A friend called after ages. She was in town for a day and wanted to catch up. Super excited about meeting up, I chose the new coffee shop in town for our rendezvous. It had rave reviews from the coffee enthusiasts in town and I wanted to treat my friend to something exquisite.
As I stepped into the lift for the coffee shop, the invigorating aroma of roasted coffee beans filled up my senses. The nutty, smoky, fruity smell of coffee instantly lifted my mood and automatically turned my feet towards it. (To tap into this exact feeling evoked by the smell of coffee, shops keep coffee beans in the passageways and lifts leading to them.)
As we settled into a quiet corner of the coffee shop, the waiter came in and asked, “What would you like to have ma’am?” I knew what I wanted, but one look at my friend and I understood what she was going through. There was confusion writ large on her face as she flipped through the extensive menu. I felt a pang of empathy for her. Not long ago, I’d been in a similar situation!
Coffee and me are recent acquaintances. I was a chocolate milk girl till a few years ago. Back in those days, coffee was not as popular or common place as it is today. Chai was ‘the adult beverage’ in households. Coffee was practically part of holidays because only restaurants served it. And that too, served it without much fanfare. Some swanky ones did have the frothy version, wrongly called espresso, but that was about it.
The only person I saw drinking coffee back then was my nani. When it came to coffee, she was very particular – the type of coffee, the amount of milk, sugar, everything. She never liked the instant version. Whenever she visited us, mom had to procure filter coffee for her which nani religiously brewed every morning. Nobody was allowed to make her coffee, lest we got it all wrong. (She still has that large cup of coffee every morning.) That’s probably where my fascination with coffee started.
Eventually, the rigors of medical education, especially the internship and residency days, introduced me to coffee and tea. From adrak wali chai to elaichi wali coffee, we’d have it all. Anything that kept us awake and alert, was welcome. Those were simple days, when coffee meant instant coffee and chai meant simply ‘chai’. My coffee journey was still in its infancy.
As the coffee culture boomed and coffee shops became the new hip joints, a whole new world opened up for people like me, albeit with a price of embarrassment to pay. It was in one such café that I was confronted with the age old question, “What would you like to have ma’am?” I had no clue what a ‘pour over’ or an ‘affogato’ were. I had sheepishly pointed to the cappuccino. Had I seen disappointment on the barista’s face because he was denied a chance of showing off his coffee making skills? Or had he thought of me as a novice wasting his time?
I could see the same embarrassment on my friend’s face today. I knew she was new to the world of coffee. So, I offered to help order for her. The relief was obvious on her face. As she took the first sip of her cappuccino, I saw her face break into a smile. Her journey with coffee had begun.
I’m not a coffee connoisseur, but from spending sleepless nights after a particularly strong cup of coffee, to downing shots of espresso just to be alert and awake in a conference, I’ve come a long way with coffee. I have settled with my choices. My coffee has evolved, and so have I. A little less bitter, just a little sweet, creamy, yet strong. And the journey continues.
Why don’t you tell me about your chai or coffee stories?
