Making Coffee a Tradition

Guest Blogger: Marina Longo

When I was younger, I always wondered why my grandmother would pour herself a cup of coffee after dinner. My mother told me coffee keeps you up at night, which is why I couldn’t figure out why Gram would do that to herself. We started a routine of having coffee after every meal—as our nights got longer and conversations grew deeper. It was then I realized how precious our time really is and the moments and conversations that we had were so very important.

As the years went by, I started drinking coffee myself—things became clearer to me. Coffee, with its many interchangeable taste-altering options, was actually becoming more and more appealing to me. Whether it was a cup in the morning or an after-school pick-me-up, it seemed almost essential, and I began to love the rich bare taste of coffee on its own. As I experimented with different origins—I realized I was learning what farms the coffee beans came from and which taste profiles were my favorite.

Last time I went to my grandmother's house we had a large dinner and a lengthy chat—I found myself wanting a cup of coffee. Coffee with my family leads to unforgettable conversations—and I learned that night about my grandmother's history and how she watched the world around her change drastically from childhood to present. I shared stories myself and watched the appreciation and interest in her eyes as we sat simply enjoying each others company. The topics shifted ever so slightly, and by the end of the conversation, we'd grown closer, warming our hands and our hearts. After dinner this past Christmas I was the one who was offering coffee to my aunts and uncles around the table. That was the day my tradition started to form, and I’m excited to continue it this year.