“Sir, this will probably take three minutes to make. Are you sure you still want it?”
I’ve heard this question for the third time in the last seven days. I should start asking, “is this typically a long time to wait for a cup of coffee? At home, it takes 10 minutes to get a cup of coffee. I think you’re doing pretty great!”
For the past two weeks, I’ve been living with my girlfriend because she’s awesome and also because my house is being rented out to some vacationers for an entire month. July is the month of summer-vacations and I’m booked all month. The benefit is that I am at the office in 5 minutes instead of 25 but the daily conveniences of my fast home Internet, big screen television and home coffee brewing are still at my home being enjoyed by strangers. I’ve resolved one of these issues by stopping in at a local Border’s Bookstore for my daily coffee fix. Border’s serves Seattle’s Best Coffee (a subsidiary of Starbucks). This will actually be changing as Border’s (who recently filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy) will be switching away from serving SBC and re-branding the in-store coffee shops as “Border’s Cafe”. How this will save money while still offering quality coffee is unknown to me. For now, I’m enjoying this coffee until next month when I’ll be back to my Chemex brewing method at home.
What is the acceptable delivery time between ordering and receiving a product? For me, 2-day delivery via Amazon for $79 a year is fantastic but my mouth drops when I hear of Amazon customers who expect the delivery to take 7-10 days. For fast food, the estimated time is 90 seconds from completing my order at the ordering board from when I have the food in my hand. I guess 3 minutes for a brewed coffee is too long.
Why is my drip coffee taking so long? Well, I learned that most coffee shops will single-cup brew your coffee if you ask for it. Simply look at what they’re currently brewing in those 2 gallon coffee wells and ask for a coffee style that’s not listed. I learned that the Level 5 coffee at SBC (their strongest) isn’t in the brew rotation so, I ask for that. They grind the beans right in front of me and put them in a single cup brewing system kept under the bar. The coffee is sensationally fresh and made nearly exactly as I make it at home. Today, I was told, “We don’t have any Level 5″. I responded that a barista opened a bag for me 2 days ago. Can you check?” Sure enough, there was a bag of Level 5 open and stowed near the single cup rack. The barista again said, “I’m so sorry but can you wait 3 minutes for this to complete?”
“GLADLY!” I stated, “Have you ever been to a hipster / cool-kids coffee shop in Manhattan?!? One cup of coffee can take 15 minutes!” She didn’t seem to believe me and I observed how long the coffee in the well remained on the heating top. It was there for one hour and that’s after I arrived. I understand that it’s 4:40 in the afternoon in a small town in New Hampshire but the taste difference from “3 minute coffee” to “60 minute coffee” is strikingly amazing. The 3 minute coffee was more work for the barista but I don’t think she’s drinking that 60 minute sludge. At least I hope she’s not.
More often lately, I find myself exclaiming, “That was fast!” when my food or drinks arrive in restaurants and bars. I’m always impressed at how fast my taco from Taco Bell is in my car or how fast the local deli prepares a sandwich and how fast my super strong beer is poured by a bartender. When you prepare everything you ingest at home for 2 years, this timing really stands out.
I spend an hour each week preparing my shopping list and deciding what I’ll be cooking and then another hour running around town to farmers markets, grocers and Co-Ops to get the food that I want, the food that’s in season and the food that was raised sustainably. Then, I prepare my cooking area at home for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I disinfect and clean up after myself. I cook carefully and consciously and go out to my herb garden for things I need to make the dish perfect. Then, an hour later, my food is prepared. I usually sit facing the yard overlooking a river and eat that meal carefully. When it was an animal or plant that I picked, there’s even more care in the meal and what it means to me. I think of the woman who’s beef cows died to feed me this steak and the picture she showed me of those cows. Then, I think of the steps it took for this to arrive in my stomach. Later, I clean each dish, listen to an audio book or music on the stereo and leave my kitchen spotless. Maybe, I’ll spend 10 minutes making a mixed drink and turning on a movie or reading by the river. I wake up early and enjoy breakfast by my river on the mornings that I am sleeping in my own bed. Food and Drinks are never a fast process.
This is why, unconsciously, I uttered the words, “That was fast!” when my 3-minute coffee arrived. I wish I could make coffee that fast at home but my stove takes at least 5 minutes just to boil water.
The barista at Border’s looks confused as do most servers who feed me when I’m not at home. It’s an interesting world we live in. Food is nearly pill form but I still love my one hour meals at home and the preparation and care that goes into them. I wish I could find some other people who feel the same way.