Coffee & Debussy, An Impressionable Pair
Post by Ericka Sheppard
Just as the first few notes of Claude Debussy's Clair de Lune awaken your soul, a robust cup of single origin coffee ignites your senses. By utilizing a simple french press, you may transform your next mug into an opus of it's own. Within the 6 minutes it takes to appreciate a piece of music like Clair de Lune, you might grind, saturate, and brew your way toward a fantastically flavored cup of coffee – free from impurities. Much like music, practice makes perfect. From your preferred roast, down to very water source, each choice influences the outcome. Improve your mood and spark imagination, by creating a symphony in the kitchen, with a properly prepared french press coffee.
After you have selected the perfect beans, typically a course ground dark roast, you continue by heating up your water. Once the kettle hits a high note, hot water strikes a chord within the beans to bloom by incorporating a thoughtfully timed stir. Brewing coffee through a significantly hands-on method, ensures each individual ground is properly saturated before the next step. Not only does this phase kick start the entire brewing process, it also prevents sour flavors, and releases the ultimate hidden potential of naturally occurring oils. Paper filters, often used in drip machines, absorb said oils while preventing small bits of coffee grounds from seeping through, as well as important notes and aromas. True coffee aficionados, however, appreciate the flavor one or two bits of grounds add to the overall enjoyment of coffee.
While french press coffee may not be well-suited for those of an impatient nature, the end result is well worth the wait. Working seamlessly together, heat and time create chemical reactions with amino acids (through the Maillard reaction), while also causing coffee grounds to caramelize. Claude Debussy eluded to the overall merit of patience, throughout his composition of Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. As this particular composition incorporates various instruments to coalesce each note into a light, slow moving emotion, the final product poured from your french press will embody the fibers of your very being.
Debussy was considered to be the very first impressionist composer, although he rejected the term implicitly. His works were considered to be rather influential for his time, often inspired by art and poetry – even his own daughter. In music, impressionism expresses emotions and moods, rather than a static tonal picture. Sweet and bright coffee blends, much like Arabesque No. 1, evoke feelings of hope and joy at the beginning of each day. It's a well known fact that Debussy's music was heavily inspired by Claude Monet's Water Lilies painting. Many other classical composers, however, were directly influenced by coffee – how does coffee inspire you?