FEATURED WRITER | Smruthi Thota on “Coffee ”

Sometimes it is the prospect of our favourite early morning brew that motivates us to get up and start the day. Sometimes a sip of that brew nudges us down a philosophical journey that makes us ponder about the flavours of life and the process of living. 
Smruthi Thota muses about “Coffee” that takes her down a similar journey.

The aroma wafts into the room. A smile caresses my lips. You lift up the most cynical. You are companion to those who are wallowing the most. You are the leap of faith that I believe sets everything right. And I take that leap of faith every morning.

I do not know where you come from. If you come from Ethiopia, that is presumed to be your birthplace or if you come from Chikmanglur in India. I do not know if you are Arabica or Robusta. And I definitely have no clue, if you are blended with chicory or you settle down on your own. I wonder if you prefer to be dark, medium or lightly roasted.

All that I know is that when you touch my lips you seem just right.

I wish I enjoyed you the way my mum made you dark roasted; blended with chicory in a ratio which only she understood. She would make a decoction out of you religiously every night to relish at day break with a dash of steaming milk poured to creamy perfection. That froth, the creamy smooth self, that aroma still lingers in my mind after leaving home a decade back. You are my antidote.

You are my leap of faith every day.

But now, where everything happens in an instant - Gratification and you. I enjoy you like most millennials do - as an instant.

I look to you to calm my nerves, to celebrate my victories and wallow in my sadness. The same ‘you’ to celebrate so many different things in life? Why, you may ask. Much like life itself - who has seen all through the spiral staircase? It is so much more about the process. What we do, where we come from, the people we surround ourselves with, the places we travel. For the human mind – circumstances, journey, emotions. All these factors have an indirect effect on the choices we make later in life. The path we wish to take, the roads we wish to travel. We do not have the power to dictate the result of our life. We need to trust the process more than just crossing the t’s and dotting the I’s. There is so much to life that is just a matter of a leap of faith.

The coffee beans themselves – temperature, climate, humidity and their treatment all have a telling effect on the coffee beans. The reason is simple. I never know what I am left with at the end of my cup. If it is bitter with a touch of sweetness, a hint of cocoa or just creamy and smooth. We can just trust ourselves to make a great brew. Get the coffee, add milk and sugar and water in the ratios we prefer. We can name them Americano, Espresso, Latte or Mocha but it is coffee after all – the elixir of life (for me). We have no idea if the beans were washed or if they were grown in the shade. Hold the cup, take a sip and trust the process and yourself - at the end of the road, will be a drink you relish for a lifetime.

Much to our chagrin, no life is perfect, and almost no cup of coffee is bad. Who sets those standards of good or bad? Is it society or peers or simply, our selves? Which coffee matches up to be the best in the world – you may like yours black, I may prefer mine to be creamy. Let us focus on the good – in us, our children and the others. Let no coffee reign supreme – the acidity, the floral or the cocoa flavors. They are all unique much like us with different talents - analytical, compassionate or empathetic. Life is much more wholesome due to the unique flavours of people and let us build our society based on our uniqueness.

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About the Writer :
Smruthi Thota searches for a story in everything and everyone. She is a mess creater, coffee addict and true dreamer.  

Smruthi worked on her Creative Non-Fiction Writing Skills in a workshop with Shweta, the editor of Inkspire.
This piece was crafted as her final assignment after six weeks of various writing exercises.
Smruthi had this to say about the workshop - "I have learned to write again after a hiatus. It took me a long time to get here. And I am glad I found a great mentor in you, always understanding the chagrins of a working mother. Thank you for your constructive feedback, I thank you for instilling a writer's discipline in me."