This is the first pour over I have made time for since our baby came. Though I love the convenience of a coffeemaker, there is something so informal about it. I missed the ritual. The art. The science. The exhibition of skill and detail. Deciding on what region I’m in the mood for. Which brew method. Setting an exact water temperature on the gooseneck kettle. Calculating the ratio. Gathering fresh beans and weighing them out to the gram on a digital scale. Freshly grinding them in a bur grinder. Timing the bloom and pour until the proper water weight is reached. Watching the final drops fall into my cup and letting it cool to the right temperature. Every sip is an explosion of hundreds of flavor compounds connecting with my taste buds, activating dopamine receptors to mark this as an extremely pleasurable experience that needs to be repeated. It’s not a beverage, it’s an experience.