Coffee

recommended by rachelle Wilson

For 64% of American adults, drinking coffee is a non-negotiable part of the day. Coffee is seen as a magic elixir that propels energy, creativity, and momentum. And, if my household serves any indication, the steaming cup is sometimes less about attaining the magical as it is about taming a grumpy beast.

And while I have always been drawn to the smell and general respite that coffee seems to promise within a demanding day, I have never quite been hooked in the same way those around me seem to be. While my closest friends have scoured entire cities over the course of years for the best brew available, I have voyaged along as an interested layman to benefit from the peripheral magic of the coffee experience.

Because coffee is an experience.

The process, the smell, the ritual, the warmth all collaborate to create an experience that can’t help but bring a little peace. Add to the drink itself a café culture that more often than not also offers cozy seating, books, local art, and curated music and we’ve got ourselves a down-right haven.

And though I doubt I will ever drink coffee everyday, I guess you could say I am addicted to the coffee experience. Until I have found a favorite coffee spot in a town, I consider that town and myself as mere acquaintances. One of the best local buys, whether it be in your town or one you’re simply visiting, is a cup of coffee.

Yes, I know for you coffee may just be fuel. And I know hitting a button or drive through is faster than seeking the coffee experience. But with 400 million cups of coffee consumed in America every day, can we not push for some of them to bring a little more magic with them?

Many local spots roast their coffee beans or bake their pastries in-house. The artisan nature of it doesn’t just level-up the quality, it engages all the senses in what for so many has become an automated, daily ritual.

Whenever we travel, instead of shot glasses or tea towels, my fiancé and I like to bring home a pound of coffee from a café local to where we were. It is how we recreate the coffee experience at home. Twice a week we get up a little earlier to make a French press and chat about our goals for the day. It may only be 30 minutes, but our little coffee dates are stabling amidst the busy weeks.

The quick morning fix of coffee at the press of a button is tempting, and I dare not compete with modern conveniences. If transferring your morning routine to a cafe one day a week or carving out a little morning date with some locally roasted beans and a book, yourself, or a companion isn’t in the cards for you, there is still hope! The coffee experience is always at our fingertips. Just pause for a moment before your first sip to feel the warmth of the cup and to breathe in the notes of the roast. This tiny change will bring out the magic in every cup.

Rachelle Wilson is a proud Maconite, writer, guitarist and singer-songwriter. She currently writes for Macon Magazine, works with The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Georgia, as well as performs and writes under The Southern Siren umbrella. Though she finds herself wearing many hats, writing about what she loves over a cup of hot tea or coffee will always be her preferred way to pass the time.

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