Friends,
I'm sure I'm not the only one that has noticed the polarization in our society. It is becoming an obvious rift that is only deepening to an eventual abysmal chasm. We may be at the point of no turning back. I hope that if enough of us who are left in the middle speak up we may avoid the altogether disintegration of society.
The first thing we have to realize is that it really comes down to money. Who has it, where it is spent, and what are the ends being achieved. I really thought that this was just a progression of time marching forward and the social evolution of America. But. A friend recently opened my eyes to a "brave new world", if you will. There is a whole wave of people fighting against the current. Is it extreme? Maybe. But sometimes desperate times do, in fact, call for desperate measures. I don't think the reaction is knee-jerk, or even intentionally reactionary, but I can understand the principles behind what may have drove them to this point.
I'm talking about coffee-grinders. Not the mechanism, but the people who do it. They are whole bean buying, country-origin aware, roasting level sensitive, hand crank burr grinder turning, aeropressing anarchists.
Look, maybe you're like me. I feel fancy when I buy the Maxwell House flavor that claims to taste like coffee from another country. I put my scoops in the filter, and water (straight from the tap, mind you) in the back of the ol' drip coffee maker. I'm a leftover from when coffee was more utilitarian and ubiquitous. 5 hour old coffee in the mechanic's waiting room? That's fine, it's free. Coffee machine at the hospital? I used to work 12 hours overnight, just let it be hot and full of caffeine. I'm not saying this is right or that you should accept my world view, I'm just stuck in a not far too distant past.
And trust me, I love a REAL cup of coffee. I am enamored with flavor notes, and subtle hints of mahogany, and knowing it was hand picked on a north facing cliff of the Andes by a person who was paid fairly for his produce. I love people who really, really care about coffee. It is not one of my life's passions, but God bless the Warrior Coffee types.
So why did they eschew the current model to return to the old ways? (I am old enough to remember the coffee grinders at the end of the grocery cash registers.) I think it's a real push-back against the K-cup. Let's look this right in the face. The coffee that comes out of it is not good. Those who have chosen his path may have fooled themselves that Jamba-pampa Angry Panther blend tastes just like they traveled to the remotest part of South America, but at the end of the day they know nothing comes for free. And that's where they're willing to sacrifice. The Keurig is quite expensive compared to the drip coffee maker, they produce more waste, and owning a machine that only brews a cup at a time makes you look like a cat-lady. So we've sacrifices taste, the environment, and the social nature of coffee to produce a sanitary, single serving, bland cup of whatever-will-get-you-through-the-day. You know where I find these are the most popular? In the corporate world. Which shouldn't be surprising.
So be extreme, my dear coffee-grinders! If you feel the need to spend lavishly on coffee, buy what tastes good and fills your soul! Feel free to sneer at me me while I drink my Maxwell House lukewarm after my kids delayed me getting to it while it was hot... as an aside, I do own a French press and grind my own coffee on occasion, but these are mostly reserved for lazy Saturday mornings while I also have the time to make a full breakfast, so maybe I'm a little biased to the coffee-grinders' side... where was I? While I may not have committed fully to savoring every coffee experience to the fullest, please believe that my heart is with you. Some day, when the kids are off to college, I will wake up early and have Kristina wake up to the soft whir of the grinder and chocolaty aroma punctuated by plum and floral notes.
