It has become the perfect morning ritual for over a year now. I pick out a coffee from the ever-changing assortment of single-origin coffee beans at home. The decisions begin — lighter roasts or darker roasts, subtle earthy flavours, or sharp fruity ones — sometimes it is a specific craving, and other times it is an arbitrary choice. Then the second decision for the morning — the brewing method — with the dependable and balanced Aero-press usually being the go-to on weekdays, and with weekends alternating between delicate Pour-overs, faux-artistic French presses, or even the occasional elaborate Moka pot brew.

I open a coffee bag and pour out a handful (18 grams per cup, to be precise) of beans, and slide them onto the hand grinder, pre-adjusted to crush the beans to a grain size matching the brewing method for the day. I set the kettle to boil the amount of water I’d need and then I move forward onto the crushing of the beans. It is a ritual that connects me to nature, even in a concrete house. The twisting of the grinder’s handle with more force than seems intuitive — the subsequent crunching sound and the faint aromas which hint at the flavours being unlocked from the beans… all tell a story that starts with beautiful coffee plants growing somewhere on this planet, proceeding across their journey from being coffee cherries’ seeds which are processed onto dried green beans. These raw beans get roasted, packed, and transported… all the way up to this point, minutes away from transforming water into a cup of liquid harmony.

Once the coffee is completely ground, I proceed to the brewing — a precise, yet simple, set of steps with specific equipment and filters. 10 minutes or less, and I have a freshly brewed cup of coffee — a liquid distillation filled with caffeine, gentle bitterness and a multitude of exotic flavours, oils and aromas — the perfect start to any day.