The Coffee Experience

I'm a coffee drinker. Me, and the rest of the American population. Over 108 million Americans drink coffee on a regular basis. Caramel lattes, iced frappuccinos, Dunkin' Donuts Freshly Brewed, Seven Eleven, Folgers instant. You name it -- we drink it.

It's that extra zing that gets you going in the morning. It's one of the most basic elements necessary to starting off the day on the right foot. Just smelling it sends out a calming signal - it will be a good day. Holding that cup makes you feel ever slightly more important. Gulping it down makes you feel more awake. Alert. Empowered. In control.

All of that from a cup of Joe.

There is something I think the American population is missing out on, however. One of the most critical and vital parts of the coffee drinking experience. Let me elaborate...

Most Americans like it big. We like to know we're getting our money's worth - the bigger the better! Forget the 8oz cup, when for an extra 20 cents, there's the 12oz. And why stop there, when, for an extra 50 cents, you can super size it. Talk about getting bang for your buck.

Another thing about us Americans. We want it done fast. Why walk when you can take the car? Why take the scenic route when the highway is faster? Why talk on the phone when you can send a quick email out in between conferences? Why walk into a store when you can simply drive through a drive- through? Why sit and drink your coffee when you can take it to go?

But -- this is where I believe Americans are entirely mistaken. It's not really about the drink. It's about the "coffee drinking experience", something I believe most Americans are simply missing out on. They're missing the main point behind the intoxicating elixir.

Coffee drinking has become a prized ritual for me over the years. I began drinking in high school. At the time, my inexperienced taste buds were satisfied with the simple drip version of coffee (if you can even call it that).

My father and I had a bi- weekly date, varying our visits by taking in a number of our most favored local bake shops and cafes. Our dates were an event which both of us eagerly looked forward to; they provided me with a sense of stability, at a time when everything else in my world seemed to lead to confusion. For my father, I believe they most simply served as an opportunity to be close to his daughter.

The coffee, although an essential element, was by no means the critical element of the ‘date.' It was the "coffee experience" that was most important. It created a sense of closeness. Companionship. Coffee served as an enabler. It enabled us to share a comfortable silence together while happily, and companionably, sipping and inhaling its aroma. It enabled us to open up to one another by creating a cozy and intimate sense of comfort and alikeness. It enabled us to enjoy and relax - to laugh over one another's crazy stories in between gulps. It enabled the blossoming of a close relationship between father and daughter.

After high school, I chose to go abroad for university studies. That's when coffee began to take on a whole new role in my life. My drinking options expanded drastically and my "coffee experiences" took on an entirely different shape.

To begin with, I had entered an entirely new coffee drinking culture. The type of culture where people stop work in the middle of the day, simply to sit down and drink. Regardless of whether or not they may have customers waiting to receive service, or whether there are things that need to get done, the coffee break is far more important, and it takes precedence over everything else. The world can wait. Now it's relaxation time. Built into the schedule of every single day! No taking it to go, no running errands. The point of the coffee isn't the coffee. It's the relaxing break it offers.

Secondly, I discovered that size was entirely inconsequential. It's quality that matters. Why have a large cup of bitter acidic drip coffee, when you can have a small shot of the finest, most aromatic espresso. Why save on latte calories by drinking thin drippy skim milk, when you can enjoy the rich and creamy texture of whole milk? That is the point behind the drink, isn't it? A high quality, "gourmet experience" -- the kind that makes you feel pampered and important. That's what really counts.

Third off, I discovered coffee's role in creating what I like to refer to as "the social experience". I uncovered the fact that every good date begins in a coffee shop. A place of familiar turf for both parties. A shared common love. An automatic icebreaker. Something to talk about, or to simply to put you both at ease. A reason to join together. A purpose behind meeting up. If the guy proves not to be your type, well at least you're not stuck waiting out a whole meal. You can cut your losses and run. If all goes well, you can sit there for hours, way beyond when you finished the last cup, taking, laughing, flirting...

And should a relationship blossom, only to suddenly collapse one day - well, there's always the fourth type of coffee experience I discovered, the "comfort coffee." The type of coffee experience that involves pouring your heart out to your best friend, while slowly comforting yourself over a cup of the hot familiar liquid; and then chasing it down with a good sugary dose of carbohydrates - cheese danish, cinnamon bun?! There's no healing experience quite like it, I must admit. In a few short years I endured quite a number of painful breakups, at times wondering to myself if my heart simply might just snap in half one day. And yet with the help of my three best friends - latte, cheese danish, and the kind whose shoulder you can cry on, I endured.

Eventually, I met my husband. Also an avid coffee drinker, a person who appreciates the value of a good latte. Our courtship involved a good number of coffee shops and "social experiences." Now that I have a steady drinking partner, and the comfort of unconditional companionship, I have moved on to fully appreciating the fifth, and possibly most awarding of coffee experiences, the "me time experience".

"Me time" involves pure, unadulterated, self bonding. It involves not caring about what's going on in the outside world, what responsibilities you have waiting for you at home, what topics you have reason to stress about, or wondering whether anyone might feel bad for you that you don't have someone else to drink with. It's a wonderful drinking experience, made by choice. It's a time for introspection, a time for nursing wounds, a time to ponder the meanings of life, love, friendship and loneliness. A time to write in your journal, a time to stop and stare at the people passing by. A time to sit back and be. Just be.

So the next time you order a cup of coffee, make sure that it's a small cup of qualitative heavenly bliss. Do not miss out on the opportunity it presents you with. Make sure you make the most of the experience.