#bgt96

Coffee breaks doesn't just exist for no reason. I personally believe it makes us feel so much better. It isn’t just about the craft that our favorite barista, or even our good ol’ homemade brew put us into. It is beyond that.

As a starter, I would like to begin this first post (title) where I got this inspiration from. It’s from the bestselling novel by Sophie Kinsella, “Confessions of a Shopaholic”. Except of course, this is about coffee  + so much more.

I can’t count how many times I’ve been into a coffee shop, BUT...

I still remember the first time I’ve smelled the good aromatic buttery scent of my lola’s instant coffee mix from the province. I know it was a cheap coffee, but everytime I smell the same scent, it gives me infinite nostalgia about our modest life back whenever we stay in Bulacan for summer. This is how everything began. When I came to Manila, I have tried different coffee shops but everytime I sip, the flavor and aroma aren’t the ones that stood up the most. You might probably think I’m crazy. Well, this isn’t a Gordon Ramsay blog. But as you can see, the memories stood up the most. Whether it was good or not so, everything somehow, taste better with coffee. 

Growing up, I was also a victim of waiting in the café to kill time kind of gal not until the moment where I was a broke college student where I spent most of my money purchasing iced coffee from McDonald’s or Jollibee. 

Some of the things I had contemplated upon are the underlying moments where we get our fave drinks, and chitchat about anything under the sun with people we are meeting up. I realized from these things, sometimes, the value of the beans are great, don’t get me wrong. BUT the conversations, and or the moments are what we keep on coming for more. Coffee isn’t just an experience. It’s also a flavor that touches our personal soul with every sip. You don’t always have to be with people to enjoy your own drink (though that would be great too, of course!). You don’t also have to spend a lot from your daily allowance (if you can, then that’s great too) to fulfill that cravings. It’s a matter of how you live in the moment. Life isn’t just about the overpriced venti or over iced or even frappucinnos. It’s how you spend it--well.

I’ve always been the anxious type. To be vulnerably honest, I tend to worry about so many things and get really nervous each time I imagine the worst case possible. When I was in college, whenever I feel really off, I would go on special trips to Starbucks to get my Matcha fix. Anxiety is there but Matcha surely helped a lot in making me feel a little better. Crazy to think from an instant Matcha Frappe cravings lead to Ceremonial Grade drinking obsession. All thanks to this never ending quarantine gloom that brought the curiosity in me.

The art behind the Matcha tea ceremony really made me intrigued. Trying to focus yourself in the now, whisking the Chasen carefully in a zigzag motion while enjoying every step of the way. It looks fun, but when I tried to recreate the Matcha tea ceremony for the first time, it made me realize how simple some things are but the action you take is the one that could change the outcome. Every whisk and turn is an effect of how you deal with things. If you under whisk, there would be clumps. If you overdo it, it wouldn’t taste the same. The only time you’d know if it’s the right one for you is when you get to finish it and see the result. 

Trying out your luck and finding out which way to go is like immersing yourself in a Tea Ceremony. It takes a good while finding the right tea, the right brand, and the right actions to get to where you would find it taste best. The moment you begin in yourself, is the time you’d be able to choose better decisions so you wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice.