In what follows, I will take the risk of making an exaggerated comparison, because in the end, this is how things are with the road we travel by serving a coffee, initially "seasoned" with many teaspoons of sugar, and then one simple, black, rich in complementary aromas. Between them, you can also find the natural and subtly noble sweetness of properly prepared milk, which complements the taste of your favorite coffee.
Beginnings are always harder and need a period of adaptation. But, they are exciting. Remember the first step in the hall of the faculty. Stares, hums, new people, insecurity and a new adventure. Now imagine your first sip of coffee: a bold smell, a hostile color that left you with a bitter taste. Glad you had sugar. In order to survive, we must always adapt to the new situations we encounter. Thus, we have the power to transform any event into a sweet memory or a moment that we prefer to forget. With two teaspoons of sugar, you transformed an experience, changed a mold. You personalized it, you made it yours. You will continue to do so, in life or in college.
Imagine your first class, the first face that smiled at you when you nailed it with an answer. That face will always be like a cup of coffee waiting for you warm, ready to give you enough energy to hit the bar again! In addition to these, let's also remember a little about responsibilities, because even the dirty cup has to be washed by someone. With college, you start to realize that you are no longer being babysat by anyone, and everything you do has an echo somewhere, sometime, somehow. Whether that echo is a thick, suffocating steam or a delicious floral scent is up to you. In your wake, now, remains dross. This means that everything you do leaves a mark on this planet or will continue to do so. And you are responsible for your every step.
It's good to think about responsibility when you decide to drink a coffee. You're somewhat responsible with your own indulgence, just like in college you have to balance passing grades and hangover days. With the passage of time, we easily start to rust. The milk cream from the cappuccino leaves, and those jokes about "those who work, those who are responsible" have a boomerang effect on us. And suddenly nothing is sweet anymore. You can add a teaspoon of Himalayan granulated sugar, as the taste will be equally bitter. Life begins, but it does not announce its start. And it's not the coffee's fault, it's your fault. Because you've changed. You started to understand the word "responsibility" and learned to appreciate moments, but especially details.
Your day becomes a go-come: you wake up, drink a coffee on the run, write for class, and then get ready for work. Easy, you start to appreciate a correctly extracted coffee, like a well-done program, without too many hours that you mistake the extraction of the espresso, but you also don't forget to let the water flow through the portafilter too much, because the day only has 24 hours. Sugar becomes a pleasant scar. Your coffee doesn't need anything sweet anymore. You drink it black, enjoying the steam that paints the black sea. Responsibility taught you to be disciplined, respect a system and respect yourself. Of course, a coffee of origin, hand-picked, bean by bean, comes with a certain responsibility and a noble burden. Putting sugar on it is like reading your mileage notes from first year, when you wrote everything, with a Himalayan peak, and now in third year you have learned what the essentials mean.
A coffee of origin is dressed with complementary aromas that arise from the rich earth, from where they were born and given to you for a moment of disconnection. Season and personalize the cup of coffee with many memories, which are sewn on a narrative thread that feeds on the aromas of the coffee and makes its way through the earth cracked by the horror of a heavy morning, irrigating the grooves of the brain. Fuel your mornings with moments of daydreaming and meditation, not sugar. The first timid sip, gently taken with tightly pursed lips, as if prepared for impact, of the black, unsweetened liqueur, will be heavy. Like the bachelor's exam, when, during the presentation, you ignored any plan made at home and relied on instinct and creativity. Do it now too. Have confidence in yourself that you have made the right choice, but also in the quality of the coffee you are about to consume. Then, once you've sipped and let a genuine story fill your mouth, you'll be able to gently hum "Gaudeamus Igitur". You escaped. A new luggage, a new adventure. You're left with lots of memories, new friends, knowledge you don't know if you'll use yet, and hopefully no sugar in your coffee!