The Absent Uncle: Coffee reflections

I was talking with a friend about our coffee habits the other day and how coffee has become a mainstay in my daily routine. 

He and I both enjoy a good cup of coffee. We have shared our favorite roasts and methods of brewing over the years. We both take our coffee black – we want to taste the coffee. He finds it surprising that I don’t share his craving for that first cup of coffee in the morning, but rather see coffee as an enjoyed habit – not a craving or a must have. 

I grew up in a household that coffee was a morning staple. Drip grind during the week, a percolator for Sundays and special occasions. But rarely, if ever, did I drink coffee when I lived at home. 

That changed when I joined the Navy and reported to my first duty station with an aviation squadron aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63). I was an admin type enlisted person and within five minutes of being brought into the office I would be working in, I was told by the Chief Petty Officer “to make the coffee”. 

A bit naïve, I respectfully informed the Chief that “I didn’t drink coffee”. 

The vocabulary, the straightforward expression of my total misconception about his statement, and the volume with which it was communicated left no doubt about what I was to do next. 

Luckily, another sailor took pity on me, schooled me in the coffee making routine, and warned me to not make that type of mistake again. I didn’t. 

But I decided that very day to become a coffee drinker, to drink it black (just like the Chief), and over the years, coffee has become for me, a recognized vehicle for socialization, breaking the ice in conversation, and gaining acceptance in new situations. 

As I moved around in my transportation career, I found that I could learn a lot about a particular office/company/leadership by the provision of coffee in that particular environment. For instance, if the former manager was not a coffee person, most likely a “cheap” or no coffee at all was provided. After finding that out, on my first opportunity I would head to the closest grocery store and stock up the coffee supplies. It was amazing to see some of the questions about “the new guy” evaporate or even better to be asked and answered. Just showing you cared about something as basic as a good cup of coffee made a difference for some folks and made my job a bit easier. 

Just a simple cup of coffee.