The Zen of Grinding Coffee

Seek solace, my friends, in the moments—however brief—that transport you away from the turmoil of life.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

For decades I dreamt of making a perfect cup of coffee.

After watching an excellent review of coffee grinders by James Hoffmann—coffee fanatic and barista champion— I decided to buy a hand grinder from Germany that he recommended. It made me feel good to buy a nice shiny object that would live with me and help me make better coffee.

James has a YouTube channel in which he describes the proper technique for making coffee with the V60 brewer.  He recommends starting with 30 grams of ground coffee and 500 grams of water.

Adjust to taste.

When you have finally added 500 grams of water to your carafe, and the water has completely filtered through the coffee grounds, you pour the coffee into your favorite cup, sit down at your favorite place in your favorite chair and have a sip of marvelous, fresh coffee.

I can’t do this.

What I do instead is exactly the same as I have described, right up until the “sip” part. I discovered that, as soon as I get ready to have sip of coffee, even fabulous fresh-ground coffee, I become uncomfortable, since I start thinking that I have to read something, check my email, wash my socks or do something, anything, except 

sip

my

coffee.

This bothered me at first until I realized I was satisfied drinking a very small amount of coffee.

After sipping coffee for a few minutes, I rush around doing things, realize there is a whole pot of very nice coffee waiting for me to enjoy, and return to the pot for another sip. 

I can repeat this pleasant experience several times, unlike primitive rogues who simply gulp their coffee at one sitting. But my dream of relaxing while slowly drinking fresh coffee didn’t turn out the way I expected.

Instead something magical happened.

When I began grinding my beans by hand,  I discovered to my complete surprise that I love grinding coffee beans. For me it is therapeutic meditation.

I spend a few minutes carefully grinding beans until they are completely ground into the reservoir at the bottom of the grinder. The speed of the rotation of the handle has to be exact. Too slow, and the grinding becomes difficult. Too fast and the grinding is uncomfortable and frantic. There is a speed that is just right.

When I am grinding fresh coffee beans, turning the handle at just the right speed, listening to the beans being crushed into a perfect grind, while the aroma of coffee fills the air, I am removed from this universe and transported somewhere else.

Sometimes, when I feel stressed, or the world seems a little lopsided, I make a pot of coffee. While I grind fresh coffee beans I will be able to relax, just for a few minutes.

And that will be enough.