The Insane Coffee Project

Hello world!

My name is Chris and in case you’re dropping by from the blogosphere, this little post is to relativize a collection hobby of mine that on first sight seems very strange. It’s this: I love finding and trying delicious coffees from all over the world. After my last sip, I clean my cup and the machine, but instead of throwing away the spent coffee grounds, I dry and keep them as a souvenir of my little coffee journey that day. Over time, you amass a lot of material this way. I’ve been at it for 20 years now and have around 300 kg of the stuff hoarded in big barrels in my basement and garage.

The question is why?

People look at (or think about) such a large pile of fine, brown powder and wonder what the appeal is. Clearly it’s not a visual thing, like that of collecting stamps, vintage cars or fine art. I am sure that most people are not only capable of understand this, my coffee thing, but that many of you do something similar in your own lives.

Perhaps you have brought home with you a handful of beach sand from a seaside holiday? If you have, you are far from alone. Untold numbers of travelers do this, so much so that laws have been passed prohibiting it. The Meditteranean island of Sardinia passed such a law in August 2017 and eBay removed items listed for sale on their website claiming to contain Hawaiian sand following a revision to US law in 2013. Although a little bottle full is nothing in the greater scheme of things, when you multiply that by millions of tourists annually, that catapults the situation right into the greater scheme of things.

The example of eBay shows that armchair traveling is not that rare a thing either. People were paying up to $35 to own a bit of paradise, despite never having been to Hawaii themselves. It suggests that paradise is first and foremost a construct of our minds. Having a lush tropical landscape as a canvas to project it onto helps, but is not absolutely necessary.

Why do we bring back a bit of sand? Are we hoping to import some of those holiday good vibrations? A little totem of a far-away place, of balmy weather, of days completely devoid of a schedule (apart from the cocktail hour and perhaps the odd spa treatment)? I suppose it can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. And in my mind at least, it certainly beats any number of store-bought souvenirs you can bring back with you.

I will return to this topic to take a deeper dive into the beauty of sand. Please do subscribe if you don’t want to miss out on that. And in the meantime, I would love to hear from you. Have you got one or more samples of sand as a reminder of a far-away place and time? Rocks count too (they’re the yang to the yin of sand, but more of about that in the next installment).

Wishing you merry reminiscing and have a lovely day!