I stand in my kitchen gazing back and forth between the counter and the first shelf above it. On the counter I see my Nespresso machine, the milk frother, and an array of colorful coffee pods calling my name. On the shelf I see my "Keep Calm and Add Sugar" ceramic jar, where I keep a delightful array of teas begging me to pick them. Wavering coffee or tea? This is a dilemma I have every morning, not only because I'm an undecisive person when it comes to trivial decisions, but because I can say from the bottom of my heart that I love coffe and tea both. Today I picked coffee. Coffe to me is what wine is to an oennophile (wine connoiseur). I love that there's an infinite variety of flavors, I'm fascinated by the various techniques that can be used to brew, I enjoy learning about the origin of coffee beans, and above all I am passionate about the traditions around it and what it represents in different cultures.  As I sat by the window to people watch and drink my homemade latte I got to wondering: When, how, why did I start liking coffee? What do I love about it the most? Is it the taste? Is it what it represents? So many questions generated by a drink, which to an infinite number of people is just a part of their daily routine. Today, I want to answer one of my questions which is actually to a certain extent researchable and scientific: is it the taste? 

Coffee is what I like to call a "grown up taste" similar to olives, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, even dark chocolate, it's one that we acquire over time from consuming it over and over first in mild forms and then moving up to stronger tasting versions of it. It's rare to meet someone who loves coffee (no milk, sugar, or cream added) after the first sip. In doing some research about taste buds I found an article, which argued that we are born with an natural attraction towards the sweet flavors, develop a liking for the salty within a few months, and initially have a strong aversion to the bitter and sour tastes. Which, if we think about it makes sense, as sugars provide energy and most poisonous items are bitter, it also might explain why at first people dislike coffee. This line of thinking though, is only relevant if we reduce the science of tasting to it's most basic form, but in reality our tasting experience is much more complex and highly impacted by smell. In fact, 80% of what we experience during tasting is related to our sense of smell. Of course, nothing in science is simple, so the last thing I want to bring up, and I swear this will somehow tie into why I like coffee, is that because the olfactory system (our smelling system) is in our brain, odors we perceive as good or bad are highly impacted by memory, mood, stress, experience, at the time of whiffing. 

Ok, so with all this science out of the way. I get back to thinking and philosophizing. I don't specifically remember drinking my first coffee, but I do know that just like my other grown up acquire tastes, I got into it over time. Started out by drinking my coffee as a latte since the milk cut down the bitternes and gave it a hint of sweetness. I slowly progressed into a capuccino and finally after being pressured by Italian bar tenderes in Rome, I graduated to an espresso. The exciting part about slowly growing into handling stronger and more pure versions of the drink was that it allowed me to better taste the wide variety of flavors there are to explore. I'm still learning how to develope my abilities to taste different flavors without having to read the description on the packaging or signs at the coffee shops. Similar to wine tasting, it's something that takes practice and comes more natural to some than others. Coffee tasting, also requires taking a good whiff of the beverage before drinking it. I love the smell of cofee, it might have to do with the fact that I've never had a negative experience related to the smell of it, which allowed me to decide it's a "good smell", or simply because my brain liked it the first time it smelled it. Whatever the reason may be when I make my coffee at home, I enjoy standing over my Nespresso machine as it pours the freshly brewed espresso into my cup, sometimes I take the time to grind up coffee beans before I brew it in a french press. No matter how I make my coffee I love the way it fills up my kitchen with a mouthwatering, soul warming, smell. 

So is it the taste? I want to say yes, but I won't. The taste and smell, which go hand in hand, are delicious and are a significant part of why I love coffee. Yet, as I sit here ready to wrap up this post I don't feel comfortable attributing my love of coffee solely to the taste. Coffee is more than just the taste and the smell to me. It's an experience that goes beyond a morning ritual or a pick me up during the day but that is another story, for another day, maybe even over another cup of coffee. 

This blog was inspired by a cup of:

Nespresso Indriya from India  Powerful and spicy. Is the noble marriage of Arabica with an hint of Robusta from Southern India. A full-bodied espresso, it has a distinct personality with notes of pepper,nutmeg and cloves. The Arabica and Robusta chosen for this blend grow in southern India, in the shade of large trees that also provide shelter for pepper and spice growing. Only absolutely perfect beans,whic have passed a rigorous process are used for this blend.
cocoa and dry plants notes, as well as a spicy bouquet reminishent of cloves, pepper and nutmeg.