bucks says it’s Christmas?

Taking a Coffee Break

I just returned for a brief walk down to my local Starbucks, after participating in this year’s Coffee Break. Starbucks is offering free 12 oz drip coffee to "guests" from 10-12 today, so if you read this in the next few minutes, run…run fast, to your local shop and grab a cup.

I must say, I think I fulfilled Starbucks’ goal for the experience by taking a few minutes to sip my coffee and enjoy a bit of time catching my breath and meeting with a friend. I met my old office mate Daniel at the downtown Bellingham store (we raced from our offices which are roughly equidistant from the shop). The little break gave us the opportunity to catch up a bit, from talking about my upcoming mission trip to Vancouver, to the latest Logos Bible Software happenings. I even had the chance to drop him a couple of my new business cards for my web design business. So, if Starbucks’ goal is to get people into their stores, experiencing the "third place" atmosphere, and trying some coffee, I think they got me.

The whole idea of taking a break to sip some coffee, meet a friend, and catch up is so valuable, especially in the type of world I find myself in. It’s easy to run at such a fast pace, forgetting to breath a bit and enjoy a conversation. I think that’s why I enjoy meeting with students during the day so much. I get a chance to slow down and hear what’s going on in their lives, as well as share about my own life, and just enjoy the opportunity to support and live in community. I think these little breaks are also incredibly important in the business world, for the same reasons, and also because they allow you to maintain professional, working relationships and keep in touch. We can’t isolate ourselves and never engage each other if we want to do anything, professionally, relationally, or otherwise.

So, thanks Starbucks, I’m sure you’re making a ton of money today on all the extra stuff people buy when they come to the stores. And you’re probably winning some new customers, which is also beneficial. Please remember to honor your customers by giving them quality, responsibly funded coffee, and a place to enjoy community and rest in our hectic world.

Another coffee post

So, I walked into the INN office yesterday and to my pleasant surprise, a student had left each of the staff a bag full of Starbucks coffee. What an awesome gift! You can probably imagine how happy I was to have a bunch of new coffee to try!

Coffee and Beer

The August/September issue of Northwest Brewing News has a great cover story: Coffee & Beer – Northwest Over-the-Counter Culture. Of course I was excited when I saw this sitting at the Archer a few weeks ago. I finally picked up an issue while we were at the Snoqualmie Falls Brewery this week. It’s a great article about how the Northwest is continuing to produce great coffee shops on every corner and a growing number of alehouses and microbreweries.

Perfect Cup

Along with a more relaxed schedule, this summer is lending itself to more time spent honing some of my favorite little habits, specifically, coffee brewing. I generally go between the French Press and a small percolator for my morning brew. My goal is to figure out the perfect conditions for the perfect cup.

Right now, I’m rotating through a few different blends each morning, including the Peruvian blend from Guadalupe’s Coffee Rosters and Grounds for Change’s Agate Pass blend. Both are very good and work well for how I like to brew my coffee…very strong. But I’m wondering if I’m missing out on some of the better flavors by some of my technique being off.

Brewing a good cup of coffee has a lot of parallels (at least in my mind) to steeping grain in the beer brewing process. The temperature, coarseness of grind, and selection of the right grains/beans is very important for both. I think my problem arises in that I’m a) not too sure what the exact settings should be at, b) not too good at keeping accurate records of my coffee brewing methods over time and c) too groggy most mornings to care about the "how" of coffee.

This morning, however I did take a little extra time to investigate a proper technique for my french press. I found a website that suggested I use more grounds per ounce than I had been using (something like 2 tbs for every 6 oz.) and also recommended a shorter steeping time (from 1-2 minutes, instead of my regular pour it, go read my email, get dressed, comeback to lukewarm coffee and then press).

While the results may be subject to my own optimism and may not be repeated, it made a pretty dang good cup of coffee, better than normal.