God created beings, both humans and animals so that they can savour the God’s Kingdom, taste the drama of life, enjoy the culinary marvels and absorb oneself in the lap of nature so as to stand at awe of the creator and his creation. It is just a marvellous life, with joys and sorrows intertwined. So what stops anyone from completely immersing oneself with the melodrama of life? Most beautiful part of human civilisation is in the fine gastronomical delight ,we have created. Well you may not know how your day is going to turn out. There are uncertainties in life, but I can be sure of starting my day with the most aromatic filter coffee brewing in my kitchen each morning. Freshly prepared coffee, is the first thing you get right in the day. It is your first creation each day. And when you take your first sip, you are proud that you prepared it well, you followed your tradition and you feel like you are a part of the coffee lovers’ community in the world. I wonder, why there is no coffee ceremonies in the world similar to the tea ceremonies in Japan. May be because the entire coffee experience is so complete that it does not require any fancy ceremonies, fancy cups or cookies. It is complete in itself and it requires no addendum.
Just like the wine connoisseurs’ say, sip your wine, hold it in your tongue, taste it softly and slowly drink it and feel it flow down. This rule does not apply to wine alone. It holds good for the tasty south Indian filter coffee which I relish in the mornings. It is like a ritual, passed on to generations by proud ancestors. When the hot water gushes into the coffee powder in the decoction vessel, the aroma of the coffee fills the whole apartment. Adding the hot filtered coffee to the freshly boiled cow milk is what zen is made of. I have once overheard an old aunt of mine, describing her perfect idea of an Iyer daughter in law. Though, I do not agree with her, the coffee connection made the description interesting for me. According to her, if the daughter in law does not prepare the perfect blend of filter coffee and if she can’t recite Shyamala Dandakam, she can’t be the perfect one, sigh!
For me, there is a choice of coffee which matches my different moods or time of the day. As you readers know by now, mornings have to start with fresh filter coffee. During the day, say to beat that nasty sleep lingering heavily on my eyelids, it has to be the hot black coffee. With each sip, you savour the tasty coffee and experience the gush of energy. When the hot brown fluid flows down your throat, your brain awakens and your body is energised. You are aware that you feel awfully stylish and smart holding that black brew in your hand. Hey, don’t be judgemental. We are what we think we are! Black coffee is sexy and smart and makes you feel really grown up and matured. Black coffee is the whiskey of the coffee world, period!
Then comes the beautiful Sunday. You are relaxed and ready to be pampered. Break-fast is over and you decide to treat yourself with an exquisite brew. And what do you drink? Turkish Coffee. Turks had figured it out long back. In fact, Turkish Coffee invites you to an ancient culture. It is like time has stood still in your coffee cup. I open my Turkish coffee lazed with cardamom flavour and brew it in simmering hot water. You value and cherish the powdered coffee. Turks prepare the coffee in a specially designed copper sauce pan. When the coffee brews, take the froth in the spoon and apply it around the rim of your cup. Then pour the coffee. The aroma of the raw coffee scented with the cardamom flavour invites you to be part of this ever delightful experience of enjoying this ancient brew. I am reminded of savouring this delightful brew in an old coffee shop in the majestic Grand Bazaar at Istanbul. I feel the resilience of the Turks, the beauty of their culture and the grand status of the Bospherous, all represented by the Turkish coffee, which is tasty, rough and is elegantly presented in a small and beautiful cup.
Coffee experiences of the western kind, makes you more indulgent. The vanilla cream coffee, the never failing cappuccino and the many flavours which await you at their local coffee shops award coffee with a grandiose it deserves in the gastronomic world. You realise that no matter what happens in your life, you can always have a good cup of coffee. And that is a relief.
