Process-infused

When you finally pour the coffee into your mouth and experience the flavor, this is the result of a process. The flavor of the coffee is infused with the process. The process affects the taste.

For some the coffee-making process takes two minutes and six steps: place filter in the coffee maker, add water to the machine, scoop pre-ground beans, set the timer, wake up to hot coffee, pour the coffee into your mouth.

For others, the process is twenty minutes and sixteen steps that need not be laid out, but include a burr grinder, a kettle, a thermometer, a chemex, and waiting.

Some go to a drive-thru.

Some use a blender.

Some use complex machinery.

Some do everything by hand.

Some add sweetener.

Others want purity.

Some shop around for their coffee.

Others shop around for their coupons for coffee.

Every step of the process tells a small story. The meaning extracted from the story infuses the coffee and makes it taste different.

The organic single-origin light roast beans from a company that donates money to charity for each bag sold tells a different story than the cup bought in a drive-thru on the way to the gym. The former infuses the coffee with contribution to the world. The latter sweetens the beverage with convenience and productivity.

Consider the cheap beer at the end of a long day and the expensive champagne at the end of a quick deal.

Imagine the easy coffee at the beginning of grueling journey or the labor-intensive brew at the start of a relaxing weekend.

This is also true when you reach a 10-year anniversary, complete a graduate degree, or finish a workout. The journey of each contributed to the sense of satisfaction.

The why behind each step in the process accumulates and becomes a part of the result. The meaning of the process infuses the product.

The process is a means to an end.

The end is changed by what the process means.