Life in a cup of Cöffee

Morning symbolizes a new beginning and it is important that we should be energized to start the day and to last it as well. A perfect morning regardless of the weather won’t be complete without a cup of coffee – whether you call it instant, brewed, espresso, gourmet – it’s coffee that gives us the kick that we need. Indeed, coffee plays an important role in our daily lives and although it’s not considered as part of the ‘basic necessity’ list, we have been unconsciously including it in the list.

Coffee gives us warmth when we are cold, energy when we are weak, soothing relief when we are stressed and ironic as nutritionists might say but coffee gives us serenity when are disturbed. These are just some comforting feelings that we get from a cup of coffee not only when we drink it at morning but also in other times of the day (like in my case I also drink coffee at noon).

It is in fact amazing to think that a small coffee bean when grown, taken care of, harvested and processed properly can have this effect on us. Actually, the coffee that we drink can be an inspiration since it might also reflect our own lives. Like people, coffee is also grown with love and care by their parents – the farmers. They are grown on healthy soil, appropriate climate and are given the nutrients they need for them to grow in good shape – just like us who need to be provided with shelter, food, clothing, guidance and love for us to grow well.

Once the coffee berry or the fruit of the coffee plant is ripe, it is now ready for picking, which is preferably done manually – handpicked. This is to ensure that only the fruit at its prime is being selected so that immature fruits won’t be wasted by picking them earlier than the right time. After being picked, the coffee bean will be separated from the fruit for more processes which include cleaning to remove what is left from the fruit on the bean and sorting to categorize the coffee beans based on different criteria such as the size, the area it was grown, quality, etc. after which comes the roasting process. Coffee roasting has different degrees depending on the desired taste of coffee – it can be roasted light to produce a lighter taste with no obvious roast flavor or it can be roasted dark to feel that smoky-sweet and intense coffee flavor.

These are the basic processes that our coffee goes through for them to be able to serve their purpose to humanity. And humans in a way are just like coffee. We experience hardships in life, challenges and problems – these are the processes that we have to go through for us to be refined and to serve our purpose in life. But we shouldn’t worry because we know that when we wake up each morning, we always have a cup of coffee waiting for us – to do the kicking that we need.