One morning in Coorg, Karnataka

I don’t know if I’m proud to say that I am a coffee addict!

The home page of this blogsite gives a glorified version of my rendezvous with coffee every morning (which by the way I completely value), but there are times when my addiction gets the better of me and I go out of my way looking for that perfect blend...

This piece is about one such experience on a recent getaway to Coorg.

4.45 am: My eyes opened to the darkness around. I wonder ‘Should I go back to sleep?’.

Moving between wake and dream states, my mind saw the possibilities that an outdoor morning could bring in an unknown location - so much to see and even more to explore.

It was an absolute delight to see the sun go down before 6.00 pm last evening. When night falls, there is little you can do outdoors while in a hill station. An early dinner at 6.30 pm, a post-dinner walk, a few pages of a book - I usually hit the bed at around 9.30 pm like most other locals. With a little over 7 hours of sleep, I'm out of bed - looking forward to an outdoor morning in the hill town.

5.45 am: My morning routine intact; I'm towards the last couple of minutes of my meditation when I see a visual of myself out in the cold hills having piping hot filter coffee. I am not sure if it was the influence of the coffee plantation tour of the previous day that brought forth this visual :)

The home stay that was my abode for the 5 nights here served instant coffee .(which I can live with for a couple of mornings). But this meditation induced visual was motivation enough for me to step out with the thought ‘Why settle for something, when you can have more?’, which was seeming to become the motto of my life recently.

6.00 am: I sit in the driver’s seat of the trusted Brezza, put in the keys for ignition and press the button to roll down the windows. As I wait a few seconds for the engine to heat up, the cold air pours in through the window. Moving quickly to pull on a jacket, I release the handbrake and observe the vehicle move into acceleration. Winding roads and downward slopes with the cool air blowing in. The sheer excitement of driving down the hill (Actually I wasn’t driving, the car set itself in motion on the downward slope) and the morning breeze blew my attention away from the morning beverage for a few minutes.

6.15 am: While I do know the way to the market having been in the hill town for over 24 hours, I wasn't sure where I could get some good coffee. I saw a young Coorgi lad running uphill. I slowed down and brought the car to a halt so I could get some help with directions. Not one to be easily impressed with men, I gathered the directions to AinMane in the market. I could observe my mind thinking ‘I don't know what's with Coorgi men and boys. Some of them are so distinguished – like the one I just met and one other that I had met in 2006 - the series of encounters that will stay etched in my memory for a long time’.

6.45 am: I have gone all around the market, stopped at every little shop that serves early breakfast only to find that they serve tea or instant coffee, made a trip to both the coffee shops that serve filter coffee only to find that they open only at 8.00 am.

A tad bit disappointed I still hang around the market. How can there be no filter coffee in all of Coorg early in the morning? – for starters there are kilometers of coffee plantations at a stone's throw and I thought people woke up early in a hill town…!

6.50 am: Still hopeful (reminding myself that there is treasure at the end of the tunnel), I stopped at a store with a man standing outside of it – could be the owner or a passer-by – definitely a local, catch a tourist wearing shorts and a t-shirt in this winter cold. I smiled and with a heart full of hope, asked him ‘Would you have any idea where I can get some filter coffee?’ and to my delight I heard the word ‘HERE!’ as he pointed to the name of the shop. I bent lower on the car seat to catch what he was pointing at, it read ‘Shanti Coffee’.

I quickly parked, got off and walked over to the owner of Shanti coffee. It seemed like they sold coffee powder so I looked at him with enquiry; he said ‘We do sell powder but I am happy to get you the filter coffee from my kitchen, I live right above. My wife is just getting our morning coffee ready’. How could I refuse?!

I sat on the couple of steps in front of the shop (spot the water bottle and the backpack), took out my diary and pen (it’s unpredictable – the surprises life throws at you. The need to jot down an experience or an insight could spring up anytime, hence my forever companion - my diary) and started to write about my morning adventure. The man in shorts popped out with 3 cups, no they did not look like coffee cups. My eyes shone with delight as he explained the 3 types of coffee beans – arabica, robusta and pea-bean.

A barrage of questions, his patient answers, a page full of words in my diary later, he invited me in to experience the coffee roasting and grinding process.

As I swooned in the aroma, a petite lady arrived with a smile and a cup of coffee. 'It has mild sugar', she said. I thanked her wholeheartedly as flashes from the last hour spent in the quest for some filter coffee ran through my mind like rushes of a film trailer. And here it was, finally warming my hands in the morning chill. I took it all in, fully aware of the present moment. The aroma from the freshly roasted and ground beans, the warmth of the cup in my hand as I sipped my morning coffee.

Now here is what I call a perfect morning!

PS: Now for the little secret. The coffee was a special mix which had a good quantity of the pea-bean. To be honest, the taste of the coffee wasn't to my liking, while I am sure many others would have relished it. It was indeed anti-climatic :)

I took back with me the memory of the excitement filled morning and the underwhelming experience of the coffee - embracing them with equal warmth. As I pen this down, I realize that Life, just like this morning is going to be filled with all kinds of experiences.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?