Local Coffee Shops Are the Best

“With the coffee in front of her, she closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. It was her moment of happiness.”

― Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Before the Coffee Gets Cold

​Alright, coffee drinkers, this post is for you. I know some of you are tea drinkers (or don't like either), and I respect your preference, but I am team coffee all the way. I stopped by my favorite local coffee shop this morning, and it was so good to be back in this warm and cozy place I love.

I used to go out for coffee more, but lately I've been brewing my own at home. It's partly because I got in the habit of it during lockdown, and also partly because I just got really into the art of making the perfect cup of coffee. Making coffee has truly become a ritual for me, a moment of zen as the aroma of coffee fills my kitchen.

The good news is, I discovered my favorite café is now selling the beans they roast. So even if I am brewing more often at home, I can now have the best beans with the best flavor! And if you're wondering where this little gem is, it's Caffetino in the central valley of California. You can find them on Instagram here.

And for you my coffee drinking friends, I recommend the book Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. It's a Japanese book that takes place in a small, hole in the wall coffee shop in Tokyo. In this magical little place that few know about, you can travel back in time. But there's a catch: you must return to the present before your cup of coffee gets cold, or else you'll be stuck in the past forever.