Maybe one of these days I can start booking gastronomic tours based on the culinary superlatives in my blog. Today, jumping from the World Porridge Making Championship to the World Barista Championship. Fortunately for our tour, the champion, Gwilym Davies, is also in the UK. The beauty of the championship to me lies in the worldwide representation- it’s like the Expresso Olympics, with dozens of nations from around the globe represented. Korea, Hungary, Iceland, Greece, Sweden, Costa Rica, Kenya- amazing. One of my favorite things about being a touring musician has been finding the wonderful local coffeeshop. Greyfriars in Chattanooga, Vivace and a hundred others in Seattle, Highland in Cincinnati.
I’m wondering what it says that coffee, grown primarily in a certain latitudinal belt around the middle of the world, is such a worldwide delight and fascination. It must be awfully good to have developed such devotion worldwide. I sometimes consider that many of the graces we have here serve more than one function, more needful and more aesthetic. While “needful” is debatable, many people rely on coffee to overcome morning and lethargy and add a little spark to the morning. Coffee, also, delightful just by flavor, texture and aroma. So in a new earth (have I mentioned that I believe in such a thing? An earth that is going to no longer be broken?), I wonder if we will still be trying to overcome tiredness and have tired bodies. I have a long list like this. Will we still be at odds with the elements, needing shelter? And if not, will we still have architecture? Buildings are not only functional, but can be beautiful. I wonder if coffee still still be considered “needful”, but I distinctly hope we will still enjoy it for its delightful taste and aroma.
Speaking of, we have a number of coffeeshops in Nashville. If you want to talk coffee, though, go downtown to Crema, aptly named for the coffee bean fat that makes espresso so good. Sit at the counter and ask an innocent question. Something like “why do you have THREE grinders?” Rachel, the gracious and talented proprietor, will tell you all- she loves, loves good coffee. And makes the best espresso in Nashville. The artwork shown here is hers. But all of her baristas do that- bunch of espresso jedis.
