Like clockwork, we reach for coffee every morning. Many of us adhere to this routine, whether it’s a drowsy-eyed stumbling to the kitchen or a quick stop at a neighborhood café. When you give it some thought, though, you could question if we genuinely enjoy coffee or if we simply enjoy everything that surrounds it. Perhaps the true addiction is in the mug in our hands, the aroma in the air, and the moment before the day starts.
Making coffee has a reassuring quality that cannot be denied. Boiling water, weighing coffee grounds, or listening to the hiss of the espresso machine may bring a sense of order to even the most chaotic mornings. In an otherwise chaotic day, it turns into a ritual, a little moment of order. The habit is what matters, whether of whether you’re drinking an instant from a jar or a beautiful pour-over. The way a game frames your time and attention is often more significant than the game itself, much like when you check in to your Spinando login to begin your favorite game.
One of the few things in life that can be both socially general and deeply personal is coffee. You may have a specific mug that somehow enhances the flavor, or you may have your own “perfect” method for brewing coffee. Despite this, millions of people share the behavior. Friends arrange get-togethers over cappuccinos, strangers go on their first dates in cafés, and coworkers congregate during coffee breaks. The ritual is what really draws people in, not the coffee.
Let’s face it, not everyone enjoys coffee’s flavor. To make it bearable, some people stuff it full of sugar and cream. Others turn to flavored drinks that hardly taste like coffee, or iced lattes. Nevertheless, they continue to consume it. Why? Since the drink isn’t the main focus. It’s about the emotion it evokes—the sense of passage from one hour of the day to the next, the metaphorical alarm, the justification for taking a break.
It has a psychological component as well. We establish a strong connection between coffee and company, productivity, and relaxation. Suddenly, it’s time to concentrate once you settle down with a cup. Or you should relax. Or it’s time to mingle. Coffee turns into a cue or prompt that directs our actions. We miss the ritual rather than the taste, which is why we feel a little strange without it.
Coffee’s aesthetics are also important. Consider the carefully planned brewing techniques, the foam art that is shared on social media, and the café interiors that are intended to appear warm and welcoming. It is both a process and a performance. The setting, the clinking of cups, the sound of grinding beans—all of these elements are included in the performance. The magic disappears when you remove the setting and simply sip coffee from a plastic bottle while on the run.
This is not to imply that coffee isn’t a real favorite among people. A lot of people do. Decaf drinkers do exist, but, for a reason: they aren’t following the craze. They’re trying to seize the moment. The warmth. The silence. the calm fulfillment that comes from holding something you know well.
The next time you drink your morning brew, consider if you truly enjoy the coffee or if it’s just something you’re allowed to do. to reduce speed. to concentrate. to establish a connection. To go from slumber to wakefulness, from tension to ease. Perhaps the habit we’ve developed around caffeine is more important than the caffeine itself.
And if so, perhaps we need the space that coffee provides us more than we need coffee itself. Coffee is really the means by which we get to the ritual, which is what we truly crave.
