~Sheik Abd-al-Kadir
Coffee is a simple luxury. One that most of the world has embraced with all their senses. It can be rich, light, creamy or bitter, and sometimes all of these things at once. For me, it has always been atmospheric. The experience of coffee is the beauty of it.
For instance; I've never really cared for sweet coffee drinks (here's to you caramel macchiato and the rest of the Starbucks crew) however there is something perfect about the bitter and saccharine Cuban coffee served on a street corner in Miami's Little Havana.
And that is what coffee is to me. It is a story. From the dirt the beans grew out of, to the barista who grinds them and draws out their charm, to the music in the room and the art of the walls, it all comes together to create a moment in time that can be invigorating, relaxing, melancholy or brimming with excitement. Those feelings are the reason I'm going to attempt this compendium.
We have all come to new cities and ended up walking into one of the local Starbucks rather than braving the local coffee scene. Familiarity is comfort and the certainty of the corporate coffee shop can be a welcome facade when we are freshly arrived in a foreign place. But coffee culture around the world has exploded, and more often than not you can find a 'filling station' that serves your every need. I'm hoping that in my writing I can begin to create a guide to coffee across America and around the world through the the senses of a regular nomad who continues to find the unique beauty and je ne sais quoi of cities big and small.
CBR
-Coffee enthusiast, Nomad, Operatic Bass
