Coffee is consumed by millions of people every day. However, it is brewed, prepared, and drank in many different ways.
“Coffee just isn’t something that you think about being a cultural thing,” sophomore David Kendell explained at a coffee tasting event that took place in the Fukushima Lobby at the Health Science Center on Oct. 12 from 10-11am. "It’s such a simple thing you don’t think about how it represents different people.”
This on-the-go Coffee Tasting organized by medical student Jeffrey Cannon featured coffee from around the world, including information on how it is brewed, and the best way to drink it (which often excludes milk and sugar).
The tent featured a variety of coffee from countries such as Bolivia, China, Thailand and the Netherlands. Each sample of coffee tasted wildly different, even though they are all made from the same basic ingredients. Bitter coffee from China, sweet coffee from Brazil, and grainy coffee from Thailand gave a sense of how different cultures start their day, or rather how they spend their afternoon. Time for some coffee at noon is an essential part of the day in some regions of the world, as Cannon explained.
Some students tried various coffees and some only had a sip or two, but overall the crowd took a chance to experience something new. Amongst the crowd of busy students, there were also many professors and administrators who stopped to grab a sample.
It was a learning experience for many generations. After all, coffee is something that has been enjoyed throughout the ages. For some countries, some of their coffee traditions are hundreds of years old.
When considering research from the National Coffee Association, America is the country that consumes the most coffee annually. It was a surprise to many at the event to learn that America is one of the last countries to develop an addiction to the morning joe as it wasn’t until the Boston Tea Party that Thomas Jefferson suggested making coffee the drink of choice. (NCAUSA).
Cannon also gave samples of various espressos and cappuccinos and explained the brewing process and the preparation of the drinks with dedication and ease. Cannon’s work was that of an artist, careful and methodical. He had an appreciation for the different styles and cultural preparations of the coffee, making the crowd appreciate it as well.
Although this event was short and simple, it allowed students to see how something as mundane as coffee, something that millions of people drink every day, can hold meaning and depth that is vastly different from what they experience in their own lives.
