39. Coffee anyone?

Fresh beans make the best cup. Ground them, but not too fine. You don't want the granules to be seeping through the sieve. One tablespoon per cup is the proportion of granules to water in the coffee press. The water must be boiling. To keep the glass from cracking, put a spoon on the coffee press to take some heat off the glass as you pour the water. Stir it well, and be amazed at the marriage of coffee and water; it will swirl as the aroma flies off in the air. Then, let it rest. Prepare your cup and saucer while the granules settle at the bottom of the coffee press. When you see that almost everything has rested, it is time to enjoy your coffee. Press it now slowly and pour it in your cup. Savor it well. It's good coffee prepared with the coffee press. The coffee press has not always been the way we prepare our coffee. My grandfather used to put ground coffee and water in a pot in a slightly different proportion and boil them. Once it boils, the drink is poured into cups as well, and the remaining coffee stays in the pot for reheating and drinking anytime of the day. Soon, my uncle bought a drip method coffee maker, and from this method,  the aroma of the coffee became a sub-highlight of the coffee experience. For many years, I thought the drip method was the only way that I could prepare a decent cup, until I discovered the coffee press. There are other methods like the capsule type, which is quite fancy and expensive, but nothing beats the coffee press. Legend has it that drinking coffee is associated with energy and rebellion; that's why Charles II tried to ban it in  Europe in 1676 only to back down two days before the ban was supposed to take effect. Indeed, the experience of coffee -- from preparation of the beans, the pouring of the water, the mixing of water and coffee, the way the aroma is diffused, until the tongue tastes the bitter sweet flavor of this concoction, which runs through your throat and  nestles in your belly -- triggers moments of epiphany when you seem to know what's really going on, and you want to rebel against all the bull shit around you. And then, you sober down. It's just coffee messing with your mind.