The “Leftist” Espresso was on the top of the list. I already liked this place.
The day had been dreary, but the company made up for it. We took a bus from Libe Slope down to the Commons, then proceeded to walk 20 minutes out to Gimme Coffee! This was my first time getting coffee from them, and as a self-pronounced coffee connoisseur, I was quite excited. Since April/May had rolled around, and the mountainous weight of the end of the academic year at Cornell had been pressing upon my shoulders, my coffee intake has skyrocketed. This event was perfectly timed for me.
When we got there, ordered our coffee, and settled in, we all went around in a circle and shared our favorite stories about coffee. I shared mine: when I was out of school and working full time on the comprehensive plan for the City of Laredo, I was tasked with bringing life to our downtown, which was becoming emptier and emptier by the day. We wanted something to appeal to the young college crowd, but not a bar, and a place where people could go to hang out, a place for arts and live music: a coffeeshop! So, for the better part of the year, we worked on getting a coffee shop to open up on our targeted Iturbide street.
The conversation evolved from personal stories to conversations about Artificial Intelligence to the classic Harry Potter vs. Lord of the Rings discussion (Team Tolkien). It was such a great conversation it continued from the coffee shop through the entire walk back and through the bus ride back. This event wasn’t rigorously planned, but it certainly was one of the most fulfilling and memorable.
What I find rather interesting is how much of your post is about talking to your peers rather than coffee itself.
I remember reading in high school “The History of the World in 6 Glasses,” a book about six types of drinks and how they have shaped the history of civilization. Coffee, of course, is one of those drinks. And in discussing coffee, the author heavily emphasized the importance of the coffeehouse all throughout history as the center of social activity. From 15th century Arabia to Egypt, Persia and eventually Europe, the spread of coffee as a drink of social discourse slowly became a global phenomenon. And by the looks of your post, it lives on.