The Coffee Experience and You

Rather than jump on the bandwagon and discuss the disappointment of advertisements during this year’s Superbowl (there were some gems, don’t get me wrong - just not a lot of breathtaking segments), I’ve decided to write about something else that will be more worth your time in the long haul.  Coffee.

Now now, I can hear your grumble already.  I’m not talking about the pretentious coffee that snooty people clench onto whilst hustling down the sidewalk to Macy’s.  I’m not even talking about the coffee shop I’m sitting in right now (by the way table-neighbor, you’d be feet-tapping too if you were listening to these guys).  I’m talking about the Coffee Experience.  

Experience?  The last time I put any thought to experience was when I was updating my resume.  Yet think about it - many Americans suck coffee down several times a day as if its needed for zombie apocalypse survival.  It’s a lifeblood.  I think its safe to say caffeine has a lot to do with it, but we can get that jolt of the friendly drug in other ways - through soda, energy tonics, etc.  So why do so many of us default to coffee?  I’ll tell you: taste for some, the promise of a familiar comfort for most.

I am not a morning person.  I never was and highly doubt I’ll ever be.  One of the things that make getting out of a pillowy, heavenly bed less soul-sucking is a cup of coffee.  Hot, aromatic, and punished with huge amounts of half & half.  The experience of wrapping my fingers around a warm mug and taking that first gulp of “Hello World!” really does something.

We can recall those Folgers ads that harken a good-timey feeling of family and love like this one. Awwweeeeeeee.  This ad isn’t selling coffee of course.  It’s selling the experience of Christmas Morning with loved ones...or at least those you have to tolerate in order to get a good cup of coffee around here.

Yet for me, Fair Trade and responsible coffee is much more important than a brand name.  This is why I think you should check out Peace Coffee. Establishments such as this one pay attention to where their beans come from, assuring farmers are getting paid and treated as all humans should be...with fairness and respect.  

That being said, it takes more than a feel-good advertisement to buy your favorite coffee.  My Coffee Experience is directly related to human rights and justice.  When I clench onto my reusable coffee mug knowing the farmers who sweated in their crops are getting compensated for their hard work, I feel good.  I feel like I’m not hurting someone with my caffeine vice.  I’m assisting in their livelihood.  What’s your Coffee Experience?

In my office, it seems, the coffee machine is absolutely a god.  In the morning you’ll find a good chunk of employees standing around it, groggy like a cowboy’s horse at the watering hole after a day’s wrangling.  The machine churns and spits out brown nectar in a constant stream and soon the line wains and people return to their offices and desks, ready to start the day just as they have been for years.  When the midday hits, it happens all over again.  Some are more dependant than others.  But you WILL know when the machine’s broken.  A roar of agonizing screams is usually the first clue.

This isn’t to criticize the working person’s ritual, especially since my blood-to-coffee ratio is probably worse anyway.  The marketing nerd that I am, however, wants to dissect this behavior to pieces.  Coworkers have their special mugs or use the ones provided by the office, doctor their drink in their own special way, and have the same ritual for each cup, each day. This experience of a cup of coffee has personal branding all over it.

Travel mugs can be as mundane as Bueller’s roll-calling teacher or as full pf pizazz as a jar of glitter and Carrot Top.  Coffee can be taken razor straight or with a gazillion flavoring options that make your head spin...on purpose.  Beans are grown in different regions and roasted at differing temperatures and lengths to create blends that tickle your tongue differently every time.  Coffee can create a community all while hoisting individuality high in the air.

Coffee is a global connection.  And that’s why it means so much more than a hot beverage to us.  It’s an experience we seek out daily.  I think it’s time for cup number two.  Okay, you caught me. Three. It’s cup number three.