Your Healthy Relationship With Food

photo credit: CC Chapman

In general, I’m a tea guy. 10 months in China sampling some of the best teas of Fujian province will do that to you. But I don’t have much access to those teas anymore so I have switched to coffee in the meantime. For some reason though, I’m never able to finish a cup of it. Nor do I see the need to.

One of the reasons I prefer tea is that it implies slowness, skill, and peace. There’s no rushing a fine Chinese tea. In fact, I witnessed the art form of Gong Fu Tea many times while living in Xiamen. When we go for coffee, we’re not involved in making it. If you go to a tea house in China, you make the tea.

It’s not an inconvenience. It’s a skill that my friends were proud to show off. Plus, it’s a lot less noisy than a night in a Chinese karaoke palace (it’s the only way to describe the massive KTV bars in China) with those with, how shall I say, varying levels of singing ability.

We need to bring this skill to coffee. It’s time to appreciate the slow.

Finding Your Skill

The problem with many of our hobbies these days is that they’re relatively skill free. You can pick them up, get a quick laugh or rush, and then walk away. But we’ve lost our preference for the activities that prove to us that growth is possible.

But you can increase your coffee skill. It may be a simple notion but: Do It Yourself

Make a cup of coffee that is uniquely your own. Here’s the catch. You can’t put milk, cream, or sugar in it.

Milk, cream, and sugar are flavor killers. The more you put in, the more you’re ignoring the actual flavor of the coffee. Bitter does not equal bad. Bitter only means bitter. Taste needs to be judgment free.

Here’s the process for enjoying the longest cup of coffee ever.

1. Gather Your Ingredients

Besides your coffee beans, you also want to grab some other unexpected ingredients. Maybe melt down some dark chocolate. Grab some cinnamon. Cut up an orange. Find things you wouldn’t normally expect to go well with coffee and have them available anyway.

2. Prepare Your Coffee

Simple enough. Just make sure it’s at a comfortable temperature for you so you don’t burn your mouth.

3. Clear Your Mind

Before you even begin to drink, take 3 really deep breaths. If your chest isn’t rising, you’re not breathing deeply enough. Take the air in through your nostrils and let it exit your mouth. Relax your shoulders. Touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth (this will be familiar to you if you practice T’ai Chi)

4. Take One Mindful Sip

Now that your mind is clear, try to lose your words. You’re going to take one sip of the coffee without labeling it at all. Words aren’t appropriate here. Use this sip to feel how the coffee sits in your mouth, what it feels like against your tongue. Try to find where you feel the taste in your mouth. When you swallow, feel the warmth going down your throat.

5. Drink Without Adding Anything

Take a few more sips of the coffee. As much as possible, keep your mind clear of any thoughts. If they do come up, be the one observing them, not just the one having them. Bring your attention back to the sensation of coffee in your mouth as much as possible. Sit with the bitterness. It’s not as bad as you once thought.

6. Add Something Unexpected

Using your other ingredients, add something you wouldn’t normally add to coffee. Try a small squeeze of the orange, stir in a little bit of the chocolate, add a pinch of cinnamon, or even drizzle some honey into it. Pay attention to how even the littlest change makes a different in the taste. Again, move away from the need to label it good or bad. Find the actual flavor.

7. Flood Yourself With Gratitude

At this point, your coffee has probably lasted longer than any other cup of coffee you’ve had before. Just like you took the 3 breaths in the beginning, repeat them again now. Keep the thought of gratitude in your inhalation. Expel the need for speed and negative emotions on the exhalation. Let the gratitude reach the top of your head to the your toes. Pay attention to how this makes your body feel. You’ll love the experience.

Not only will this be your longest cup of coffee, you will have actually been present for it. Genuine taste should come first. If you think you don’t have time for meditation during the day, try this with your morning coffee. You’ll be tricking yourself into meditation each and every time.

Also, if you want to revitalize the way you eat and begin a healthy relationship with food, I invite you to download your FREE report - The 10 Mistakes That Are Sabotaging Your Relationship With Food. It’s your first step towards a healthy, life changing, and mindful relationship with food that will change the way you eat forever.