Coffee Rituals: The Addict versus The Purist

Posted by Woodshed Roasting Co. on 5/8/2015 to General
We Americans love our coffee in a way that’s almost embarrassing. We crave it, need it, cannot live without it. We are just as ritualistic about our coffee as the English are about their High Tea in the afternoon. In a country where coffee shops are more abundant than millennials taking selfies, it begs the question: are we really in love, or just addicted?

The addict doesn’t really care where the coffee comes from, just so long as it’s in her cup, and made the way she likes it. She probably started drinking it in high school or college when it became useful when studying for exams, writing papers, or burning the midnight oil to meet a project due date. At first it was harsh and bitter, and often required lots of cream and sweetener. But when the addict started to enjoy the coffee for what it was: rich, beautiful, and bold, a purist may have emerged.

The coffee purist drinks her coffee black: no sugar, no sweetener, no cream, no milk. She grinds her beans each morning in a burr grinder where the beans are crushed evenly for maximum flavor. She doesn't use one of those cheap spice mills that pretend to be a coffee grinder leaving her with unevenly chopped up pieces of humiliated coffee grounds.

She does not buy her coffee from a grocery store where it’s been sitting for who knows how long. There is a difference in the way it tastes. By the time mainstream ground coffee hits the shelves, it’s already stale.

The Purist waits patiently as the filtered water passes through the fresh ground beans. When it's ready, she watches the dark brew as she carefully pours it into a ceramic mug and drinks in the rich aroma before she takes her first sip.

When she’s out, she goes to places that serve fresh ground, fresh brewed coffee -- places that serve fair trade and organic coffee. She doesn’t mind paying a little extra for it, because she knows it’s worth it.

Where do you land on the Addict/Purist Spectrum?