Coffee. This is a magic word for so many people. I remember when my grandmother used to prepare her own coffee: the smell would surround the entire kitchen and I would sniff the freshly grinded coffee out of the jar. I could never get enough of that smell.
I was a huge fan of Irish coffee in my University years and I have gradually learned how to appreciate the various aromas.
As I have told you in one of my previous posts I have started to have massage sessions for my back as the years of work in the beauty salon have made some impact . The guy I go to is a coffee fanatic. I shall say maniac lol. I have rarely met people who can drink so much coffee and not pass out. He is working in the army, pursuing University and also maintaining a massage salon by himself. This is a lot of work and being a salon owner myself I know how difficult it is to cope with so many things on one's plate.
He was very curious to see my salon and I think that in the beautry industry everybody wants to check the competition. I refused him repeatedly until I started to think that I should get over my hermit habits and be more open towards new people. Living for 3 years in here have made me more into a recluse person, not willing to have trust in people that much. I wanted to prove to myself that I can change old patterns and maybe this is why I finally accepted to invite him to visit it. For the Hermit Mary this was a tough one lol.
He wanted to be served coffee, not tea as I planned. Ok, I totally accept a challenge. So I wanted to offer to best coffee I could make.
I have heard that coffee prepared in turkish style in copper kettle is the best. So I wanted to buy that kind of pot. Lucky me I have found a vintage used copper pot in a store with all sorts of cute antique stuff. It did not look promising at first. But it takes a trained eye to spot a diamond in the rough , the same is with people. I could see the value.
The initial look. Pretty nasty haha
I have restored this to a pristine condition, scraping it with a metal sponge until it had the shine. Of course that I wanted to put my artistic stamp on it.
I decided to do some pyrography art on the wooden handle. I wanted to include me and a spiritual belief of mine.
Ibricul Terezei => Tereza's kettle & Faith is power because after coping with so much adversity and suffering in my life I discovered how much faith helped me.
The next step was to buy a coffee grinder and specialty coffee.
Yeees, Mary likes to be complicated and fancy!
I could have easily wrapped this thing up and buy some cheap instant coffee and pour hot water. But that is not me. I like to be treated like a queen and therefore I like to treat people great too. If I feel respected I continue, if not, I move on. I believe in treating any person with respect until they prove their character. The way you treat strangers also tells a lot about your own character more than anything else. You also feel better when you hold yourself to a higher standard.
I have found a great site with many specialty coffees. I also ordered some tea.
I never enjoyed plain coffee until now. I used to like it wish sugar and milk. Now I like it just the way it is, in order to feel the aroma.
One coffee should be made out of 7 grams of beans. I was so stoked for trying out new things that when I have made his coffee I have accidentaly put 14 grams. Ooops! I could see him barely able to finish it. It was strong coffee a la Mary! 🤣
The grinding process reminded me of my childhood. It took me almost 20 minutes to make the coffee because I am very perfectionist and I move slow lol. Poor guy was rolling his eyes. It was actually hilarious to watch him squirm, it made me want to move even slower.
I picked Ethiopia Sidamo grade 1 coffee from Kaffa. Supposedely this is the birthplace of coffee.
As stated on the website
This 100% Arabica stands out for its lightness, wonderfully bright and uniform grains and medium acidity. It is fried in such a way as to highlight its unique aroma and elegant creamy delicacy. Citrus reverberation closes every sip nicely and persists in the mouth for a long time. The foam that Sidamo coffee creates after the right preparation is compact, dense and persistent.
It is delicious! I tell you that over the counter coffee is nothing compared to this.
To prepare coffee the turkish way you mix water with freshly grinded coffee and sugar if you wanr and put it on the low heat. This is a slow process so be patient. Then you remove it before it boils because reaching the boiling point makes the coffee bitter. You then let it sit for 4 minutes and you can enjoy it. I have ordered a special marble sample weeks ago and I love the forest vibe it gives, I have put the coffee kettle on it while waiting for the 4 minutes to pass.
Rainforest marble. It was love ar first sight. When I will be married and have a home with my husband this is the bathroom marble I will have. Remember this lol
The guy was impressed and also desperate because I moved so slow haha. I believe that good things come with patience and I do not like to rush. It requires a whole different level of patience to be around me lol.
I was happy to be able to open myself more and also make a great coffee. I ordered two other samples and I was also very pleased with the taste.
Shall I say that I would never return to already grinded coffee? Yes. Freshly grinded coffee is superior and it tastes amazing.
I am proud of myself for slowly getting out of my shell and for having the courage to be kind even if it meant more effort. I like the way I feel when I do my best in everything, even if it does not always lead to getting something in return. This is what some call character : the way you treat others is a reflection of how you treat and see yourself.
Do you know that the most expensive coffee is the one that an animal ingests and then "evacuates it" only to have those beans boiled down for amazing flavor?The beans are partially digested and then pooped out by the civet, a catlike creature. I told him that I wished to have had that for him just to see his reaction lol. Maybe next time.
This coffee meeting made me reflect on our comfort zone and how much do we allow ourselves to meet people who are different . It also made me realize how many walls we adults build up when it comes down to forming new friendships. I can see how my upbringing and my life experiences made me more wary and cautious while also very demanding. It is an interesting experiment to allow yourself to get out of the shell and have the courage to do nice stuff for people. Again.
Have a splendid day and toodle loo!