My Journey with Coffee — A Path of Exploration and Self-Discovery

For me, coffee has always been more than just a drink. It’s been a continuous journey of exploration — and a way to better understand myself.

I started with instant coffee.

I still remember those two glass jars at home — one with instant coffee powder, the other with creamer.

The taste? Bitter. But it was convenient, and it kept me awake.

Back then, coffee was just a functional drink — a “fuel” for studying and working, something to help me stay sharp and beat the clock.

Then came Starbucks.

Walking into a Starbucks shop, the first thing that hit me was the rich aroma of coffee.

Then came the personalized drinks and the cozy vibe.

I realized coffee could be much more than a caffeine boost — it could be a lifestyle.

A way to connect with friends, or a companion for moments of quiet reflection.

But what truly changed my view of coffee

was the day I tasted a cup of Gesha coffee brewed with washed process beans.

The fresh fruity aroma, the bright, clean taste, the long-lasting sweetness — it completely changed my idea of what coffee could be.

That moment opened a new door for me.

Later, I learned that brewing a single 250 ml cup of pour-over coffee takes around 50 coffee cherries.

From planting, harvesting, processing, transporting, roasting, all the way to brewing — every single step matters.

If anything goes wrong in any part of the process, it affects the final taste.

Learning about specialty coffee taught me an important lesson:

Only when we understand the standards and stories behind a cup of coffee can we truly appreciate its value.

And it made me reflect…

If it takes so much care and effort to make one great cup of coffee, what about our lives?

Have we learned how to craft our lives with the same level of attention?

How to turn our lives into something truly special — like a “specialty life”?

Maybe, exploring coffee is really a way of exploring ourselves.

To live a life worth savoring, we must first ask: Who am I?

And then, like making a great cup of coffee, we carefully shape every experience and honor every step.

That’s how we create a life that’s rich, meaningful, and worth sharing with the world.