I now know why Starbucks stays in business. I recently stayed at an Airbnb where I encounterd the Moccamaster coffee brewing system. Two websites, a YouTube video, a coffee grinder and 18 minutes later, I was sipping a cup of hot coffee.
Sure, I should have paid closer attention to the coffee situation when reserving the spot. In fact, I know Airbnb hosts go out of their way to make the lives of their guests easier. And I’m sure that was the intention here, too. In fact, my last rental had both a drip and Keurig machine. I thought I was in coffee heaven to have both options.
But this most recent rental might have been a little over the top for me. I’m a simple person. Sure, I enjoy a little luxury when I travel, but the most important requirement for my first cup of coffee of the day is that it comes fast.
Let’s set the scene. I am not a morning person. My eyes are barely open. Brain cells aren’t fully functioning at this point. I’m grumpy. I need coffee ASAP. I have been known to walk past other humans in my household in a fog, blowing off “Good morning, Mom” and “How did you sleep, honey?” along the way as I make a beeline to my coffee station. Yes, I have an entire area of my kitchen dedicated to coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
A few of the steps I had to follow. Credit: Samplecoffee.com
On this trip, the Moccamaster was like doing a science project first thing in the morning. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a financial geek. I love science and math, but not at the crack of dawn. Standing barefoot in the kitchen, half-dressed and feverishly working through a multi-step process to brew a single cup of coffee was a little too much. For me, converting grams to milliliters was a bridge too far at 6 a.m. I was so tempted to get dressed and find the closest Starbucks. I’m glad I didn’t though.
On the second day, I was able to shave a few minutes off my time. The coffee was OK. I hadn’t yet mastered the process.
By the third day, I was getting better at it. I made coffee in under five minutes. I was even able to strengthen the coffee to my liking.
By my final day, the day we were leaving, I had perfected my cup. In fact, I was sort of sad to have to leave this lovely, frustrating, complex piece of machinery behind.
Most importantly, I saved a few bucks by brewing my own coffee. I also learned a new lesson along the way: Patience.
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