"Hello, my name is Molly and I'm an addict. I've been addicted to coffee for about a year now..."
I'm sort of kidding, but not really. I'm OK with it. I almost always drink black coffee, so it is low-calorie, has some health benefits and I really only drink 1-2 (or 3 on occasion) cups a day.
What I like most about coffee, besides the taste and the boost it provides, is the entire coffee experience. No matter where you drink coffee, there is some sort of ritual involved. These rituals are both front-end, the consumer's experience, and back-end, the coffee's experience. I'm not a coffee roaster or a barista so I really can't provide an accurate description of the back-end coffee ritual. However, I am a coffee-drinker, so I'd be happy to describe my favorite coffee rituals:
- Easy Like a Sunday Morning: Waking up late on a Sunday morning, throwing on some sweats and moseying to Interurban for brunch and endless Stumptown coffee.
- Early Bird Brew: Waking up early during the week, starting a pot of coffee, and having a relaxed, low-key start to the day.
Although these are my two ideal ways to enjoy coffee, I'm usually stopping at Seattle's Best on my way to class. Although that's not quite as fun, there is still something pleasurable about standing in line at the coffee shop and ordering your drink.
It becomes even more of a pleasurable experience when the coffee shop is really cool. Yesterday I was at Barista, a high-end Portland coffee shop.
This is the only menu. As you can see, it's very minimalist. You need to know at least a little about coffee to order.
Although the atmosphere was very professional and gourmet-like, it was very obvious that the baristas had a passion for coffee and were there to have a good time.
I took a drink before I snapped the picture. Couldn't resist!
The end-result exemplified the passion. My latte was creamy, flavorful and served at the perfect temperature.
Who knows, I may be making Barista one of my new favorite coffee rituals?