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C Story / Syed Naveed

Infused

Coffees

O n one of my work trips, I visited a coffee shop

to recharge until my next meeting and to take
shelter from the sweltering heat of the Middle
East. Infamous for its summer temperatures
but little did I know, the cafe was known for the coffee.
Since I had some time on my hands, I began chatting with
the Head Barista who also happened to be the Head Roast-
er. He recommended I try out a customer favorite on pour
over – Costa Rica with a confidential processing technique.
The coffee was very aromatic and a distinct note of trop-
ical fruit popped up with an element of sourness attached
to it – a mix of pineapple and mangosteen, if I must say. I
chose to sit by the bar and watch the barista skillfully
prepare the drink in no time. I waited for a few more min-
utes for the drink to cool down and I took my first sip. The
flavors were very pronounced.
The intensity level was maxed out and I could only
taste the pineapple. It seemed like a supernatural flavor
hovering above the basic coffee taste that was lost some-
where in translation. I had a Eureka moment realizing
maybe this is what infused coffees taste like.

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