A Cup of Coffee, a Taste of Life

365 Days of Creativity

day fifty two

A Cup of Coffee, a Taste of Life

The subtle comfort of a familiar coffee shop. Welcoming faces and smiles as warm as the drinks. Beans from exotic countries halfway around the world. Names hard to pronounce with flavour profiles of other foods. 

I order a Bolivia. The beans ground fresh, and brewed for each individual mug. The scent of rich coffee rolls in waves as the beans are crushed open. Boiling water searches through the maze of caffeinated flakes, exploring each hill and crevice while bringing the flavours with it on it's journey down into the cup.

Silky, scented, and steaming.

The cup is put before me. I wrap my cold fingers around the heated ceramic, lacing them together at the back. Cradling the java like a jewel thief holding the Hope Diamond. I blow, gently as to not slosh any of the liquid amber over the side. A sip. Hot and heavenly, like the first kiss from a new lover. Each cup is a relationship, sweet and surprising at the start, cool, and sometimes bitter at the end.

The liquid runs over my tongue. Returning the favour of my caressing the mug, the liquid touches each taste bud, teasing it into alertness. Suddenly - experience. Impossible flavours of toasted caramel, sweet toffee and an overall soft, lightly weighted taste.

A soft sigh of release. Caffeine, like nicotine, provides a sense of knowing. Of calm and patience, even when the inner effects are quite the opposite.

The quick grind of the next drink being prepared rouses me from my trance. An espresso shot being compressed into the perfect puck, blistering hot water seeping through, collecting the heavy notes and caramel flavours. The hiss of milk being aerated, followed by a whisper as the steam wand is plunged deeper into the milk, heating the rest of the jug.

An orchestra of sounds and smells, swirling together to deliver a creamy cappuccino. The small cup bears host to an impeccably formed rosetta. A white leaf feathered softly against the tan of the espresso.

Immaculate.

Sensational.

Coffee.