Drinking rituals How people drink and enjoy coffee around the word differs greatly. I find it fascinating to explore various unique coffee drinking rituals. For example, in Ethiopia – the birthplace of coffee – it is a long spiritual, sacred ceremony, which also includes the roasting of the beans.  My coffee ritual Ceramic coffee cup […]

We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting ~ Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese writer (1883- 1931) Let’s experience the beauty of life – every moment! Let’s not wait for something to happen because the Now is all we have. Beauty happens all the time. 😊 1+

The sense of smell can be extraordinarily evocative, bringing back pictures as sharp as photographs of scenes that had left the conscious mind. – Thalassa Cruso (1909 – 1997), plant lover Smell We smell and sense the world around us every day. A lot of what we actually “taste” is done through smelling. Our sense […]

You can’t stop the waves but you can learn to surf. – Jon Kabat-Zinn, American professor emeritus Emotional intelligence is a foundation for a balanced life. It has four components: self-awareness self-management empathy relationship skills We cannot control our emotions. But we can choose, how we react to them. Self-awareness and management skills can be […]

Energy in coffee – four small articles Smell, Taste, Enjoy or what is true coffee passion. Every coffee-lover should have at least three coffee monkeys inside themselves. Each monkey has a different task. One focuses on tasting flavours. Another one explores the aromas with his/her nose. And one more monkey feels the body of the […]

hat you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create. –Buddha First step I am sure, everybody experiences moments during which we are unsure, if we are ready to start an activity or not.  It could be – for example – our wish to try out a new coffee brewing […]

Simple things and small shifts in thinking can change our life… and the world. Often times, we are getting too comfortable in our daily routines. We stop challenging ourselves and lose the drive in making our life more meaningful, interesting and fun. One of the thing is “coffee”. Overview There is a way to make […]

Asian Baristas philosophy Skilful 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. Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018-2019Some Rights Reserved Original content here […]

The way a person does one thing is the way they do everything. – an old Zen saying. How are we holding our coffee cups? Do you pay attention :-)? As a matter of fact, some psychologists suggest that the simple act of holding a coffee drink reveals some of our key personality traits or […]

“Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.” – Conan O’Brien Visiting a coffee farm During our recent visit to Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand we had been invited by local farmers to their coffee plantation to pick coffee cherries with them. This task was not as easy as we thought it would be! […]

I was brought up to believe you should always live the most interesting life you can.     Nick McDonell, American writer What makes coffee experiences interesting?  Moments that we remember…Forever For me, interesting experiences are inspiring moments that I will remember. Let’s close our eyes and let’s think about the last time we truly enjoyed wonderful […]

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” -Pablo Picasso. The art of brewing coffee Brewing coffee is a deeply fulfilling ritualistic art. While preparing coffee with our hands and all our senses we can explore different techniques and refine our artistic skills. Creativity arises when […]

A cup/mug of coffee – Seen as a beautiful metaphor There are many word pictures – so-called metaphors – for our lives. Life can be seen as an adventure, a battle or perhaps a journey. Metaphors can inspire us. We use them to make sense of our lives. Word pictures help us seeing the big […]

Go within every day and find the inner strength so that the world will not blow your candle out. – Katherine Dunham The act of preparing and enjoying a cup of delicious coffee is a wonderful morning ritual, especially during the winter time. The moments between waking up in the morning and getting ready for […]

Happiness comes in waves. ? Coffee as a product and the way of life associated with it is developing in several different ‘waves’. Three significant waves of coffee advancements have been recognised by coffee lovers: 1+

The New Year celebration with cup of coffee Usually, The New Year, I am starting with my traditional cup of coffee, created from the nice people that I have met during the previous year. For each person, I add one coffee bean. Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2019Some Rights Reserved Original content here is published under these license terms:  X  […]

Coffee is a friend that I like to spend time with, especially in the morning. Happiness can be bought with a cup of coffee. Coffee is the first step of a successful day. Health benefits after drinking a cup of coffee: “You are filled with happiness and energy and don’t worry anymore about your health.” […]

Bag of coffee beans from The Coffee Collective Make a new friend.  Prepare a cup of coffee. I am going to do amazing things in my life. But first, I need a cup of coffee. One more cup of coffee today so that this Monday will be shorter. Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018Some Rights Reserved Original content here is […]

A balanced life means to hold one cup of coffee in each hand. Weird is just a side effect of being awesome. Coffee is always a popular topic. Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018Some Rights Reserved Original content here is published under these license terms:  X  License Type: Attribution, Share Alike License Abstract: You may copy this content, create derivative […]

Life is not a competition. Living a fulfilled and meaningful life is about cooperation and compassion. Specialty Coffee Championships I like the idea of ‘Specialty Coffee Festivals’ that celebrate the idea of unity and diversity. It does not matter, who is ‘the best’ farmer, ‘the best’ roaster or ‘the best’ barista because ‘the best’’ does […]

World Barista Championship (WBC): Who is the winner? Why changing passion for competition? It is competition, which started in Monte Carlo, Monaco in 2000. The first winner was Robert Thoresen from Norway. It is running every year in different place around The World. The last one took place in Amsterdam. A couple of days ago, somebody told […]

Four coffee essays My last journey to Thailand inspired me to think differently about the process of coffee roasting. In the recent past, I observed, how light roasted coffee became more and more popular in Europe. I remember that earlier on, coffee lovers generally preferred more dark roasted coffee. Now, I realize, that a time […]

The new day always starts with coffee Many people say: “My day starts after a cup of coffee.” I say: “My day already starts when I prepare my coffee.” I wake up slowly as soon as I start smelling the aromas when opening the coffee bag and grinding the beans. I like to smell the […]

There are many different ways to enjoy coffee. It all depends on you and your preferences. The magic of lightly roasted beans I like to drink light roasted coffee – simple and straight, without milk or sugar. I prefer more acidic coffee and enjoy discovering as many different, vibrant flavors and aromas as possible. Freshly […]

Moments fro Asia During my last day in Chiang Mai, I rented a bike and decided to drive out of the city center to explore more interesting places. After driving around for a couple hours, I discovered a Buddhist temple, next to a small village. I left my bike at the gate I entered the […]

It does not matter if you are preparing Espresso, Pour-Over, Chemex or Hario. Do not mind what other people are saying. Only you know, what is best for you. You chose your favorite coffee preparation process. Do not let other  people manipulate you. A coffee prayer could help you to improve the way you are […]

“Some pursue happiness – others create it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (American essayist, 1803 -1882) Home Barista I met an old friend of mine the other day. We spoke about life and traveling. After a while, he said: “Marek, you know a lot about coffee. I’m sure you have a secret recipe for preparing excellent […]

How it was started When I was about 3 to 5 years old, I experienced the magic of coffee for the very first time. I remember a friendly neighbor, who often came to visit my family during the afternoons for a chat and a cup of coffee. Back then, my parents prepared coffee with a […]