I realize that many of you may not know me personally. If you do, you know that I am a capital “C” Coffee Snob. I take my coffee consumption very seriously. It baffles me both as a pastor and a man of integrity (and humility, as you can see) that one would not take their coffee very seriously. Though that is meant in jest (sort of…), the science of coffee is fascinating to me. I do genuinely enjoy the taste of a well-brewed cup of black coffee. Over the last couple of years, I have started to dive into hobby coffee-making. Usually, people settle for the simple coffee pot or Keurig morning routine. That is not so in my house. I found the more elaborate corner of the coffee world where people spend inordinate amounts of time to do things like brew one cup, hand grind their own beans, and worry about their water temperature. I am now one of those guys. I have several different coffee makers, a nice tower grinder, fancy brewing equipment, and pricey coffee beans on my shelf. And my favorite method of making coffee is using the AeroPress. If you want to see how to use an AeroPress, watch the short video below. Or don’t… it doesn’t matter to me. But you may need the context in about two paragraphs. You’ve been warned.
The science of coffee is quite interesting to me, and it does actually matter. Water temperature, grind size, bean type, roast type, coffee maker– these things all influence the taste of the coffee we drink. I know that most people “just like simple, old coffee– nothing fancy.” You may even be one of the folks who drinks things like– let me catch my breath, here– Folgers or Maxwell House. And that’s fine. You enjoy that coffee, brother (or sister). But let me take a few moments of your time to convince you otherwise. And more importantly, allow me to use this drawn-out illustration to make a relevant point.
You see, here’s a simple rundown of my morning AeroPress routine: boil the water. While it’s boiling, measure out thirteen grams of coffee beans. Grind those on my #6 setting on my OXO Brew Grinder. Set the AeroPress up in a mug with the filter inserted. Once the water is just boiling, I add the grounds and about 25 grams of water into the Aero to let them “bloom”– coffee term… very important. Once they bloom for about 15-20 seconds, I add water to bring my total water weight to 250 grams. I time this for one minute and forty five seconds. Once the coffee steeps for that amount of time, I spend about twenty to thirty seconds pressing the coffee through the AeroPress, through the grounds, into the coffee mug. And after about a four-to-five-minute process, I have one, high quality cup of black, liquid gold in one of the dozens of mugs I have bought for no reason over the years.
To many of you, this may seem unnecessary. I have heard it before: You take that long to make one cup of coffee? To some, it seems complicated. I would affirm that, to an extent. To some, it seems unnecessary when other methods are available. I can see that point– it makes sense. To others, the idea of grinding beans, boiling water, measuring things exactly, and dealing with so many pieces of equipment can seem laborious. I will acknowledge that, yes, it is quite a task to make one singular cup of coffee. But something you simply cannot understand if you have not tried it: all of this effort and work is absolutely, 100% worth it.
Large swathes of the coffee-making nerd community would affirm that the AeroPress can, in fact, make one spectacular cup of coffee if used correctly. Loads of research and analysis would affirm that, yes, grind size, water temperature, bean type, and all of the other variables do actually contribute to the quality and flavor of coffee. And yet, many people simply remain content with their $30 Mr. Coffee coffee maker on a week day morning, burning that Dunkin Donuts pre-ground coffee into French Vanilla oblivion.
Now, instead of rambling on, let’s land the plane here. You may not even be a coffee drinker. But humor me for a moment. The true purpose of the Christian life was explained by Jesus perfectly before he ascended to the right hand of the father: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” You know what that takes? That takes time, effort, and attention to detail. The low-quality Christian life can be fine just like your Folgers can be “good enough.” We settle for drive thru coffee Christianity when Jesus is calling us to Aeropress Christianity. Yes, that’s a corny sentence. But oh, buddy… it’s so true!
The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. The glory of God is our primary purpose and sinners becoming saints is our primary function. Jesus doesn’t need us to disciple the world– he allows us to. He gives us the ultimate privilege of participation in the Great Commission. What’s quite fascinating about any and all of this is that idea that the process of being a Christian who helps disciple other Christians is long, hard, intense, and beautiful. It takes time, resources, commitment. But the end result is exactly what we were both created for and called to do.
Don’t settle for budget-friendly, easy Christianity. Jesus is calling us to pursue the good stuff. I’m not saying you should pursue a 5-minute cup of coffee on a Monday morning of forsake your local Starbucks. But when it comes to your coffee, there is better out there. And when it comes to the Christian life many of us settle for, we were called to something better, greater, harder, more intentional, more glorious. Using an Aeropress is hard but worth it.
So is making disciples. Hard… but worth it.
Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Caffeinated Christianity 