What do you spend money on?

I can officially no longer make fun of anyone else for being a snob about something. I could see it coming. The signs were fairly apparent: traveling with a hand-held coffee grinder in order to grind the beans for my portable coffee brewer that I carry. Oh yeah, and, the beans I’ve been grinding are beans that I roasted myself over a fire, cause, ya um…I’ve been hauling around green, unroasted coffee beans in my backpack for the past few months. It’s not like I’m an expert, but I know stuff about coffee.

The reality is, we never know where interests and hobbies will lead us in life. For instance, when I, lived with my in-laws in Cleveland, my sister-in-law Anne would always look through artsy magazines about how to decorate your house. She must’ve sensed that it was some sort of trivial pleasure, and as she flipped through the magazines she would tell me, “don’t judge me” like it was a little vice or something. I don’t think I judged cause I try not to, but I’m sure I didn’t understand how someone could look through decorating magazines for long periods of time (and I’m sure there’s a trendier word besides decorating, but I don’t know what that is). But through the years, Anne has developed a keen sense of style and design that has helped her begin a successful hand-made jewelry business. I mean, the things she crafts make people melt. I’ve heard stories of customers almost peeing their pants when they’ve finally gotten to meet her. It’s insane. I know there are a lot of different aspects to what has made her jewelry successful, but I’m gonna guess that all that time flipping through those magazines (a seemingly trivial act), helped enrich her understanding of beauty, which ultimately deepens our experience as humans. (And, don't forget to check out her website before buying that memorable piece of jewelry for someone special).

So, back to the coffee. Having been here in Panama for a few months, I’ve consequently been around coffee and coffee farms. Back in February, I harvested my own beans, processed them, roasted, ground and brewed them. I’ve had my own little coffee tasting set-ups in the past (see picture below) but I’ve never actually been to a real one.

First coffee tasting I put on, here with Billy, Shreya, and little Micah. Interestingly, I'm wearing the same old shirt 3 and half years ago that I wore to the coffee tasting the other day. Now you know what I don't spend money on.

 So, that’s what I did. For 15 bucks, I got to experience an hour and a half coffee smelling, tasting, pairing, and describing all the while listening to the super smart and engaging Maria Ruiz, whose family owns Ruiz café. We smelled (cause of course smell is connected to taste) and tasted 4 different coffees. We smelled from the middle of the cup. We swished the coffee around and smelled the rim of the cup. We learned the “bird talk” taste, which is kinda like a granny kiss. We swished the coffee around in our mouth and did the little kid kiss, which is kinda like an old person with no teeth kiss (these are little tasting methods). Between Maria, myself and the other friend that did the tasting with me, I wrote down words like: fruity, dark, chocolate, citric, winey, round, fresh milk, sugarcane, orange, cracker jacks, honey, thick, thin, herbal, fresh, clean, etc. Tasting coffees alongside each other gives you more of an appreciation for the nuances of different coffees. And the crazy surprise at the end came when Maria separated the 4 coffees into 2 pairs, pointing to one pair saying that this pair is the same and this other pair is the same. What?! Apparently, the shape and size of the cup affects the aroma and flavor of the beverage. The 2 coffees were served in different cups and that changed the whole experience.

Not only did I learn a ton about coffee, but one of the coffees we tasted was Geisha coffee, a variety which is famous for being one of the best and most expensive coffees in the world (I actually preferred the other one, but I just don’t have the sophisticated taste I guess). Lastly, we paired the coffees with banana bread and pecan pie, which I definitely did not complain about.

My appreciation for coffee and food and drink in general has been deepened. Coffee , like anything else in life, can be very functional. It can wake you up in the morning. But there’s a lot more to it to be enjoyed. Same goes with food. The food I cook keeps me alive (very functional), but the food Lynea cooks is more like an art to be appreciated. And really, it’s all about sharing, which is why I’m even writing this right now. So, pay attention to your little obsessions and useless facts, and share them with others.

In conclusion, sweet experience! Or was it more of a thick, citric, fresh experience?