Everyone
If you are in my third block, you constantly see me ponder over, prepare, and enjoy a cup of coffee. Yes, I drink it from my #thuglife mug, I simply wouldn't have it any other way. If you are in first block, the only book you've seen me read this semester is Uncommon Grounds, a book about coffee. If you've ever been to my house (stop creepin' because you weren't invited) you surely noticed the wide variety of coffee brewing and preparing equipment. For some, coffee is what Folgers says it is, or what Mills Bros. or Yuban puts in a can. Folgers is half right, coffee IS the best part of waking up. However, if given the choice of a wicked headache or an overly-light, bitter cup o' joe, I'll opt for the former. Coffee isn't just a cup full of caffeine, it's a process and an experience that should be enjoyed.
When I sat down to read Uncommon Grounds: A History of Coffee and How it Changed the World by Mark Pentergrast, I was very interested in the content of the book. It was a great starting place for me. I already enjoyed coffee. I have friends who talk about coffee, the best beans, proper grinds, and superior brewing methods. I hate drip coffee. I only use my drip coffee machine when my dad or my father-in-law come over. They like it. I prefer an espresso over anything else. If I can't do that, then a French Press is next on the list of acceptable coffee preparation methods (everyone needs a French Press). No matter how people make it, though, coffee should be enjoyed, cherished and tasted, sipped, swirled, and smelled. I don't think I ever just slammed coffee down my throat in order to wake up, but I do know that now when I sit down to a cup I think about the way the beans were prepared. I think about where the beans came from and the roasting method that was used. I think about the grind of the beans and the temperature of the water. Now, when I sit down to enjoy a cup of coffee, I want to taste the dirt it was grown in, the plants that surrounded the coffee trees, and the workers who harvested the coffee. It really is something to be appreciated and admired. I can't convey the thoughts that go trough my head each time I have a drink. It's nice to know now, that I'm not the only one who thinks that way.
So, why the heck am I telling you this? Well, a few reasons. One, you all know I'm cheap as hell. I enjoy depriving myself of luxuries and pleasures. I enjoy punishing myself. What I won't do, though, is drink poorly grown, processed, and prepared coffee. That's just not okay. Not only does it fail to fulfill my desires as a consumer, but it also hurts the people who grow it, harvest it, roast it, and make it. A bitter cup of Robusta grown on a large coffee estate and picked by people living well below the poverty line IS a lot cheaper than certified organic, fair or direct-trade coffee. But, the benefits of knowing where your coffee came from, who grew it and how they did it, and knowing that they can survive on the prices I'm paying and that the environment isn't taking a back seat to a bank account balance, is well worth it.
So, since I'm in San Francisco, one of the hubs of coffee roasting in the western United States, I'm off to find a shop that serves beans I can both appreciate and be proud of. It's a small, possibly inconsequential change on my part, but anything helps, and I'll do what I can to make things right, no matter where I am or what I'm doing.
Destination for today: Simple Pleasures (click to visit website)
Amazing coffee, good people, worthy cause.
Here are some pics from this morning.
When I sat down to read Uncommon Grounds: A History of Coffee and How it Changed the World by Mark Pentergrast, I was very interested in the content of the book. It was a great starting place for me. I already enjoyed coffee. I have friends who talk about coffee, the best beans, proper grinds, and superior brewing methods. I hate drip coffee. I only use my drip coffee machine when my dad or my father-in-law come over. They like it. I prefer an espresso over anything else. If I can't do that, then a French Press is next on the list of acceptable coffee preparation methods (everyone needs a French Press). No matter how people make it, though, coffee should be enjoyed, cherished and tasted, sipped, swirled, and smelled. I don't think I ever just slammed coffee down my throat in order to wake up, but I do know that now when I sit down to a cup I think about the way the beans were prepared. I think about where the beans came from and the roasting method that was used. I think about the grind of the beans and the temperature of the water. Now, when I sit down to enjoy a cup of coffee, I want to taste the dirt it was grown in, the plants that surrounded the coffee trees, and the workers who harvested the coffee. It really is something to be appreciated and admired. I can't convey the thoughts that go trough my head each time I have a drink. It's nice to know now, that I'm not the only one who thinks that way.
So, why the heck am I telling you this? Well, a few reasons. One, you all know I'm cheap as hell. I enjoy depriving myself of luxuries and pleasures. I enjoy punishing myself. What I won't do, though, is drink poorly grown, processed, and prepared coffee. That's just not okay. Not only does it fail to fulfill my desires as a consumer, but it also hurts the people who grow it, harvest it, roast it, and make it. A bitter cup of Robusta grown on a large coffee estate and picked by people living well below the poverty line IS a lot cheaper than certified organic, fair or direct-trade coffee. But, the benefits of knowing where your coffee came from, who grew it and how they did it, and knowing that they can survive on the prices I'm paying and that the environment isn't taking a back seat to a bank account balance, is well worth it.
So, since I'm in San Francisco, one of the hubs of coffee roasting in the western United States, I'm off to find a shop that serves beans I can both appreciate and be proud of. It's a small, possibly inconsequential change on my part, but anything helps, and I'll do what I can to make things right, no matter where I am or what I'm doing.
Destination for today: Simple Pleasures (click to visit website)
Amazing coffee, good people, worthy cause.
Here are some pics from this morning.
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| This was just too awesome to pass up. |
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| Nice color and crema. |
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| Wicked-awesome seating arrangement outside.... nothing like Santa Maria, that's for sure. |
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| One more shot of my espresso, with the coffee shop in the background. If you need some character, come steal it from this place. They've got plenty to spare. |
Modern World History
Quick-write #:
None
- Analyze the effects of the Industrial Revolution.
AP World History
Quick-write #:
No quick-write today.
Objectives:
- Discuss the periodization of the Early-Modern Era and develop criteria for on which to base your decision.
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