The origin story of coffee starts with a goat herder.
In 9th century Ethiopia, a man named Kaldi noticed his goats acting unusually energetic after eating bright red cherries. These were coffee cherries - the fruit coffee beans come from. He tried them himself and felt caffeinated (although this term didn't yet exist).
He brought the cherries to local monks who thought they were dangerous, threw them into a fire, and accidentally roasted them. It smelled so good that they changed their minds, ground them up, mixed them with water, and created the first cup of coffee.
Legend or not, one thing is true:
Coffee doesn't just taste good - it does something to you.
What's actually happening
Caffeine works by blocking a neurotransmitter called adenosine. Adenosine builds up in your brain throughout the day and signals that you're tired. Caffeine steps in and hijacks that signal.
You're not gaining energy. You're losing your awareness of being tired.
And that's why it works. Coffee is one of the few drugs people are proud to depend on.
Most people misunderstand what they're drinking
They focus on how much coffee they have instead of what kind they're getting.
Coffee changes completely depending on origin, altitude, processing, and roast:
- Ethiopia → light, floral, almost tea-like
- Brazil → rich, chocolatey, nutty
- Kenya → bright, acidic, fruit-forward
Most people never learn this. So they assume they don't like coffee - when really they've only had bad coffee: burnt, over-roasted, or covered in sugar.
The skill: how to order better coffee anywhere
Start with origin, not size
Choose based on flavor, not cup size.
Avoid overly dark or bitter coffee
Bitterness usually means over-roasted or low-quality beans.
Skip heavy syrups at least once
If everything is masked, you can't judge the base coffee.
Ask one question
"What do you recommend if I don't want something too bitter?" A good shop will guide you immediately. A bad one won't.
Compare smell vs taste
If it smells incredible but tastes flat, something is off.
My go-to: a miel latte (espresso, milk, honey, cinnamon). It only works if the coffee underneath is good.
Most people don't need more coffee. They need to stop accepting bad coffee.
Other to-dos
- Read this article on people turning coffee cherry waste into yummy bevs.
- Browse a list of some aesthetic coffee books.
- Listen to the music I would play if I owned a coffeeshop.