Perspective

As someone who prefers to have conversations, rather than write something just so the world can see my thoughts, I have a hard time sitting down and writing these blogs. In addition it takes time and intentional thought to make sure my words are not just an emotional rant which social media and algorithms have trained into doing. With that said a consistent thought that bubbled to the surface yesterday summed up why I enjoy coffee, it’s something we all do and enjoy, just a little differently and every method and country has it’s own purpose and flavor. It’s a critical thought I like to emphasize in a polarized society. This brings me to the story that captured this thought.

A good customer of mine came to me yesterday and expressed she didn’t like a particular coffee she tried. I welcome this feedback from all of my regulars since most of them have been willing to step outside their comfort zones and try an array of coffees, enjoying most of them. Not every country and cup appeases the pallet like wine. Some like dry, some sweet, some red, some white, etc. We all have our own tastes in life and God has designed a healthy variety for us all within it’s limits. Reality is when we go too far outside of a parameter it can ruin the creation. I’ve recently shared this with some anaerobic coffees I tried that literally made the milk curdle. This was an unhealthy situation on several levels, and taking something too far.

This brings me to my conversation yesterday on my El Salvador coffee that I thoroughly enjoy talking about to my customers, since it’s one of the best relationships I have working with a local family in Reston, who are El Salvadorian and helping farmers all over the country produce better harvests, in addition to helping them export their stuff, instead of getting railroaded by big companies that pay very little. They also own a farm of their own, and help these producers compete in competitions which yields recognition and even higher earnings. The El Salvador I currently have placed 9th last year out of hundreds of producers.

So this customer comes to me and says she wasn’t a fan of it. Initially I was like eh, it happens. Thankfully my coffee of the day was El Salvador, and as someone who loves to experiment, I asked the woman if she would like to do “The Pepsi Challenge”. I then asked her to try my coffee of the day, which she didn’t know was El Salvador. Upon drinking it she said “This is pretty good, I could drink it without anything in it”. At that point I told her it was the same El Salvador. Her experience is why I became the coffee guy I am. I like to get to know people and their preferences and I help them find a healthy and great experience that doesn’t require the junk of the world (heavy creams, sugars, milk alternatives whatever). Through dialogue I usually find common ground and solution.

In this moment however we are both confused. Personally I thought I roasted a batch poorly, and she thought she was doing something wrong. In reality it was neither. I forgot she was using a Moka Pot, which is very similar to espresso. Sweeter coffee like this El Salvador can come out with a bitter taster, or lose it’s flavors in general. It was a fun learning moment for us both in a subtle manner. In addition she had shared she loved my Pomegranate Mate, as an Argentinian she had never heard of such a thing, but enjoyed it especially as an iced tea.

In close let us meditate, reflect and pray on these moments in our life without reacting, but instead discerning what God might be trying to teach us. As YHWH/Logos, He’s created every nook and cranny for a reason, it’s on us to discern how to use all our gifts, talents and blessings properly. There is objective truth I learned and it’s important to keep our subjective ways at bay as it can lead us down the road of bad experiences and skepticism in everything, instead of embracing the majority we have in common.

Coffee is the epitome of this as most coffee now days is 1-2 ozs. of coffee and 10-20 oz of creamer, syrups and whatever other stuff. We ruin something that is good just the way it is. Very often we do this in many aspects of life and society, we cover up/distort a natural beauty we are blessed and born with. Business is also this way, the American Dream thrived due to capitalism, but greed and power have driven crony capitalism and bureaucracy that undermine what many immigrants came here seeking and still do leading us to a perspective of skepticism that the dream is dead. It’s like faith and God, He’s not dead, he’s fully alive. We need to trust in a resurrection of faith, hope, love and encouragement. Things will get better, they always do. The coffee world is a great example of this when you study the history.

Like Mother Teresa said, “don’t wait for leaders, do it yourself person to person.”

An icon I purchased at the Middle Eastern festival at Transfiguration Eastern Church in McLean, VA. I loved the prayer.