My Slow Coffee

He and I were both eagerly waiting for the first drops of coffee to fall. Since I came to the Netherlands, I had not had filter coffee, but it was the first time he had seen it. In the Netherlands, people drink coffee from machines, so it is very different.

- "Oh, it's starting to drip. It's dripping very slowly, baby!".

- "Yes, sir. It is very slow - slow coffee" - I said dreamily.

Imagine we are dating in a deserted cafe. It could be on a pouring rain afternoon in Ho Chi Minh City or a cool rainy evening in the capital Hanoi. But no, filter coffee at home is also great because we are not simply enjoying a drink, we are enjoying deep moments of sincerity.

In the Netherlands, people drink coffee from machines, so filter coffee looks strange.

Each drop of coffee falls slowly. Our voices whisper softly. No need to say much, two souls blend together and fly with the lingering aroma of coffee.

After the last drop of coffee fell, he used a small spoon to stir the milk and coffee until they blended together into a shimmering brown color. I loved the feeling of seeing things that seemed different, when placed next to each other, blending together so passionately. Was that a miraculous harmony between human life and the earth?

Each drop of coffee with its fragrant aroma awakens the cells in our body.

Vietnamese people rarely use coffee machines like Westerners. It is not a bad coffee but it is new and too noisy, hasty. We try to put all the urgency of life behind a slow cup of coffee. Sipping each fragrant, sweet and bitter sip, we let it melt once more, seeping into the bottom of our throat. Each drop of coffee with its fragrant aroma awakens the cells in our body. A feeling of excitement and excitement rushes back.

Starting a new day like that is really worth it. And if it is followed by a sleepless night, it doesn't matter. Just a cup of small, slow filter coffee, we can contemplate many emotions of life. My slow coffee, how can I not love it!

(Entry to the contest "Impressions of Vietnamese coffee and tea" under the program "Honoring Vietnamese coffee and tea" for the 3rd time, 2025 organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper).

Rules of the contest "Impressions of Vietnamese coffee and tea". Graphics: CHI PHAN

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ca-phe-cham-cua-toi-196250419132441715.htm