Just a Lonely Chair

Having worked in Hong Kong during the 2008 market crash,  I’ve definitely felt the true meaning of stress.  Ever seen CHAOS? PANIC? DEATH all in a few days?  Instantaneously losing 30% of your staff due to worrying times?  It’s a tough one.

Lemme tell you, coping isn’t the easiest thing.  What we all want at those times is some kind of stability, something to hold us down, to let us rest. To me the most healing of spaces was a bar I had found.

You are greeted by heavy wooden doors, walk in, it's dim, soft music echoing off a purely wood interior.  You either get a tiny folding wooden chair or these uncomfortable bar stools.  Oddly enough each bar stool is placed far away from one another and each folding chair gets a tiny table in front of it ... as if showing isolation.  In these chaotic times, these moments of isolation were surprisingly comforting.  You’re greeted with a warm towel and a warm air flow, you already feel relaxed.  Every mug in the bar was heavy, every time you took a swig and set the glass back down there’s a heavy thump.  It gives this weird sense of SECURITY, and honestly including every time the door closes ... THUMP THUMP THUMP.  It makes the bar feel like the world outside is completely blocked off.  Sometimes the feeling of ISOLATION, is actually a feeling of STRENGTH.  To be safe and secure in isolation takes a level of strength to accomplish. 

With the intent of creating a warm and comforting coffee, I instantly associate myself with a red warm vibe. Thus of course we have to use a honey or a natural process coffee. Sweetness is a thing, I think being comforted is a very sweet term so we need to find a sweeter balance. At the same time, I don’t find light or bright to be a sense of comfort, so that’s why it needs to be a medium roast.

For the flavours, because we are going for a sweeter profile and a medium roast, it would have to be on the milk chocolate with a little bit of acidity/fruity flavours as an undertone. Almost like a thick but rich strawberry dipped in a milk chocolate fondue. Warm, relaxing and sweet. The regions I thought of when looking for this creation is Guatemala and Colombia as they often give off those vibes/tones. I ended up tasting a few different options and going with the Guatemalan one! It’s a natural process and just delivers this sweet and gentle flavour but leaves a nice texture which creates the most comforting coffee yet. The lonely chair is a chair you sit in for comfort. It requires strength to be alone, but it gives strength as well.

Try it for yourself