Coffee with Family and Friends.

Summary

The author shares their experiences and memories of enjoying coffee with family and friends at various local coffee shops, highlighting the importance of shared moments and connections.

Abstract

The article titled "Coffee with Family and Friends" discusses the author's fondness for coffee and the local coffee shops they frequent. The author categorizes these coffee shops into two types: the "I'm in a rush but need coffee" and the "Talking, Supping, and Sipping" category, with the latter being the most important. The author has been visiting one such coffee shop since 2000, where they enjoy conversations, reminisce, and share meals with friends. The author mentions a compromise in their coffee preference, settling for small cup, double-shot cappuccinos instead of their preferred black coffee. The article also reveals a third category of coffee shops, referred to as "secret pleasures," where the author enjoys their preferred single origin coffee beans. The author's youngest son, an artisan potter, has introduced them to a small coffee shop that serves coffee in his handcrafted cups.

Bullet points

The author is a coffee enthusiast who enjoys visiting local coffee shops with family and friends.
The author categorizes coffee shops into two types: the "I'm in a rush but need coffee" and the "Talking, Supping, and Sipping" category.
The author has been visiting one particular coffee shop since 2000, where they share conversations, memories, and meals with friends.
The author compromises on their coffee preference, opting for small cup, double-shot cappuccinos instead of their preferred black coffee.
The author reveals a third category of coffee shops, referred to as "secret pleasures," where they enjoy their preferred single origin coffee beans.
The author's youngest son, an artisan potter, has introduced them to a small coffee shop that serves coffee in his handcrafted cups.

Sharing and Creating Precious Memories.

Local coffee shop for family and friends. Picture by John Rose.

My sons are coffee aficionados and went through a period of careful tasting and note comparing. I heard terms life “hints of plumb”, “orange overtones”, “citrus undertones” and others too many to remember or for that matter understand. With my somewhat gut-blasted palette (long term curry eater) I can discern some delicate coffee flavours provided I’m drinking very strong, black, hot coffee filtered carefully using freshly ground single origin coffee beans in accordance with Gaian principles.

The local coffee shops I frequent fall into two categories. The first is the “I’m in a rush but need coffee” and the second category is “Talking, Supping and Sipping”. The local coffee shop pictured falls into the second and most important category. There are five coffee haunts in the first category.

I have been frequenting the pictured coffee shop at its present site since 2000 after the redevelopment work on the shopping centre was completed. Prior to that I frequented its predecessor which had been demolished during the redevelopment. Many tears were shed at that time.

The coffee shop is shown in its new guise, having undergone two fashionable renovations in the past. Fortunately, my memories linger at the two tables I like. The Winter table is “just” inside and the Summer table “just” outside. With my old friends, we have coffee and a courgette dish. The original dish had courgettes with the attached flowers, lightly battered and fried. Now the dish is a sort of layered arrangement that is frankly delicious.

We talk, reminisce, drink coffee and eat snacks. The talk is secondary to just enjoying each other’s company. The staff are indulgent of us with attentive service, fresh cups of coffee and seemingly a never ending supply of light delectable platers. We only have to say a name, or perhaps a phrase to remember people, times and places in our shared songlines.

Life is full of compromises. Very early in my coffee visits I realised that I would not get the delectable black coffee I preferred. So I compromised with small cup, double-shot, cappuccinos. I only have “my coffee” at home. But now it is time for my exciting reveal — the secret third coffee shop category!

My youngest son is deeply embedded in the coffee culture. He is an artisan potter and produces the most beautiful, artistic coffee cups, tumblers I have ever seen and used. I have a cupboard dedicated to his coffee cups. He also sells fine Japanese art-glass crafted to his design. He and his partner are excellent cooks.

Cut to the quick, my son introduced me to a little coffee shop at Hornsby Railway station that does have the single origin coffee beans I love and does make the style of coffee I adore. This is my third category, “secret pleasures”. Being small, the shop has no chairs. Life can be so difficult. The coffee is served in my son’s cups. I enjoy it so much that I have to get comfortable standing in the corner.

Cups from my Son’s Artisan Pottery. Japanese Glass. A Royal Crown Derby ring-in. Picture by John Rose.

I think I need another cup.

Blessed be.