Why do you drink coffee? Im willing to bet, that it feels like more than just a beverage to you. Why is that? What makes it so special and how do we take care of this drink that we love?

I remember being 10 years old, fishing with my dad. It was a cold morning, just after sunrise, and we had just finished a cold boat ride to where we would be fishing for the morning. After we were situated with lines in the water my dad reached for his famous Stanley thermos that accompanied him on just about every trip out of the house. Long car rides. Hunting trips. Working in the shop. Even mornings in the garden. My dad poured himself that first cup. It had definitely come from the grocery store, pre-ground, in a red tin that cost about $9. I hadn’t gotten up early enough to make myself hot chocolate. Realizing I didn’t have anything to drink, he flipped the thermos lid and pours me my first full cup of coffee. As I sat on the lake, drinking through my first coffee it was not so much the taste but the sense of accomplishment that made it so special. It was the feeling of being grown, the knowledge that I had come of age in some small way. I went on to drink more and more coffee. When I moved out and could afford it I bought the same coffee maker that my dad had when I was growing up. This was because I wanted so badly to recreate the coffee from my memories.

Coffee, even mediocre coffee, holds something special for me. It takes me home and reminds me of coming downstairs to a coffee pot that had already been emptied once. Coffee may have played a similar role in your home growing up or maybe you discovered it later. Maybe it’s a hit of caffeine to get you focused for the day. Maybe through these last two years it was an excuse to get out of the house. Maybe its social, as you stand around the coffee maker at work and prepare for your day.

Whatever your reason for drinking coffee, I want to give you three challenges.

1. Find out where your coffee comes from.

It is a common myth that coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world. While this isn’t true, coffee is the single most important traded commodity from developing countries. This means that your dollar can go so much farther if you do a little research and pay that money to a coffee company that trades coffee directly with farmers. This not only ensures that you get the highest quality coffee but also helps to fund the passion of farmers around the globe.

2. Prepare your coffee differently

There are SO many ways to prepare coffee. Your classic drip coffee, aeropress, pour over, siphon, percolater, and espresso, just to name a few. Within these categories there are different makers and brands with methods verifying from the super simple french press to complicated espresso based drinks. It doesn’t really matter which one you try, but mix it up. The way you prepare your coffee has a huge impact on the flavour of your coffee and if you only try one type of coffee, you will most likely never know what kind is your favourite.

3. Buy better coffee

This may sound like a shameless plug, I won’t argue you on that, but the best way to make your coffee better is to buy better coffee. You can ruin good coffee with a poor brew method but it’s impossible to make bad coffee good with a good brew method. Spend a little more for a specialty roasted coffee and see how it changes your coffee experience.

So whatever your reason for drinking coffee, I hope you love it and I hope you see the difference that your cup of coffee can make.