Coffee Love

What exactly is coffee and, more specifically, what is Coffee Love?
Well first of all, the definition of the word coffee varies depending on where you look up the definition. In the Merriam- Webster’s dictionary, it is said to be a beverage made by percolation, infusion, or decoction from the roasted and ground seeds of a coffee plant. Also it says that it is cultivated in warm regions for their seeds from which coffee is prepared, especially roasted and often ground. Or it can also be dehydrated made from a brewed coffee, thus called instant coffee.
The English Oxford dictionary says it is a hot drink made from the roasted and ground seeds (coffee beans) of a tropical shrub.
The definition on Google says it is a drink made from the roasted and ground bean-like seeds of a tropical shrub, served hot or iced.
My point here is that each definition has its own version, just a little different flavour from each source. So too, coffee has its own flavour, and pleases everyone just a little bit differently. My flavour might be very different from yours, and that is what makes it so special. What I call Coffee Love will probably not be your Coffee Love. There are so many varieties of coffee, from all the different countries is it produced in, differing in how it is prepared at home or in shops, and still also differing in how your tastebuds prefer it. Some like it black, some like it dark, some like it blonde, some like it white, and still some like it sweet. Then some like it cold and some like it iced, some like it piping hot while others like it at just a precise temperature. It is a tricky business and it’s definitely hard to please people when it comes to coffee. Yet...we all go back for more.
Where is coffee grown? Well we can find coffee plantations in almost every tropical country, I’m sure. Google tells us that around 70 countries produce coffee, with the overwhelming majority of the supply coming from the developing countries of Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia and Ethiopia.
You could take a survey and see what coffee people like the best, but this would vary depending on what region you live in, and what you grew up on, and how much coffee you actually drink. There are many stats on coffee, but Coffee Love is not about stats.
Coffee can also be a controversial topic. It is debated whether or not coffee drinkers have added health benefits that they enjoy, but at the same time it is also debated whether or not coffee is bad for your health. Caffeine found in coffee beans can be a good point or a bad point, depending on how your body reacts to caffeine, and this is a whole other debate. Some say coffee protects the body against type 2 diabetes, and protects against liver disease, amongst other benefits. Some say coffee is bad for you and promotes weight gain, irritability and insomnia. It’s all about your own body and the boundaries you set for yourself and, of course, your tastebuds! It might all depend on what you “add” to your coffee that makes it “good or bad” for you or not! Some add cream, some add milk, some add sugar, some add spice...but again, it’s all about your taste buds.
I have only been to one coffee plantation, but I can assure you the coffee tasted simply amazing, nothing at all like roasted beans that have been sitting on the shelf for months that we purchase through stores or a cup of coffee purchased in a local restaurant or coffee shop.
I don’t want to debate which style of coffee is the best, (espresso, latte or cappuccino) or what country produces the best coffee, because I say again, this is a flavour and we all have our own taste buds. I also don’t want to debate the health benefits, but I want to talk about what I call Coffee Love.
What do I love about coffee? I personally love the smell of coffee, along with its rich dark flavour, but I also love the fact that Coffee Love is something that goes deeper. It is the social aspect of the word coffee that makes me smile. It is the sense of being together, of harmony, of personal interaction, of people communicating over a cup of java, of the common ground it gives us whether we know the person we are drinking it with or not. It is the sense of fulfilment, of satisfaction, of merriment, of celebration, of stress relief, of creativity, of seduction. It courses through our veins and picks us up. It invigorates us and rejuvenates us, and then leaves us with a craving for more. We smell it, we taste it, we feel it, our bodies use it.
Because coffee is so world renowned and loved, it is used as a gift for many reasons and to many people. It comes in gift baskets; it comes with flowers. People order coffee from other countries for gifting; coffee gift cards are purchased for gifting. It is a gift for birthdays, for Christmas, and a gift for no reason at all, just for the love of coffee. As well, there are many other items that are put together and purchased with coffee gifting. Food items such as chocolate (a favourite for many), scones and pastries, candy and cakes, all go with the word coffee for gifting. Varieties of coffee mugs are purchased, which also add to one’s personal coffee experience. Coffee is universal and adds to the flavour of life. It helps to keep the economy flowing and we reap the benefits from its richness and taste.
Coffee Love is shown in coffee shops around the world. The art of lattes has proven to be a creativity that is also a pick-me-up. It is a beautiful thing to be given a cup with an image of a heart (love) or a leaf or a flower or an animal. All of these pictures are universal in the sense that they show love, beauty and nature. We react to these gifts of love and they go deep. It resonates with us and warms our very soul. We all want more love, peace and harmony. We all want more of the good things in life, and coffee plays a huge role in that.
Coffee bonds us universally, around the globe, and that is why it is Coffee Love.