Coffee is such an essential part of every day that we may not really stop to think about it.

It becomes a habit and something that we just do so quickly. We wake up, we drink coffee, we get on with the day.

Coffee becomes such a given in our lives, especially during the busy weekdays. We drink it without even processing the whole experience.

We just want our coffees so that we can function like a normal person!

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However much we think of coffee as part of a fast-paced life, I feel there is something truly special about slow coffee. 

It is about enjoying the whole experience of manually made coffee, through the joy of immersing in the slow, relaxing passage of time.

And about using slow coffee as a movement and moment to reconnect with yourself, as well as recharge your batteries.

Slow down with your coffee experience

Coffee is so important to us and yet we give it such little thought. During the week we barely have time to scratch ourselves when we itch, let alone truly appreciate our coffee.

All we tend to worry about on weekdays when it comes to coffee? Hot, quick and available now.  

On the weekend though, you should take the time to truly appreciate your coffee. In fact, when you can, you should take the time to truly appreciate everything, including yourself.

But let’s just start small, with the coffee.

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Slow is beautiful

The Slow Movement is a celebration of all things that take their lovely time. This term was created by Carlo Petrini, an Italian activist, in 2005 as a way to rebel against the concept of fast food.

Slow is beautiful and serene, it is about savouring time rather than counting it, hurrying it or killing it.

Slow coffee is almost like a form of meditation.

How to make slow coffee

Using a drip, moka pot, French press (plunger) or pour-over method of making coffee, the brew is created in its own sweet time.

This process uses freshly ground beans, providing a heady rich fragrance that delights the senses. It should be enjoyed slowly in its own right.

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Each slow coffee process requires specific implements, but they aren’t hard to come by or to use.

You don’t need to invest in expensive machines, but you will need to invest a little time.

Something as simple as plunger coffee only needs ground coffee beans, boiling water and a coffee plunger.

Pour the water in over the grinds, then let steep for a few minutes, or until you have reached the perfect temperature, strength and richness of coffee for you.

Plunge, pour and enjoy.

Or if you have the full coffee shebang at home, you grind, tamp and froth to your heart’s content. In your own sweet time. 

The journey of slow coffee

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This is not about coffee right here right now, or to wake up and get on with your busy day as quickly as possible.

This is about a coffee experience, with the coffee being the journey rather than just the fuel to get you out the door.

This is about quality, not convenience.

Slow, manually brewed coffee allows you to play more a role in the brewing, and lets you create a more nuanced flavour.

The slow process lets the natural sweetness of the coffee to come through, meaning you could possibly experiment drinking with less milk and sugar to get your perfect taste.

Why is your weekend important

The basic difference between weekdays and the weekend is that you usually don’t have to go into work on the weekend.

Many people, especially mums, don’t get to have a two-day break from work that naturally falls on a weekend, but we should all have our own designated break time every week.

For some Mums, the weekend is a bit easier because there are no early lunches to pack and school run to do.

You may even get a little sleep in if your kids are old enough to find the box of fruit loops and the TV remote by themselves!

It may also mean that you have a partner around to help out the workload, so while you don’t have two full days off from work as such, the weekend could have some restful parts to it.

Recharging the less hassled version of you

Whatever your weekend looks like, and whenever you manage to schedule something of a break, you should take one.

This is your me-time, your recharging the batteries and replenishing the fuel stores time.

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Your time to remember who you were before the lack of sleep, the constant cleaning up, and the non-stop yelling at kids.

Remember that woman? She was fun once, and quite pleasant to be around. Let’s connect with her again.Take some time just for you this weekend (and start a habit that you should repeat every weekend).

You’ll find the time 

Writer and self-confessed coffee nerd, Nick Stevens sums it up perfectly in this phrase:

“Slow coffee for me is a great way of focussing for a few minutes each day. When I’m making coffee, I resist the temptation to ‘just check Facebook’ whilst the beans are grinding, or to ‘just check to my email’ whilst waiting for the water to boil – because after all, I’m supposed to be making coffee, and if I can’t focus on that, without distraction, for four or five minutes, well, I probably don’t have time to drink the coffee anyway. A great metaphor for reminding people that ‘busy’ and ‘productive’ aren’t necessarily the same thing.”

Final thoughts

Sit in a sunny spot and read a newspaper or magazine. 

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Take a walk through a gorgeous natural park and take some pictures, or visit a cool farmer’s market.Get a massage, take up watercolour painting, plant some veggies

Sleep in, go to the movies, play with your kids.

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Meet up with friends in a cute café for a long leisurely brunch.

Anything really.

And of course, enjoy a nice slow coffee.