The Art and Fun of Coffee

Coffee is a subject many have written about so, I have tons of info on the net to get ideas from. I also found a catchy title courtesy of a friend: The Art of Drinking Coffee. However, I have the feeling that title is already used. Besides, what I am really interested in having in this blog is ways to overcome boredom. One of them is coffee and I will suggest ways to have fun with it.

My 10 ways to have Fun with Coffee:

1. Drink it! (duh)

Probably the ultimate and most fun way to approach coffee is to drink it. BUT (yes there is a but or else it will be boring) do it with a twist. Try different types of coffee. Learn which one is your favorite and hold it dear but still, do try a different type or blend every now and then.

Most of all, enjoy the flavour and procedure of making it (or of ordering it – whatever comes first).

Survivor’s tip: do not, under any circumstances, try ‘Kopi Luwak/Civet coffee’ or ‘weasel coffee’ unless you really know what exactly it is!

2. Create art with it and for it!

General art rule of thumbs is: if you are creative, you can create art or useful things with practically ANYTHING.

A few of the items made with coffee (beans or liquid) I saw: picture frames, jewellery, paintings and statues, wallpapers, posters, marvellous photography.
And then we have tons of artistic possibilities for items related to coffee, like coffee tables, coffee cups, coffee bags, coffee-table…books and so on. ^^

So, get a piece of paper, a cotton swab, and get some coffee. Dip the cotton swab in the coffee and start painting. Or, draw on the coffee (and video it or take pictures).If you haven’t seen something like it yet, you will love what people can do with a bit of milk, a cup of coffee and lots of fantasy:

3. Cultivate it!

They give beautiful white flowers (that last too little but smell great) and then pop the coffee berries which change colours as they mature. The berries look pretty much like cherries. Pretty good, huh? It starts as a cute bush, you will only need a single seed, a small pot and a bit of good dirt.

Tip: a coffee cup is ideal for raising a small coffee plant. Is stylish, is hip, is artful and most of all: is cheap.

Additionally you can spend quality time reading how to raise a happy coffee plant and even take pictures of its growth stages, eventually blogging about “how I managed raising a full coffee plant; the ups and the downs”.

Your coffee plant will give you fruits about once per year but you are just doing it for kicks not planning on starting a money bringing plantation…Right? (However, if you do plan on getting rich through coffee, see point 10 for extra ideas).

4. Use it as means for socialization!

I suppose you already know what I am talking about but just in case:
– Arrange going out with your friends to have (read enjoy) a coffee.
– Arrange going out shopping coffee related items (again with your friends OR someone you are interested with and don’t know how to approach him/her – beats the “butterfly collection” lie, anytime).
– You get to talk and meet people at coffee shops, at coffee addicts’ forums, at coffee lovers’ blogs and sites.
– Making good coffee is an art that will be very appreciated by your co-workers, your friends and your family.
Tip: remember to just smile sweetly every time someone praises your coffee-making skills and avoid going in depth discussions about the 6000 varieties of coffee and the disputes about its origin/effects.

tiramisu pictured by r.g.steiner

5. Cook with it!

In particular sweets and ice-creams but not only. You can also make beauty and health products using coffee. I need to mention some of those sweets look absolutely gorgeous. You get hungry just by looking at them. Proof is all over the net.

6. Study about it!

Probably the most boring thing to do but hey, you gotta start somewhere and if you didn’t start with drinking it, perhaps reading about it is your thing. If you are a chemist, a doctor or a biochemist, even better; coffee has fascinating attributes, very interesting to research it even further.

Coffee is a scholar’s subject on its own. Has history, myths, disputes and a whole subculture built around it.

7. Make it your hobby!

First you will just google around pictures and sites. Then you will learn about its types, its blends and its history. Then you will start experimenting with tastes and ways to make it. There are oh-so-many coffee items to buy if you decide to go obsessive about it. Espresso machines, thousands of cute coffee mugs (in any size and material imaginable), hundreds of coffee types to taste.

Depending on how much you learn about it and how seriously you take it, it can even become a source of wealth for you.

8. Make your own health and beauty products!

You can check out on the net about relevant products. Coffee has some fantastic attributes you can use. For example caffeine is supposed to work against cellulites. You can buy or make soaps, facial scrubs, coffee oils and so on.

9. Is a great idea for gifts!

Yes, it is. A very cheap (in terms of money; not class) idea is a coffee bag filled with 2 or 3 types of coffee plus a coffee related assortment like a personalised cup or a relevant table book about coffee . Is a unique gift, is practical and is good taste (literally). You can certainly go extravagant with coffee if you can afford it but it really isn’t necessary at all.

If you can afford it, by all means, go for it! Indulge someone with a full steel espresso machine (aluminum ones mess with the taste or so is rumoured).

10. Make money with it!

I will only outline what you can do to make money by means of coffee (will make a nice full fledged article on its own one day ^^ ):
Agriculture – start with one plant, conquer the world
Business – work for one or make your very own coffee business
Working – in a coffee shop or in Food & Beverage
Magazines – write articles about it
Seminars – spread your knowledge
Investing – in coffee market

If none of the above meets your need of a way to overcome boredom, when everything else fails, don’t get disappointed! I kept the ultimate trick for the end:
Coffee Bean Shooting!
You will need:
– 1 straw (with a decent width)
– Coffee beans
– An enemy/victim. If you don’t have one, create one!
Possible easy targets:
– Your sister (especially when she talks with a potential boyfriend)
– Your brother (as long as you are in safe distance or close to your mom)
– Your boss (but take care, you mustn’t been seen)
– Your teacher (same principle of invisibility applies here as well)
– Your other half (when you decide it really is time to break up)
– A random passer by (the best crime is the one without a motive)
Why coffee beans and not just any bean? Simple: it is classy.

Survivor’s tip: It can backfire! They may see you, you may cause a mild injury (so be very cautious when you aim – NEVER aim for the face) and the worst is, you may actually attract someone that way, you may end up married (that equals life imprisonment – bad bad) and even more, if that person gets attracted by a coffee bean shooter, must not be very sane.
I let you imagine what may happen then.