In the building where I work, there’s a massive Nespresso machine with two coffee outlets. It’s become a ritual for me to stand before it as soon as I arrive. Pushing the capsule into the inlet and pressing the button fills the air with the rich aroma of coffee, accompanied by a wild sound. It’s a curious feeling, like catching a whiff of lilacs next to a construction site. 🌸
As the coffee starts to flow, the machine’s roar gradually fades, but the part that always amazes me is what happens next. At the exact moment the last drop of coffee falls, the motor’s sound stops too. It’s as if the world has ended. Maybe the sound stops after the last drop or vice versa. (Not that it really matters.)
The sound disappears, but the scent lingers.
Just like the body may pass, but memories remain.
At home, I have an old Nespresso machine. It’s small, but it makes noise just as powerfully as the one at work. Despite being over a decade old, it stubbornly brews coffee like an old barista with a mind of its own. Of course, the motor’s sound and the last drop have their own timing… (Always have.)
I personally love the smell of coffee, but I’ve rarely thought it tastes good while drinking it. In fact, I usually find it bitter. In historical dramas, poison often looks like coffee and probably tastes similar. Most criminals facing poison seem to have a twisted expression, but if there was poison that smelled like coffee, the scene on the execution ground might be different, don’t you think?
Ah… so fragrant
Perhaps the convict would recall joyful times or a loved one. Onlookers might think, ‘How wonderful if their beloved were here.’ At life’s end, if the convict feels true happiness, they might think it was a good life after all – just like taking a sip of bitter coffee – and leave this world with a slightly wistful smile. Doesn’t it sound kind of graceful? I’m not sure if it’s good to give peace to the condemned, but right before death, wouldn’t a little kindness be okay? (Namu Amida Butsu)
Anyway, I really want to know what makes coffee taste good. Is it just pretentious? Or maybe not.
Leave a Reply