While in Portland, I purchased a 3cup Bodum press and a half pound of Stumptown's Panama Don Pachi for my aunt and uncle with whom I have been residing with here in Columbia Maryland. My uncle, Christopher, is a foodie of sorts and enjoys coffee in all ways. Knowing ahead of time that he owned a small Braun coffee grinder, I felt the press would be a nice addition to their collection. Well, it ended up being just a smaller addition to the 12cup they keep around the house as it is. But there's always a catch... and this time it was a simple one. They never use it. Thankfully that's changed this past week.
No offense to the golden cone, and maybe a little offense to the canned coffee, but it's great to see them heating the water, gently stirring the crust, and pressing the coffee right as the four minute timer goes off. Not to mention watching their palates light up as we make different pots of the samples I brought back from PDX. So far Chris has found a lot of Orange in the don pachi, but has a love for the Hine's from Nicaragua.
Two mornings ago they broke out their ancient espresso maker. I watched my fourteen year old cousin, John, pull a two-minute shot running clear at the last drop and filling up 3/4 of his coffee mug. I "steamed" his milk, but to no avail produced only a hot and watery creamlike substance. It was beautiful watching him drink every last drop of that beverage. Drinking coffee for the sake of coffee.
John began drinking coffee because he liked creamer. Just plain creamer with maybe a pinch of sugar. I think his mom told him to throw a few drops of coffee in there for flavor a year or two ago, and now he's addicted to the stuff. Even his sister Emily, the pickiest of all, enjoyed a mocha as she picked me up from the airport. We were at the mall yesterday and half way through our scavenging I stopped for a cup at the Nordstrom "espresso bar." She slugged a vanilla latte (extra syrup) with wide eyes.
I know I'm something of a huge influence on her, but I never knew coffee would be one of my nuances that stuck. Who know's if it's "cool" in her private catholic school to drink Starbucks, but she says she loves it. Something that is only now occurring to me about third wave coffee is its affect on the younger generations. When coffee and tea houses are a central location for underagers to hang out, shouldn't it be obvious that their palates too should start attending to this specialty coffee revolution?
Emily asked for a Starbucks giftcard for her birthday from one of her classmates. I'd like to see the day when she and kids like her are spending a dollar more to go to a third wave shop simply knowing that the heart in the top of their mocha means something more than it's shape.
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