Coffee. <– The lyrics to the song describe my love for it. It calms and fuels my soul for the upcoming obstacles of the day. The simple, black liquid fills my favorite pale blue mug each morning, warming my heart and my hands before a long day of work and classes. Relaxing my body with its rich smells and aroma, the coffee delights my taste buds with the mix of flavors and distinct taste of each bean. As I relax and sink into my warm cup of coffee, I also begin to awaken my mind to my surroundings with a heightened sense of reaction to everything.
I know what you’re thinking. This girl’s one of those “hipster” people who drink their coffee black, only goes to “hipster” coffee shops, wears Wayfarer-style glasses, hates mainstream music… but that’s really not me. I do find those “hipster” coffee shops really cool, but I don’t own those big framed glasses. Black coffee is a taste that I’ve acquired over time, possibly symbolizing my aging and loss of youth… but I’m still into the mainstream EDM and pop. I just really love black coffee and want to talk about it!
When I travel, I like to see my new surroundings through a simple cup of coffee. Coffee can tell you a lot about a place, and it helps you immerse yourself into the culture. I believe that you can see the world through a cup of coffee, and I want to show you a glimpse of the world I’ve seen through the many cups of coffee I’ve consumed. Coffee has shown me the world from places I will probably only visit once in my life, to places where coffee has helped me find home.
1) Daily Morning Coffee in Venice
It was four college kids traveling through the sanctuary on a lagoon, lost in the labyrinth of alleys and hungry by nature. We came upon a small cafe off to the side of a not so busy square where the sun was beginning to creep over the buildings, casting shadows everywhere. As our stomachs led us to the seats of the cafe, I ordered a cup of coffee to start off my morning. Sipping on the foam of the milk mixed in with the espresso, I observed the lost tourists, the busy locals, the sneaky street performers trying to grab the attention and wallets of the tourists, and all I saw was a beautiful city with contrasting lives that arbitrarily overlapped. I found myself getting “lost” each morning after that, stumbling across the same cafe to sip on my morning coffee and fall more in love with the city and its people. Damn, that coffee was good.
2) Cafe Con Leche Addiction in Barcelona
Through the blur of the best summer of my life, I will never forget the daily cafe con leches that I downed every morning right before classes in the school cafe. With my broken Spanish, I made friends with the cafe guys, who knew my coffee order as soon as I walked in. If it had been a long night of exploring the Barcelona night life, my dear friend Guillermo would put in an extra shot of espresso just based on the look on my face. It was a constant habit that got me addicted to the strong, rich taste of espresso with hot milk–the bane of my functioning existence that summer. As I fell more and more in love with Barcelona, it hurt to have leave the city that brought me so much joy, introduced me to lifelong friends, and provided mornings with genuinely good coffee. What I would do to go back one more time, walk into that cafe, look Guillermo straight in the eye, and get that perfect cup of cafe con leche to start off my day.
3) Hipster Paradise at Elixir Coffee Roasters in Philadelphia
Traveling through the city with Carolyn, I wanted to see Philly for the coffee it had to offer, so we used Yelp to find that perfect cup of coffee (just like your dental practice or auto body shop can be found if you have great ratings ;D). Walking in, I knew that it was my kind of place–exposed brick walls, dark wooden tables, a variety of coffee makers, and the rich aroma of dark coffee wafting through the air. It was hipster paradise with a multitude of men in black beanies, scruffy beards, wayfarer glasses, skinny jeans, and the hipster aurora radiating off their bodies. Ordering a black coffee from beans made in Kenya, I sipped on my strong and flavorful coffee, reflecting over the few moments in college that I’ll have to explore the world with my best friends. Watching the strange, urban crowd of Philadelphia sift through the coffee shop, I found myself leaving a part of my heart in the city.
4) My Favorite Orange Coffee Bar in Duluth, Georgia
Back near my hometown, I stumbled upon a little coffee shop with the tacky name Orange Coffee Bar. If you disregard the name, you’ll also be mesmerized by the richness of the coffee that is served. The menu had no typical Starbucks drinks listed, but an assortment of fancy coffee names that I totally knew had to look up on Google. Ordering the most unique things on the menu, I was ecstatic to see my affogato come out as a glass goblet filled with ice cream, paired with a shot of espresso to pour on top–only to create the most mind-boggling, delicious combination of coffee and ice cream that I had ever come across. The macaroons, imported from France, were some of the best I’d ever had, and the iced espresso Coke combination blew my mind. My taste-buds were pleasantly treated to an assortment of great flavors. Immediately became my favorite coffee shop by home. Did I mention that it’s Korean owned? So I’m surrounded by my people. Lol.
5) The Coffee that Flows like Water at Radius
If there’s one place I know will always have coffee flowing like water, it’s Radius. Since the first day I started working, I watched everyone walk into the small kitchen with their mugs, eager to get a few pumps of coffee to start the morning meeting. What I didn’t know was that Radius would make me an addict, so I write this blog with jittering hands and dilated pupils. The most heartbreaking moment is when I go to the coffee machine, the sign says “Full,” but the sign has lied because it’s empty. The sputtering sound of a coffee-dry machine hurts me more than is should… Other than that, I love grabbing one of the various mugs on the counter, filling it with the black liquid of life, and drinking it while working on my assignments. Best part is that I know I’m drinking it in the coolest office ever with the coolest people. My heart will forever will be with Radius… and the coffee that’s always there for me.
6) The Simplistic French Press Coffee in My Apartment
3 tablespoons of dark roast Arabian coffee + 2 tablespoons of Pumpkin Spice coffee = perfection. Whether I am waking up in the morning, staying up all night for school, or just trying to get my daily coffee in, I can always trust my handy french press to make my perfect cup of coffee. Fall is my favorite season, so the kick of pumpkin in my mug gets me going. Sitting in my apartment, I sit on the left side of the dining table, where I can see the city skyline at an angle from the window. Living on the 10th floor, I get a straight view of the pencil building, a constant reminder as my dad says “to remind you to study all the time,” and a look onto the traffic accidents on I-75. With the Christmas lights strung across the living room, a feeling of peace fills my body as I sip my coffee, enjoying my time as a college student. Tech may be hard, but relaxing to your favorite cup of joe reminds you to reflect on the good things in life.
Coffee is everywhere you go. Take time to step back from the world, get yourself a cup of coffee, and see where it takes you. It helps you relax and reflect on the good parts of life that you usually overlook. For me, I remember cities and places based on that one cup of coffee I had there. It’s like a place-marker on places and times in life that I hold dear to my heart. Coffee is my way of seeing life.
So here’s to exploring and conquering the world–one coffee cup at a time.
Sincerely,
Online Marketing Intern