Tale of the Gourmet Coffee Beans

In the dreamy hours of the morning, the coffee bean begins anew to draw energy from dark, rich, volcanic soil and sunlight filtered through the remains of the previous night. The coffee bean stirs within and, to the first sounds of birds and the morning rituals of nearby inhabitants, the rain forest awakens around it.

It is drawn forth towards the day, guided by the call of nature and its own internal rhythm. It will be a gourmet Arabica bean or it will be nothing; it will taste rich and be aromatic or existence will be meaningless. It will surpass all expectations. It will start this day as it should and as it does always.

As the morning’s milky fog washes over these young coffee beans, it convenes subtle harmonies in its eddies. The high mountain rain showers it with elixirs of stimulation and vitality. Fresh breezes carry the rain forest’s earthy aroma and gently stir perfect humidity and temperature against the bean’s exterior.  From the rich rain forest floor percolate flavors that define the bean’s origin and gourmet heritage.  Organic perfection is developing within.  Along with it, develop the rich complexities and exquisite body and acidity that are its hallmark.

But perfection ripens at its own pace.  In the thin air of the equatorial mountains and in the shade of a broad, leafy canopy, an endless eon of eager anticipation must pass before the bean is ready.  Dreams of lattes, French roast, decaf, espresso and perhaps, flavored hints of hazelnut, chocolate, or vanilla, may fill the time, but ultimate satisfaction is yet a long way off. For now, the gourmet coffee bean is tucked in the caring hands of the plantation farmer and there it will stay, until inevitability pulls it from its cozy mountainside home.

At its very peak of ripeness, coarse, strong fingers grasp the coffee bean and with a gentle tug, set it loose to join its destiny.   The sleepy comfort of the cool mountain slopes gives way to activity. Voices, which had been but faint echoes in the foggy valley, are now close at hand and distinct.  A bath in pure mountain water awakens energy stored within it, and a fresh, new, green coffee bean emerges from the red pod in which it had nestled for so long.

From the surroundings, orderly rhythm coalesces–new, but somehow not unfamiliar. As though it has passed this way a thousand times, the gourmet coffee bean bumps first down the mountain trails and dirt roads of its little corner of the world –joined gradually by others of like origin and destiny. Together they fill baskets, bags, vehicles, and the holds of freighters destined for the world’s four corners, and the coffee roasters there of the highest standards.

From millions upon millions of others, the roastmaster finally sets eyes on the gourmet coffee beans he has selected as the canvas for his craft. Experience, heat, timing, and love are the tools the roaster uses to unlock the magical door to the bean’s sensuality. Tumbling within his small-batch roaster, the bean sacrifices its moisture, proteins and sugars to the heat. Bestowed upon it in return are body, aroma, and flavor. Its acidity peaks and wanes in the roasting process; it expands, cracks, caramelizes, and darkens. The roastmaster spins magic and, in mere minutes, divines the final expression of the bean’s gourmet heritage.

Its journey is all but over. In the final seconds, the roaster, the bean, the aroma, the misty volcanic mountains, the history, and the color all give themselves to the creation of a single, final, consuming essence.

The bean has now given all of itself. Yet what has been given remains delicately within. The essence lingers and is cooled. In its state of grace, the gourmet bean is delicately and proudly packaged by the roastmaster–bag by bag–to be whisked off on a its final journey.

The tale has now come full circle–a millennium; a year; a season; an early morning. The  following instants will, at last fulfill an eager yearning.  There is now nothing between the bean and its destiny.  All thresholds have been passed and the connoisseur stands at the brink of glory. In just moments the dark richness meets its maker; its essence, so tenderly nurtured and developed, finally set free in a steaming hot bath of aroma and earthy-rich flavor.

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