Rastafrican Kamaloha (Part II)

“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” T.S. Elliot

In some circles, there is a saying that religion is for those that are afraid of going to hell and spirituality is for those that have already been there. Although I have always enjoyed the subtle self-righteousness of that saying; I have met many a deeply spiritual folk whose personal connections to the Sacred stemmed directly from their devotion to the rituals of their religious persuasions, whether grounded in the time that they served in a mosque, a temple, a synagogue, a church, a mandir, a hogan, or a yadao zadora.

As my good friend Snoop would say, however, let’s get back to the lecture at hand. Rastafrican Kamaloha is a sui generis blend of exquisite coffee beans combined with the pseudo-unique ritual necessary for brewing such beans.

For those that do not know the difference between Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephor, you have much to learn.

Part I attempted to establish the underlying premise that spirituality is both a collective and a personal journey (and one that I hope you are on). Part II is designed to illustrate the many facets that necessitate spiritually guided philosophy. In essence, it is through ritual and devotion that we are able to transcend the mundane of the ordinary. Or as Morpheus suggests, there is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path; “I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it.”

Let us reflect back upon the Moses Principle alluded to in Part I. In the strictest literal translation of many a miraculous act, does it require a leap of faith to believe that Moses did in fact part the Red Sea? For me it comes quite easily with faith, “to believe,” as long as the caveat is added that Moses was only able to part the Red Sea only after he had finished drinking his morning cup of coffee.

For my fellow java aficionados follow with me full speed ahead. For those of you Arabica-ly challenged unfortunates; attempt to view both the pomp and circumstance of ritual though the paradigm of whatever habit nourishes you daily. Tea perhaps? Crumpet maybe?

In the context of the fast food culture that most of us are immersed in, only 30 second sound bytes can capture our attention. I therefore urge you to trust me, initially, but do your own research. Schoolhouse Rock may have taught us that three is a magic number; however, four is a sacred number. 

Coffee is sacred. In my humble opinion, four of the world’s finest coffee beans are 1) Jamaican Blue Mountain, 2) Tanzanian Peaberry, 3) Sumatra Mandheling, and 4) Hawaiian Kona.

A very specific combination of the above blend is the foundation of Rastafrican Kamaloha. Yes, there exist many words in my vocabulary that were given their first breath by moi. A fundamental and universal communication concept is that meanings are held among people and not in words; so for me Rastafrican Kamaloha has great meaning.

Rasta [rah-stuh]: Jamaican Blue Mountain~grown in the perpetual mist of Jamaica’s highest mountain range. (a)frican [(a)f-ri-kuhn]: Tanzanian Peaberry~grown on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Kama [kah-muh]: Sumatra Mandheling~grown in the islands of Indonesia and named in this case after the Hindu god of erotic desire. (A)loha [(ah)-loh-hah]: Hawaiian Kona~named for the welcoming spirit that prevails throughout the islands where Kona is grown.

Fair Trade Certified Coffee a must!

So there you have it; the literal translation of Rastafrican Kamaloha.

Add to this foundation, clear blue water with a minimum mineral content of 150-200 parts per million. I prefer tap water from Colorado Springs or if it must come in a bottle then Fuji will do, but make do with what you can.

And finally, the only way to ‘officially’ brew Rastafrican Kamaloha is with a cafétiere; also known as French press. They key to successfully working a cafétiere is establishing an even grind. The more fine and even your grind, the closer you will get to your final destination, AKA Heaven, Nirvana, Paradise, Utopia, or the Promised Land. 

Stay tuned for Part III.