Sensory Experience - Coffee Bean

Sensory - Coffee Beans

Small round

slightly creased on one side

smooth on the other

the smell

bitter

earthy

pungent

smoky

sweet

ah - coffee

So many thoughts start to surface

my first taste

made my mouth pucker

slightly watery but dark

like tar?

My mother drank it black

in styrofoam cups

at Tupperware parties

My grandmother drank it

with a splash of cream

or milk

at Tea time

but in fact it was coffee time

every day at 3pm

the kids got pepsi

or mountain dew

and snicker bars

cold from the fridge

in the garage

or snickerdoodles

cinnamon sugar sweet

slightly warm from the oven

the sugar of the carbonated 

beverage

mingling with the sweet

of the candy bar 

or cookie 

in a magical mixture of

sweetness

we didn’t often get to experience

in a sugar free household

biting into the bean

the taste is both

intense and pleasurable

my palate has changed 

over the years

try it with creamer

my friends said

wow - how amazing

the creaminess

and the bitter flavor

combined

try it with sugar

my brother recommended

after choking it down

in college

after pulling an all nighter

how much

I asked

several teaspoons

he responded

so sweet

so out came the creamer

and in with the sugar

my first turkish coffee

in a small coffee shop

near campus

in Cincinnati

The blend of strong coffee

with spices

A new way to enjoy

After years of drinking

Black coffee

What other types to try?

Thai Iced Coffee

with sweetened milk

the thick creaminess

with that layer of melted ice

My grandmother

continues to drink

Folgers crystals

What are they really?

At some point 

I am unable to join her

I bring my coffee to her house

She asks to taste

declares it too strong

My husband returns from Italy

with a small espresso maker

he shows me how to pack

and brew

as he was shown by

The Chemist

It seems fussy

I am more a fan of the

French press

Scooping in the grounds

Pouring in the water

waiting and watching

them float and swirl

producing a nice strong

flavor

Adding in a small amount of

raw honey

just enough sweet to 

enhance the flavor

without making it too

sticky sweet

Splashing in just enough

creamer to turn the cup 

a warm color of brown

not tan

not black

but a cozy brown

Crayola may call it

something fun like

Hazel

Burnt Sienna

I’m really not sure

but I find the color in the swirls

of the trees I see while

I hike

peppered into the

bare bits of wood

when the bark has been

scraped off

or in the mushrooms

whose names I 

do not know

but stare at longingly

in the pacific 

northwest fall

I remember brewing

coffee for the first 

time at my job

at Golfworks

A house where a business

lived - a kitchen

though all of the rooms

had been transformed 

into cubicals

my co-workers declared

She will make the coffee

and about 5pm

I would start the pot

First it was a perculator

and a steep learning curve

Then it was a coffee maker

with a glass carafe

This would hold us

As we talked to people

all over the United States

From this house

in the Midwest

Until Midnight