While engaging in mission is foremost a religious endeavor, there are plenty of models of strategic engagement that are creatively fostered to "bless the nations." One of these modalities being business as mission (also acronymized as BAM). Micro loans, promotions of local crafts and indigenous artistry has in many ways not only preserved the dignity and the heritage of some people groups throughout Latin America and some parts of Southeast Asia, but also has provided these folks a fighting chance against the impossible divide between subsistence economy and mainstream markets.
But any such endeavor, any treasure or speck of diamond dust will soon be made all too popularized and exploited by larger industries. Exploitation is, that it always entails the hope of any smaller group with extremely limited resources being crushed by larger commercial entities that have nearly endless supply of resources moving in tapping the honey hole. I don't know exactly to what extent, I am avoiding all such research as of yet but the coffee industry reflects of this fact made all to visible by the variety of coffee franchises that are readily visible. Out here in Arizona, I see Dutch Bros Coffee, Dunkin' Donuts, Coffeebean and Tealeaf, and of course the ubiquitous Starbucks mega franchise dominating the industry. The concept of "Fair Trade" has entered the picture but drinking coffee for some reason makes you a skeptic. I am substitious with every sip.
Strictly speaking, coffee and the consumption of its "gourmet" variants have been linked with a certain social class, to borrow the terminology of Marxists, the bourgeoisie. Even coffee has been marked with classicism. We have Folgers and Maxwell served out in diners or truck stops, and then we have Peet's potent $2 drip caffeine elixir or the "fair siren's" $6 plus concoctions of sugar and dairy mixed into their espresso shots. Don't get me wrong, I don't boycott these places, if my friends want to go in there, I will just order a doppio espresso, make a thick syrup with it of raw sugar and nurse that thing for about two hours, just dipping my tongue into it as if I was a fly.
But here is one thing that just came to my attention. The actual shelf life of a roasted coffee bean is roughly seven days. Which is to say, that no matter how you try to vacuum pack it, freeze dry it, no matter how you try to extend its shelf life by any kind of preservative methods, for all intents and purposes the idea of "freshness" has long evaporated when you go to your favorite caffeine dispensary. By the time you get that one pound bag and even though you grind it in your own kitchen, those beans have already lost most of its potency and beneficial properties that are reported to go as deep, as indispensable in some religious ceremonies of the indigenous peoples. It is reported that coffee was used by sages, during their long hours of prayer to stay awake.
So how do I get my hands on a truly fresh cup? Well, you gotta find a place that roasts the coffee at least on a weekly basis or roast it yourself at home. Out here in Arizona, I found one place that serves a pretty decent cup but still, not to the satisfaction of roasting it yourself. It turns out, that roasting at home is not a complicated process, no more complicated than say, popping popcorn.
to be continued...
But any such endeavor, any treasure or speck of diamond dust will soon be made all too popularized and exploited by larger industries. Exploitation is, that it always entails the hope of any smaller group with extremely limited resources being crushed by larger commercial entities that have nearly endless supply of resources moving in tapping the honey hole. I don't know exactly to what extent, I am avoiding all such research as of yet but the coffee industry reflects of this fact made all to visible by the variety of coffee franchises that are readily visible. Out here in Arizona, I see Dutch Bros Coffee, Dunkin' Donuts, Coffeebean and Tealeaf, and of course the ubiquitous Starbucks mega franchise dominating the industry. The concept of "Fair Trade" has entered the picture but drinking coffee for some reason makes you a skeptic. I am substitious with every sip.
Strictly speaking, coffee and the consumption of its "gourmet" variants have been linked with a certain social class, to borrow the terminology of Marxists, the bourgeoisie. Even coffee has been marked with classicism. We have Folgers and Maxwell served out in diners or truck stops, and then we have Peet's potent $2 drip caffeine elixir or the "fair siren's" $6 plus concoctions of sugar and dairy mixed into their espresso shots. Don't get me wrong, I don't boycott these places, if my friends want to go in there, I will just order a doppio espresso, make a thick syrup with it of raw sugar and nurse that thing for about two hours, just dipping my tongue into it as if I was a fly.
But here is one thing that just came to my attention. The actual shelf life of a roasted coffee bean is roughly seven days. Which is to say, that no matter how you try to vacuum pack it, freeze dry it, no matter how you try to extend its shelf life by any kind of preservative methods, for all intents and purposes the idea of "freshness" has long evaporated when you go to your favorite caffeine dispensary. By the time you get that one pound bag and even though you grind it in your own kitchen, those beans have already lost most of its potency and beneficial properties that are reported to go as deep, as indispensable in some religious ceremonies of the indigenous peoples. It is reported that coffee was used by sages, during their long hours of prayer to stay awake.
So how do I get my hands on a truly fresh cup? Well, you gotta find a place that roasts the coffee at least on a weekly basis or roast it yourself at home. Out here in Arizona, I found one place that serves a pretty decent cup but still, not to the satisfaction of roasting it yourself. It turns out, that roasting at home is not a complicated process, no more complicated than say, popping popcorn.
to be continued...
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