Cosying up to latte, cappuccino and espresso

We remember the moments, not the activity. The moments remind us of the experience and the emotions. The rain, for instance, brings with it a festive fervour. The sweet scent of the first raindrops touching the parched earth brings to mind different layers of memories of childhood, teenage and adulthood.

Just like the computer, our memory storage has several files, which we may not be able to delete but we can certainly close and exit the painful ones, while enjoying the happy ones.

One of my happy memories is cosying up in a sagging sofa in the living room that overlooks an expanse of green patch with a massive mango tree through big windows. Lazing around on the sofa is always complemented with a book and a cup of coffee. Coffee! Just the mention of the word transports me to a different level. Suddenly, the feeling of being treated royally is evoked. Whatever it may be with teas, normal, dip-dip, green, white or black, to me it still is a refreshing beverage but with coffee, the aura is different.

While growing up, coffee was only for privileged guests. It was out of bounds for us kids. Therefore, the highlight of attending weddings was the espresso coffee served at a separate counter. At home, there was hot coffee or cold coffee or the coffee made into espresso style by beating it in sugar turn wise till it changed its dark brown colour to a graceful caramel. Till date, the caramel colour reminds me of the rich experience of beating the coffee with sugar with friends and family. Such is my fascination with coffee.

With the advent of so much comfort for everything, the coffee and tea dispenser in the organisation has somehow brought its level down. Still coffee shops around have been able to guard the status synonymous with coffee. But coffee can also throw you off guard if you are not careful. Well, there is latte, cappuccino, espresso, flat white, long black, macchiato, mochaccino and Irish coffee (God bless Google)! The first three are part of my general knowledge, but for the rest, God help me if I am offered these .

This is not all; our perceptions can play havoc at times, if interpretation of terms is incorrect. Espresso with us is coffee in steamed milk foam that actually is traditional cappuccino; while espresso is hot strong coffee with very little/no milk. While travelling with my husband during our initial phase of getting to know each other and the worlds together, I asked for espresso with flair to impress my husband. Well cappuccino I got, but even after drowning it in sachets of sugar, it was a task much more difficult than leaving my parent’s house after the wedding.

So, coffee not only makes me feel pampered and royal but sometimes foolish, too. Happy coffee drinking to all!

EVEN AFTER DROWNING THE CAPPUCCINO IN SEVEN SACHETS OF SUGAR, DOWNING IT WAS A TASK MORE DIFFICULT THAN LEAVING HOUSE OF MY PARENTS

The writer is a Ludhiana-based school lecturer