Go Outside and Drink Coffee

Nate Steiner

I didn't drink coffee when I was a kid (except the time when I mistook coffee for powdered chocolate). I didn't even drink coffee in college. However, I was able to taste coffee whenever my parents treated my siblings and I to Starbucks. Those occasions were rare. I always loved the ambiance in a coffee shop, but I didn't frequent one because I didn't care then and I had no money for coffee (or anything else, for that matter).

I just started drinking coffee while reviewing for our board exam. But it was during my first job when I began drinking coffee regularly, out of necessity. My first coffee cups were instant. I initially drank my coffee without milk or sugar, partly because I couldn't get the ratio that made my coffee drinkable (with milk or sugar). Eventually, I tried experimenting with different coffee to milk to sugar ratios, and I would still drink it even though it tasted bad. But I never got that perfect ratio.

I also dreamed of having my own coffee brewer. Actually, our office had one, but you have to brew your own beans. Since I didn't know how to brew and had no beans, I just contented myself with the smell of freshly brewed coffee whenever an officemate (usually our president) made one. When I resigned, I bought my own coffee brewer and coffee. I became more interested in coffee since that purchase.

Now, I'm using an Aeropress to brew my coffee. Although I can make better coffee now, at least for me, I still can't brew a perfect cup. Nevertheless, the more important thing for me is the experience. I just like the happy and relaxing feeling I get whenever I drink coffee during a quiet morning.