Stop looking for better tasting coffee.

Seriously.

Yeah, and this is coming from someone that spent ages finding the right Kopi Loak beans. Someone that’s sampled hundreds of types of coffee. I’m the douchebag who’s trying to educate his taste buds to tell he difference between single origin and blend. Ok I’m saying to you right now, stop looking for better tasting coffee. Stop it. Right now.

I’m pointing at this from the perspective of a take out coffee right now, but take the principles and apply them to your own situation. Step back for a moment and consider what you’re doing. It’s true that “good coffee” means different things to different people (and there’s still some way to go on the “What is good coffee?” campaign), but regardless, there’s more to good coffee than taste.

Now this is where I start to sound like an idiot because I’m going to talk about “Experience”. Experience is one of the terms most regularly and extensively abused by marketers. The notion of “Experience” has become the hussy of the English language, whored around like some rancid tramp, exposing itself to anyone willing to offer some air time, and re-defining its meaning so it can be pimped out to anyone and everyone. It’s lost its integrity. But here I do mean “Experience” in the intended sense of the term. “Experience” as used everyday has little meaning. Who the hell believes that believes that having a “shopping experience” matters a toss when you’re buying your Greggs ticka slice, or a getting a “superior cleaning experience” means anything when getting your carpets vacuumed. These are just notions that attempt to differentiate once company from another, but ultimately your just buying a product or a service. Coffee isn’t really either. Sure, sometimes you might just want the product (perhaps you want a caffeine kick, or you just want to look like a Hipster twat), and sometimes you might want the service (say…You’re being served by her), but mostly, whether you realise it or not, you want the experience. So you’re probably, in your mind trying to come up with a definition of “experience” to check of this is true.

Do I really care about the warmth in my hands? Do I care about the conversation I’m having with my drink? What does the smell actually bring to me? Does it really matter that it’s enabled me to get away from the desk? Well yes. They all matter, and they are all “the experience”. So if you’re with me so far, you’re in a conundrum, because I’m about to get logical on you. The “experience” (however you define it) is going to have to be worth the cost of obtaining it. That’s (in London) around £2 or £3 (x or y dollars) plus the hassle and time of going to get or make it. Now you’ve got to work out the components of the experience by your own definition. This is totally individual, but think as widely as you can. By way of example, here’s what makes up my “experience” for my morning coffee: Slowing down my morning by taking time to do an artisan job of making espresso. This may not be for you (perhaps you’re a habitual office coffee machine addict) but find what works for you and enjoy!