Trust our Instincts or Rely on Knowledge and Data?
Tuning into our physical sensations and gut instincts will help us in making the right decisions, not only when preparing coffee. Let’s not ignore what our body is trying to tell us.
Let’s not just follow recipes, without seeing, touching, tasting, listening and smelling.
But let’s keep in mind that our senses and intuition are no substitutes for knowledge, study and experience. The former depends on the latter. If we want to be able to make music with heart and soul, we first have to learn how to read notes and rhythms and we need to get to know the instruments and ourselves.
Love is like playing the piano. First, you must learn to play by the rules, then you must forget the rules and play from your heart. -Unknown
Preparing coffee is love… and it’s like playing the piano.
Instinctive decision making requires experience, education, passion and most of all understanding. As soon as we understand an artwork, we are also able to create it with our heart and soul.
In his wonderful book, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell beautifully states:
“The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter.”
“Balance Is Not Something You Find, It’s Something You Create” – Jana Kingsford
Coffee life
When preparing our coffee drinks, we often try to avoid using damaged or over-roasted coffee beans.
Are damaged beans undesirable? Don’t we need them as well to create balanced and interesting coffee drinks?
LIFE IS LIKE RIDING A BICYCLE – IN ORDER TO KEEP YOUR BALANCE, YOU MUST KEEP MOVING. – ALBERT EINSTEIN
Skillful masters of life keep moving forward, no matter how good or bad their circumstances are. They are attentive and notice the bitter ‘beans’ of life. At the same time, they keep in mind that interesting, memorable and balanced moments develop from a kaleidoscope of flavours. Opposites attract each other and depend on each other. Just as in everyday life, bitter ‘beans’ are needed to create a balanced and meaningful life.
Creative baristas turn negatives into positives. They have the ability to imagine the hidden beauty of damaged coffee beans. Instead of focusing on the damaged and bitter moments of life, they imagine and create enjoyable coffee moments – always.
