The beans do their final ecstatic medium roasted dance, popping up and down as they wait their turn to eventually be pulled down into the grinder, soon to be perfectly ground coffee. I then carefully and delicately pour the grounds into my pour over basket. They lie there, pillowed as freshly fallen snow and brown as aged oak, as they wait for the 198 degree water to consume them from above. If the aroma were a ballerina it would be in arabesque. The water dives into the grounds and consumes them with compassion followed by a 30 second pause for the grounds to “bloom” inside the water. Finally, a slow drizzle of water in a gentle circle to agitate the grounds without upsetting them. You don’t want them to pout. The final pour of the mahogany elixir is smooth and metered as it finds it’s final home in the cup, ready for it’s final journey. This is how I make my coffee when I’m at the TLO studio… the “pour over” technique.
Now I didn’t just go through that whole description to show off what a “coffee dick” I am. I described it to show the ceremony of it. We’re creatures of ceremony… religious, athletic, yogic, epicurean, the list goes on. I, personally, am a huge fan of all kinds of ceremonies, always have been. After I quit smoking I realized that I missed the ceremony of the cigarette and the lighter and the packing and all the other stuff more than the cigarette itself. I make my own almond milk. I make my own pizza dough. I make my own pizza sauce, I made our bed (like the whole thing). In making these random things there is ceremony involved. But why do I love ceremonies so much!?!? I just asked myself that question and the answer that popped into my head was… you slow down in a ceremony.
You must slow down in order to perform a ceremony. If you’ve ever been to a Catholic Church service you’ll notice that no one is in a rush;) Ceremonies make us slow down. They make us give our attention to detail and when we’re giving attention to detail we’re giving attention to the present. And when we’re giving attention to the present, we’re giving attention to life. To the beauty of even the most mundane of occurrences. Maybe that’s why the Druids dragged all those rocks out into that field. Nothing will get you present more than dragging a 25 ton rock a 100 miles (or it was aliens but that’s for another discussion).
There’s ceremonies to be had all around us in everyday life. Cooking can be a ceremony. Meditation can be a ceremony. Yoga can be a ceremony. Boxing can be a ceremony. Walking around the block can be a ceremony. All these supposed monotonous things can be made a little more mystical or special just by slowing down the actual process of them. You want more magic, then slow down so you can see it. What’s your ceremony going to be today?
